Clays stoneware is selected for a medical centre in Thessaloniki

A medical centre at Thessaloniki, in Greece, was designed by the firm MALVI in minimalist, highly original style: just a few perfectly combined materials, creating a welcoming, modern building.

The interior houses the offices of two doctors specialising in very different fields (one in obstetrics, the other in paediatric cardiology), so the building's design had to divide the space effectively without forfeiting its general unity and overall character. The two offices are in opposite corners of the ground plan, each with its own waiting-room for greater privacy and to reduce noise. The central area is a service and shared reception zone.The whole building is given a single identity by one material, plywood, which seems to flow attractively through the interior: it clads the walls, descends to become the reception desk, and covers the service areas.

A single material was also selected for the flooring, and provides a perfect combination with the plywood: Clays stoneware by Marazzi. It was chosen by the architects in a single size, the large 60x120 slab, and a single colour, Clays Lava.Stoneware is the perfect solution for those in search of a convenient, easily disinfected floor, simple to maintain and suitable for locations open to the public.

The distinctive contemporary crafted look of Clays stoneware makes an attractive visual pairing with the tactile plywood, creating a unified, striking interior. Clays has a strong stylistic personality thanks to a surface rich in shade variation that combines two opposite effects, the traditional warmth of terracotta and the contemporary spirit of concrete, in a single material. The warm colour of the Lava finish is a perfect combination with the plywood of this project. To conclude, the white Corian adds a contemporary detail, while the white wall is decorated with a mural by illustrator Stavros Damos.