Automatica: Design, Dispense, Deliver

At Italgraniti’s vast production facility in Modena, Italy, high-performance porcelain moves through the factory like clockwork: kilns burning at 1200 degrees, robotic arms stacking and sorting, surface patterns applied at industrial speed. It’s a vision of relentless precision and scale. That spectacle of automation became the inspiration for Automatica, an installation unveiled during Clerkenwell Design Week 2025.

The project was commissioned by Italgraniti, designed by Simon Astridge Architecture Workshop in partnership with Solus, and built by Arcitile. Automatica transformed everyday vending machines into strange and beautiful objects. Each clad in a different porcelain tile from Italgraniti, the machines dispensed tile samples in exchange for brass tokens, inviting reflection on the value of materials, labour and design.

“We were fascinated by what happens behind the scenes at Italgraniti: the sheer scale of production, the choreography of the machines,” said architect Simon Astridge. “We wanted to mirror that automated process in a format that was public, playful, and poetic.”

The complexity of the installation demanded serious technical expertise. Arcitile handled the adaptation of the vending machines, the specialist porcelain cladding, and the delivery of components from Italy to site, all under tight deadlines.

“This was a project where every detail mattered,” said Dan Evans, Director at Arcitile. “From handling the materials to engineering the function, our job was to make something unexpected feel effortless.”

For Italgraniti, the project offered a bold reimagining of their product’s potential.

“Seeing our material used in such a curious and theatrical way was a thrill,” said Antonino Mangiafico. “It reminded us that porcelain is not just a surface: it can be part of a story, a gesture, even a provocation.”

The short film by Superbeam captures the full story of Automatica: its conceptual roots, the complexity of its build, and its quiet power as an artwork in the public realm. Watch now to discover how porcelain, automation, and architectural imagination came together on the streets of Clerkenwell.