Snøhetta and VitrA reimagine Milan with circular clay bathroom installation
Snøhetta and VitrA Bathrooms and Tiles have unveiled Ceramics Forged in Light for Milan Design Week 2026, transforming the University of Milan into a sensory landscape of circular clay.
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Positioned within the Interni Materiae exhibition, the installation marks VitrA Bathrooms and Tiles’ twentieth year in Milan and reframes the lifecycle of ceramic materials through a deeply tactile bathroom-led experience.
Designed in collaboration with Snøhetta, the space operates as a continuous sensory path where water, light and clay guide visitors through the stages of ceramic production. Rather than presenting finished bathroom products in isolation, the installation reveals the full material journey, from raw liquid clay through to fired ceramic form, emphasising the role of the bathroom as both functional space and environmental statement.
At the centre of the installation is the debut of VitrA’s nova vita recycled tile collection and recycled ceramic washbasin. Both are produced through a regenerative manufacturing approach that reintegrates industrial waste back into production cycles. The washbasin, in particular, is formed from reclaimed manufacturing remnants that would otherwise be discarded, significantly reducing the need for virgin raw materials.
Sustainability is embedded throughout the process, including production powered by renewable energy sourced from the brand’s own solar installations. The resulting bathroom pieces are finished in a soft matte beige, referencing their recycled origins, and are offered in five geometric forms that range from precise rectilinear silhouettes to softer, asymmetrical ovals.
The nova vita porcelain tiles extend this circular ethos further, incorporating verified recycled content certified by SCS Global Services. Together, the basin and tiles present a cohesive bathroom material system that prioritises reuse, durability and quiet material expression.
Through Ceramics Forged in Light, Snøhetta and VitrA Bathrooms and Tiles position the bathroom as a site of material intelligence and environmental responsibility, where circular design is not an add on but a defining architectural principle.
Images courtesy of VitrA Bathrooms via Designboom
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