A primary architectural criterion for the San Bartolomeo Church in the northern Italian town of Andrate was to design a building clearly legible as Christian. To this end, a nine-metre-high inclined bell tower was incorporated as an instantly recognisable symbol of the Christian faith, which still plays a central role in Italian society today.
The most effective solution chosen in order to realise the sleek architectural design was a reinforced concrete structure for the church cube and the bell tower. From the outset, the high-performance properties of a ventilated facade made its application obvious, and Swisspearl panels appeared to offer the best product quality. The ventilated facade provides numerous technological advantages: durability, cleanliness, thermal comfort, dry installation of the panels, and waterproofing. The large-format white panels enhance the dynamic, slanted form of the church and contrast strongly with the stained glass rhomboid window openings.