VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 EN EXCERPT
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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 EN EXCERPT
CONTENTS EDITORIAL At the Heart of Zintek 4 IN A NUTSHELL Who We Are, What We Do Production, services, professional training 6 THE COMPANY Becoming Zintek How a business from Venice Porto Marghera became a name to shout from the rooftops 8 INTERVIEW: MARCO IMPERADORI Haute Couture for Buildings The new relationship between appearance and function in a building envelope’s 18 SERVICES Mission Accomplished How Zintek changed the world of cladding through high-quality products and services 26 EXCERPT
INTERVIEW: LEOPOLDO DESTRO Competitiveness and Social Value Culture, territory, and local community: the watchwords for the businesses of the future 35 PROFESSIONAL TRAINING Vocational Education Italy risks losing its traditional crafts due to an age-old unresolved issue with training 42 INTERVIEW: RENÉ RUSTICO Profession Sheet Metal Worker How was life in Zintek’s Tinsmithery School in the words of one of its alumni 50 PICTORIAL The Zintek Model A journey through images of zinc-titanium architecture 54 EXCERPT
Italian youngsters have three options when it comes to secondary education: high schools, which concentrate on the arts and humanities; science-focused technical institute; and vocational colleges. According to data from the Italian Ministry of Public Education, secondary school registrations for 2023/24 show that high schools are considerably more popular (57.1%), than the other two (30.9% and 12.7% respectively). Such an imbalance has profound economic and social implications and bears witness to a vision of learning that does not align with the needs of businesses. Parents are convinced that traditional high schools and university degrees are themost prestigious and formative route, offering the best work opportunities. In reality, the labour market is in desperate need of specialist technicians and skilled trades people, even though these roles can be reasonably well-paid. The result is a mismatch between youngsters’ aspirations and the actual situation, damaging both their chances of a satisfying career and the wider Italian economy. The building sector is a case in point. The money pouring in from the country’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan — involving renovation work on existing buildings and the construction of new buildings — is breathing new life into the sector. Public funding for developments in this sector is expected to increase by 25% during 2023. Italy risks losing its traditional crafts due to an age-old unresolved issue with training VOCATIONAL EDUCATION 42 EXCERPT
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The issue, however, is the chronic shortage of skilled labour: sheet metal workers, welders, carpenters, plumbers, and flooring specialists are becoming almost impossible to find. Yet these are all essential professions, that combine ancient knowledge with modern technical progress. Expertise, skill, and mastery are all required on a building site to deal with rapid, increasingly sophisticated developments in the materials being used and ever more demanding government regulations. The positive intention is to ensure that buildings are long lasting and comfortable. Construction work requires PRECISION, creativity, and intellectual vivacity. For instance, the sheet metal professionals recruited by Zintek have a solid knowledge of titanium-zinc. With each project, they must be able to fold it into any design and at any angle, based on unique requirements. This expertise comes from continuous professional development, which in time leads construction workers to become part of the design and implementation process. The crucial information that can be gathered in situ encourages architects and engineers to hone their materials, consider their installation, and, ultimately, the design of the buildings in the first place. So why do young Italians so rarely choose fascinating jobs like these, which would also allow them to improve life in their community? As well as the ongoing prejudice mentioned earlier, the relationship between the Italian school system and businesses is problematic. Schools still seem unable to offer an education that combines theory and practice, while businesses do not invest time to show pupils the importance and beauty of traditional crafts, and fail to paint an attractive picture of specialist tradespeople. We are still a long way from achieving the benefits promised by the programmes introduced in recent years that allow young people to attend a mixture of school and the world of work. There is no shortage of inspirational models in Europe. In Germany, vocational high schools follow a dual system that combines classroom-based lessons with an apprenticeship at a business (Berufsschule). The schedule is divided intoblocksofdaysorweeksat school and others spent at a workplace, on an apprenticeship contract—students even receiveabasic salary for the periods they work. In France, after a few years of secondary school, youngsters have access to vocational education in apprentice training centres. The syllabus is chosen in partnership with businesses, and students are supported by a tutor. One of the most interesting programmes is part of the Austrian education system. The Berufsbildende mittlere Schulen and Berufsbildende höhere Schulen are upper secondary schools with a vocational focus, and pair a traditional curriculum with obligatory work experience. As in France, the teaching programmes are flexible and constantly evolving to better meet the needs of the manufacturing sectors. The Higher Technical Institute for Mechanical Engineering alone offers ten different training courses, which indicates just how specialist the Austrian educational pathways can be. In Italy, the patchy relationship with the school system has prompted some businesses — those operProcessing stages on a construction site. The installers of the Zintek team are always equipped with specific clothing and protection systems in accordance with the law. ARCHITYPES 44 EXCERPT
ating in a globalized market with demanding and well-informed clients — to take matters into their own hands. Zintek did just that twenty years ago, when it opened its Tinsmithery School and began training its own installers. At the time, titanium-zinc was a relatively unknownmaterial in Italy, so Zintek needed skilled professionals who could install it anywhere and inline with project requirements. For a long time, the school, based in Venice Porto Marghera, was one of the leading training centres for sheet metal workers in the entire country. It provided opportunities to learn technical and business skills, and fostered partnerships between Zintek and participants. As well as producing titanium-zinc, the company also offers on-site SUPPORT in Italy, providing teams of qualified installers. Opening the Tinsmithery School meant Zintek could immediately guarantee its customers a comprehensive set of services, giving it an undoubted advantage over its competitors. It offered specialist courses in roofing, façades, and an accredited Zintek installation technician programme — each one pairing classroom-based lessons with lab-based exercises. Participants 45 vocational education EXCERPT
could make use of a range of practical equipment, including seam-tracing tools with various designs, all accompanied by extremely useful documentation for expert sheet metal professionals. They could also access the exclusive P.O.L. estimation software for free, enabling them to calculate in detail the timeframe and costs of a project while also providing the corresponding technical documentation. In 2022, Zintek achieved UNI ISO 21001:2019 certification, the international standard for management systems for educational organizations. Then they launched the first accredited training body in Italy, able to train and certify sheet metal and installation skills — the ZINTEK ACADEMY. Located on the same site as the Tinsmithery School, the Academy comprises a classroom, a showroom with models, and a lab containing the tools required for the various forms of metalworking so that participants can complete practical ARCHITYPES 46 EXCERPT
exercises. The courses feature titanium-zinc and other types of metal cladding, and are alignedwith UNI/PdR 68:2019 procedures, which define “the general and specific metalworking requisites for the building professions and the knowledge, skill, responsibility, and independence required by sheet metal specialists operating in the building sector, based on European Qualifications Framework criteria”. All courses are tailored to installers with precise training and work experience who want formal recognition of their skills. The final certification exam includes both theory and practical components and is run by an external organization accredited by Accredia, the sole national accreditation body recognized by the Italian government for confirming the competence, independence, and impartiality of certification, inspection and verification bodies, and testing and calibration laboratories, in accordance with UNI CEI EN Workers need relevant training and significant on-site experience to develop the skills they need to install this material correctly. Creating continuous surfaces or using a range of seaming techniques to highlight the joints between the sheets requires precision, knowledge of the materials, and a high level of professionalism. 47 vocational education EXCERPT
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ISO/IEC 17024 (“General requirements for bodies conducting the certification of persons”). Installers who pass the exam receive a professional sheet metal working licence, issued in accordance with the aforementioned UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17024 — an excellent addition to their CV. The inaugural courses were held in December 2022 and January 2023. Zintek remains the first organization in Italy to offer this form of training certification, showing its vision for the future. Its proactive approach can also be seen in the Academy’s plans for professional installers, involving seminars and meetingswitharchitectsand trade associations. The aim is simple yet AMBITIOUS: to foster an exchange of ideas and new relationships to help improve design and construction techniques, thereby creating a more welcoming and liveable urban environment. Irregular surfaces present specific challenges; Zintek’s training courses tackle this and other topics, giving attendees all the skills and tools they need to install zintek® perfectly. 49 vocational education EXCERPT
ARCHITYPES A publication by Zintek VOLUME 2 ISSUE 1 EN press@zintek.it Cover Technical drawing of zintek® covering UniCredit Pavilion, Milan © Zintek S.r.l. Zintek S.r.l. Via delle Industrie 22 30075 Venice Porto Marghera +39 041 2901866 www.zintek.it For commercial and technical information: marketing@zintek.it © 2023 Zintek S.r.l. All forms of reproduction, even if partial or for internal/didactic purposes, are prohibited without proper authorization. EXCERPT
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WWW.ZINTEK.IT € 10.00 This is the story of an ambitious company, which has always pursued just one goal: to bring zintek® to the roofs of the world. EXCERPT
www.zintek.itRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODUwMjE2