who: Gruppo Frati S.p.A., a producer of panels made from chipboard, MDF, raw and processed wood as well as a producer of plastic laminate, for various applications, promotes the eco-compatibility of its products through the control of its production processes, including the recovery of raw materials.

Research is directed towards a diversity of markets: from urban furnishing to leasing, to the building trade and the world of furniture.

what: Ondapan is a sandwich panel made from two high-pressure laminates (HPL) with a layer of eco-compatible materials (cork and rubber) in between, providing excellent mechanical properties and flexibility. The main innovative characteristic is that it combines high mechanical performances (due to the plastic laminate) with excellent flexibility. This allows its use in various shapes, and the fulfilment of the boldest design needs. Ondapan can be curved to any radius to meet all possible requirements. It acts as an excellent thermal and sound insulator, has a low specific weight, and comes in both interior and exterior versions.

applications: this brand-new product provides an interesting decorative effect for the outer walls of buildings, street furniture and indoor furnishings. It can be used to cover all types of surfaces, including flat walls, cornices, window sills, projections and roofs, with a smooth, unbroken ‘skin’ in a wide range of colours that is resistant to sunlight and atmospheric agents.

In 2002, the product was awarded the prestigious prize Costruire (from the internationally known Italian magazine of the same name). Ondapan's best expression has been as a Mobile Acoustic Shell for theatres, first used in the Fraschini Theatre in Pavia. The product is the brainchild of architect Luca Scacchetti and the Frati Group, which developed the idea