At Agape, glass is not just a surface to be worked on, but a substance to be listened to. It is a material that moves across functions and categories: mirror, partition, basin, filter. It never allows itself to be fully defined, but in every project, it opens a new dialogue—between light and space, between gesture and matter.
With Massicci, glass ceases to be transparency and becomes volume. Designed by Marco Zito, this basin is born from molten glass poured into a mould, left to cool slowly until it finds its form—a dense, compact presence, shaped by time and temperature.
Its surfaces, irregular and gently faceted, are not an intended effect but a physical consequence of the process. The glass was not drawn: it was allowed to be. From this essentiality comes an object that, in its simplicity, captures light, holds it, and speaks with the surrounding space in an ever-changing way.
Marco Zito shares a rare relationship with Agape—one that goes beyond the usual connection between designer and company. It is a continuous dialogue, built on trust, listening, and vision. The first tangible result of this collaboration was Diapason, which joined the Agape catalogue in 2001.
It was Marco himself who, in those same years, intuitively recognised the need to create an internal design studio—one capable of supporting the company’s path with architectural sensitivity and precise design thinking. This is how Agape Studio was born, which remains today at the heart of the brand’s architectural work.
An architect and lecturer at IUAV in Venice, Zito has always pursued a material-based design approach. Glass, in particular, marked the beginning of his journey: early experiences in the furnaces of Murano, direct dialogue with craftsmanship, and the desire to listen rather than impose.
It is no coincidence that it was with glass that Zito once again found common ground with Agape, giving life to Massicci—a project born not from a graphic gesture, but from a reflection on the physicality of matter.
In 2024, his work was honoured with the Compasso d’Oro, confirming a vision where form, technique, and humanity are held in elegant and effortless balance.
Project, Process, and Material
Massicci is the result of a long, patient journey, carried out in close collaboration between the designer, the company, and the technical team. It was a challenge that pushed glass to the edge of its possibilities—always with respect and care. There are no forced gestures here, only shared, carefully considered choices.
Each basin begins as a mass of eighteen kilograms of glass, fused at over 1200 degrees and poured into a mould. The cooling is slow and precisely controlled: the glass contracts where it meets the mould, creating subtle irregularities that are left untouched. The resulting surface is alive, almost hammered in texture, never identical. An object that does not lie: every detail reveals its origin.
The name came by itself. It wasn’t chosen—it was recognised. Massicci precisely describes what this basin is: in its form, its substance, its weight. A direct word, not seeking harmony but affirming a presence.
Glass at Agape – Other Perspectives
Designed by Benedini Associati in 2000 and produced until 2016, the 001 basin was created by precisely bonding transparent glass sheets. A light, minimal composition, designed to let light pass through and engage with the space delicately.
Designed by Diego Vencato and Marco Merendi in 2014, Solid is a blown glass mirror with a quiet presence. It plays with opacity, curvature, and reflections. It does not fully reflect, it does not return everything: it holds onto only what is essential, leaving the rest out of frame.