Going Global
Designers and brands frequently look to other cultures for inspiration, which are exemplified in this year’s tile introductions. Continue reading Going Global
Tag: Architecture
Serpentine Sculpture
The 11,000 sq. foot Vanke Pavilion was clad in 4,200 glazed porcelain stoneware tiles designed by Daniel Libeskind and manufactured by Casalgrande Padana. These ‘fractile’ tiles were engrained with a 3D bas-relief geometric pattern and then finished with a metallic glaze that gave the surface an iridescent effect. Continue reading Serpentine Sculpture
Polish Proposition
Marazzi’s new Warsaw showroom confirms the company’s strategy of reinforcing the brand’s presence in major European capitals, and reinforcing its profile with architects and interior designers. With more than 250 customers and architecture professionals attending the official opening. Continue reading Polish Proposition
Ceramic Collaborations
RIBA North is hosting Moulding Futures: Collaborative Explorations in Ceramics for Architecture symposium on Friday 8th December, a one-day event created by ECAlab and supported by Tile of Spain, the University of Liverpool and Leeds Beckett University. Continue reading Ceramic Collaborations
Terrazzo Takes Off
A major project to lay around 7,500 sq. metres of new conglomerate flooring and screeding at Gatwick North Terminal – an exemplar of a high profile, high footfall area – has been undertaken by NFTMMS members DMC Contracts and InOpera Group. The main contractor for the project was Balfour Beatty. Continue reading Terrazzo Takes Off
Zaha Hadid’s Organic Oyster
Standing near the quay dedicated to Manfred, Salerno’s new, highly sculptural concrete, glass and tiled terminal building was conceived by Zaha Hadid, as “an oyster with a hard outer shell containing soft, fluid elements, with a ‘tempered’ roof to shield it from the harsh Mediterranean sun.” Continue reading Zaha Hadid’s Organic Oyster
Sustainable Surface Solutions
Ceramic tile is, without a shadow of a doubt, essential to sustainable architecture and construction, not just because it is a natural material but also because of the range of construction systems in which it can be used. Continue reading Sustainable Surface Solutions
Cross-cultural Collage
The Ceramic Museum, Jinzhou, China, designed by Casanova + Hernandez Architects, aims to arouse the visitor’s curiosity about the region’s history and forgotten traditions, while also providing a contemporary cultural focus and meeting point. Continue reading Cross-cultural Collage
Wavefront Townhouses
The dynamic street façade of the Wavefront Townhouses appears as a single integrated development, and references the fluid movement of the world class surf break the development overlooks. The pared back, low maintenance landscaping, white washed façades, and extensive use of ceramic tiles both reference the architecture of the Greek Islands from where the client’s family originates and provides a great reference for minimal ocean side development. Continue reading Wavefront Townhouses
Catalytic Cladding
The exterior of OIIQ in Montréal’s Angus Technopôle features Agrob Buchtal’s ceramic ventilated cladding,. This has a permanent catalyst, integrated to the ceramic’s glaze that is activated when exposed to light, oxygen and humidity. The result: a hydrophilic surface that uses rain water to eliminate dirt and micro-organisms that accumulate on the cladding. Continue reading Catalytic Cladding
Helping Hotels Face Forward
Neolith’s lightweight, easy-to-handle slabs can be easily applied to existing surfaces, from kitchen and bathroom worktops through to cabinets and flooring. This keeps hotel room closures to a minimum, while the inherent wear-resistance is ideal for such high-footfall environments. Continue reading Helping Hotels Face Forward
Basalt Brewery
When specifying The Texas Ale Project, The Orion Collection turned to Crossville for suitable tile collections to finish the tasting room. Dark, textural Laminam Oxide 3 Grigio was specified for the T.A.P. room walls, while Laminam Oxide 3 Nero was installed on the columnar walls. Crossville’s Basalt porcelain tiles in the Bedrock colour were used on the floor, co-ordinating with the Laminam-skinned walls. Continue reading Basalt Brewery
Wowing with Waterjet
Approximately 15,000 sq. feet of waterjet-cut natural stone was specified for Mohegan Sun’s flooring. This included beautiful selections of Royal Red Onyx, Jerusalem Gold, Emperador Light, St Laurent Brown, Thassos White, and Nero Marquina. Actual Bronze was also waterjet-cut and integrated into the designs, as well. Continue reading Wowing with Waterjet
Interactive Tiling Wins Recognition
Mosa’s μ (mu) tiles respond to changing light and subtly go through gradations of colour during the course of the day. This is caused by the ceramic pigments mixed in with the clay and skilful combination of different colours. This ensures that the tiles absorb certain light waves and reflect others, so that the shades change depending on the viewing angle and observation distance. Continue reading Interactive Tiling Wins Recognition
Augmented Actuality Activated
Marazzi’s Grand Carpet is produced in six different 1,200 by 2,400mm modules, 6mm thick, in two sophisticated colour shades, Smoke and Sand. This represents an original approach to large slabs and to porcelain stoneware itself, “easy to handle and creative in its surface finishes, a characteristic not found in any other engineered material,” in the words of the designers: architects Citterio and Veil. Continue reading Augmented Actuality Activated
3D Printed Pavilion
The Ceramic Morphologies project used a clay extrusion system and 3-axis armature to produce 552 unique elements ranging up to 545mm in length, and 150mm in height. Continue reading 3D Printed Pavilion
Sublime Surface Selection
One of the highlights of The Surface & Materials Show; Lumentile is a luminous construction element that uses cutting-edge technology to display lights, colours and images, creating a chameleonic skin for horizontal or vertical applications. Continue reading Sublime Surface Selection
Collaborative Explorations in Ceramics
British and international ceramicists have created a series of ceramic ceilings and walls that show different vernacular languages, reflecting local heritage and identity and ECALab is hosting a talk to flag up the upcoming RIBA North exhibition, Cerámica, on traditional ceramic techniques and digital engineering processes have been used to produce sustainable architectural elements. Coinciding with this year’s Tate Exchange theme of production, shaped by artist Clare Twomey, this discussion will focus on craft, technology, material use and sustainability. Continue reading Collaborative Explorations in Ceramics
Lavazza Luxury
Tile Addict’s favourite Italian coffee brand Lavazza has created a flagship store and café in the centre of Milan, where it is seeking to engage customers in a multi-sensory themed coffee experience. UK agency JHP has designed the space, which seeks to present the everyday ingredient of coffee in surprising new ways, while embodying every aspect of the Lavazza brand. The store pioneers Coffee Design, an ‘artform’ created by Lavazza to offer innovative and unusual flavour combinations. Continue reading Lavazza Luxury
Majestic Mosaics
Innovation, variety in form and fresh use of materials, as well as a significant range extension are promised by the extended and renewed Mosaico+ 10×10 chip collection, which combines tesserae from the Vetrina, Doro, Concerto, Perle and Metal ranges in a single assortment. Continue reading Majestic Mosaics