The Casa Camper Hotel is located in the heart of Berlin the embodiment of an innovative concept combining a high degree of functionality with welcoming aesthetics aimed at transporting Camper values into the hotel world. This is the second hotel to be opened world-wide by Spanish brand Campers best known to Germans for itsshoes, which combine top quality with unique design.

The Casa Camper Berlin Hotel 51 rooms and suites offer a unique interpretation of Berlin’s architecture . The design concept communicates a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, rounded off by particularly sophisticated touches in both the rooms and the bathrooms. All bathrooms in the boutique hotel have natural light and are laid out to give guests a panoramic view across the skyline of districts Berlin-Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg when standing at the washbasin or in the shower.

SILESTONE IN ALL ROOMS

The long-established Spanish company, world leader in the manufacturing and marketing of quartz and natural stone surfaces, was the ideal partner for this ambitious project. Its objective was to create a hotel reinventing the boundaries and layout of rooms as well as breaking new ground in the use of natural materials. Fernando Amat and Jordi Tió have consistently realised these principles. The bathrooms in all rooms and suites have been fitted with a total of 54 washbasins in Expo Gris with a surface in “Leather”. In addition to this, the reception desk in the lobby has been designed using Silestone Platinum in “Zirconium” with a polished surface. Thanks to its unique properties with regard to handling and quality Silestone® has proven itself to be the perfect choice. Integration of the required slab sizes into the bathrooms was simple and the material guarantees top quality, durable fittings.Composed of up to 93% resin, it is able to withstand exceptional wear and tear – unsurprising considering the fact that quartz is one of the hardest minerals after diamonds. Furthermore, Silestone® has particularly hygienic characteristics as demonstrated by its use for many years now in diverse public institutions including hospitals. The aesthetically perfect, simple surface structure of the Silestone® washbasins underlines the Casa Camper. Berlin Hotel’s concept of timeless elegance without sacrificing its own individual character to do so. The overall design concept for the bathrooms resurfaces in the shower units completed using Silestone Platinum, radiating the charm of sophisticated refinement.

Construmat, the International Construction Exhibition organized by Fira de Barcelona, continues to attract large construction projects that will be presented exclusively at the Forum Contract. With two months to go, the direction of Construmat has made the largest real estate project-Uruguay tourism, construction of the Hyatt hotel in Montevideo, itself known for the first time in Spain in the context of the classroom. The Uruguayan architect Richard Weiss, director of the study WSW (Sztryk Weiss Weiss), is the head of the project, with an investment of over 46 million and is scheduled to open in 2015.

Cosentino Group, the global and family-owned company leader in the production and distribution of innovative surfaces for architecture and design and Moto GP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, presented yesterday evening to more than 150 Italian clients and members of the press, in Milan Cosentino Center, the new ultra-compact surface Dekton® by Cosentino.

Dekton® is without a doubt a technological and commercial challenge and embodies the commitment to the future of the global company. Cosentino Group has invested a total of128 million euros and 22,000 hours of research to launch Dekton®, which will take place this year worldwide .

Excellence, Innovation and Leadership are the values shared between Jorge Lorenzo and Dekton® by Cosentino. The four times world motorcycling champion Jorge Lorenzo,who wears the Dekton® logo in his official MotoGP cap, was the protagonist at Dekton® launch event in Italy. Lorenzo together with the skaters Danny Galli, Fabio Colombo and the writer Verbo (aka Mitja Bombardieri) created a sport and artistic show which provided fun and entertainment at the Cosentino Center, near Milan.

"We are very honoured of the alliance with Jorge Lorenzo. He represents the values of state of the art technology, leadership and extreme performance, that the new ultra-compact Dekton® shares" expressed Santiago Alfonso Rodriguez the Director of Communications and Marketing Group Cosentino during the ceremony.

"I am proud that the new Dekton® by Cosentino surface is my sponsor. Dekton® is an impressive product that was born to succeed," said Jorge Lorenzo.

Dekton® offers endless possibilities to architects and designers so that design flows in indoor and outdoor spaces and at all levels both vertically and horizontally. Applications are many:spaces and surfaces may be covered with large formats (around 320cm x 144cm) available in 12 different colour references (ex. colours resembling slate, cement, rust or natural stone):

·       Bathrooms: For its excellent performance with water, Dekton® is ideal for bathroom flooring and coverings.

·       Kitchens:The technical characteristics of Dekton® make it a material ideal for kitchen worktops, coverings and flooring both in private homes and for professional use.

·       Furnishings: Tables and other furnishing surfaces in Dekton® will showcase the desired design and aesthetics while offering an excellent technical performance.

·       Exterior façades: The technical characteristics of Dekton® result in a uniform design that covers the walls of any building like a layer of skin.

·       Floors and floor coverings:Dekton® is an ideal surface for areas with a lot of traffic, both indoors and outdoors.

·       Swimming pools and gardens: The zero porosity of Dekton® means that the material can be applied in pools and very exposed outdoor spaces.

Dekton® by Cosentino is proof that it is still possible to continue to innovate in the field of materials for architecture and decoration. It is a completely revolutionary product with superior technical characteristics that allow its use in any weather, ensuring the invariability of its colour.

With Dekton®, Cosentino Group managed to combine technological innovation and design, achieving superior results in performance quality.

The 21^st, 22^nd  and 23^rd of June, the company FILA, leader in treatment and surface solutions in building wanted to share his 70th Birthday with their customers around the world.

Their current plant in San Martino di Lupari, near Pàdova, was the place where Fila explained how it works in detail their production chain and the reason why it is a pioneer in all these sytems worldwide.

We could also enjoy an interesting proposal showroom-museum, opened for the occasion, where we met the history of this particular company.

The current president's father opened in 1943 and exemplary facilities in the area where products were produced for cleaning shoes, leading to different solutions for metal cleaning. In the 60's the current president Beniamino Pettenon detected a possible business opportunity in cleaning stone and ceramic products and decided to open another division, which resulted in such prestigious company we know today and it is only dedicated to this production. It is a benchmark worldwide.

Paolo Gasparin, Responsible of Fila Spain, wanted to invite a small representation of Spanish clients, as Manuel Fornos (Galicia), Juan Durán Alemany (Palma de Mallorca), Gonzalo Torregrosa Gibeller (Alicante and Murcia) and Joaquin Ochoa of BigMat Barrabés (Aragon).  

We could enjoy the event finishing with an spectacular dinner in one of the most prestigious hotels in Venice, near St. Mark's Square, where all the attendees could enjoy and participate in this great family that represents FILA Company.

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PHOTO ALBUM HERE

In this issue, we are going into the details of the excellent refurbis­hment completed in the Restaurante EL Merca’o – a building measuring 990 m² loca­ted in Pamplona – by the studio Vaillo&Irigaray which features Antonio Vaillo i Daniel and Juan L Irigaray Huarte as the two lead architects on the project with Daniel Galar Irurre as the directing ar­chitect.

To find out more about this work, we contacted these creators. With respect to their original idea, they told us that “we like restaurants which change, which are different every time. We feel that they change with your emotions, with the type of experience you want, with the atmosphere you want to.

They explain that “we like places which speak about their location, the climate of the area, what you can find nearby… restaurants which have ‘appropriable’ areas, meaning rooms which can be made to measure for each desire”. In light of this, they say that “we rarely find this to be the case, and maybe for that reason, we have accepted the challenge of making this res­taurant fit the local market area”.

ARGUMENTS

According to the studio themselves, these are always the same as they are always looking for “abstract metaphors related to what is hap­pening around the project, the customer, the place, the use”. They advised us that the use of elements related to market-food-cooking, taken out of context and laid bare such as Warhol’s pain­tings, empty bottles (or drinks), pans, butchers’ cutting blocks and sheets which are not plain but ‘architectured’: a lattice made with green glass bottles, lights and acoustic roofs with bowls, ta­bles, benches and floors made of butchers’ blocks.

Another aspect highlighted by the project authors is the search for “an atmosphere which is warm, cosy, simple, timeless, changing, ele­gant….with an oriental touch (in the tiles bathed with light) where light can accentuate day and night, party and intimacy, but which colours the plates and doesn’t just bathe everything indis­criminately”.

With respect to the place itself, the restaurant is divided into two floors: the first connected di­rectly to the market, and the second, located in a semi-basement. The staircase provides access from the street and includes a central landing. There are two areas available with two different styles: one is an everyday style, open, flexible, linked to the street and the market organising the foot tra­ffic and access through the bar, and another which is deeper, minimalist, linking its atmosphere to the idea of an underground cellar (even showing the building’s own foundations) and offering a re­laxing, quieter experience.

Those responsible at Vaillo&Irigaray+Galar also tell us that the spaces are divided using cur­tains. Those that run parallel with the light are made of velvet “as they have great acoustic pro­perties and a nice feel”, while those that run per­pendicular allow light to pass through and act as huge veils, hinting at the views behind them. “An almost theatrical scene blurs the lines (there are no actual partitions or closed areas) so an am­biguity created through a succession of veiled spaces is generated”.

With regard to links to the outside world (street and market), this is generated through fil­ters: glass fish tanks filled with green glass bottles which filter the light and sights… The roof, which has channels like a large corrugated sheet, “ac­centuates and accompanies the spaces through wave-like gestures which reflect geometrically what is happening below: the bar, the tall tables, the benches…”.

THE FURNITURE

As there are a variety of spaces, we are infor­med that the tables also have varying styles: low, tall, large and small, square and long… and the same happens with the seats: chairs, long ben­ches, high or low benches, either individual or shared, make up the different ways of eating.

And the objects, located on wooden surfaces (tables and benches), combine colour and textu­re through the widespread usage of lumber-cored iroko wooden boards. From the studio, they in­form us that “the western brain is trained to value any object located within a glass vase: pillars, drainpipes, walls, foundations… These are all wrapped in transparent glass structures being therefore exposed and reflecting the en­vironment”.

This is, no doubt, an innovative and surpri­sing refurbishment job which has learned to adapt to and work with the environment, a wonderfully changing environment, filled with emotion.

Cosentino Group, the global and family-owned company leader in the production and dis­tribution of innovative surfaces for architecture and design and Moto GP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo, presented yesterday evening to more than 150 Italian clients and members of the press, in Milan Cosentino Cen­ter, the new ultra-compact surface Dekton® by Cosentino.

Dekton® is without a doubt a tech­nological and commercial challenge and embodies the commitment to the future of the global company. Cosentino Group has invested a total of 128 million euros and 22,000hoursofresearchtolaunchDekton®, which will take place this year worldwide.

Excellence, Innovation and Lea­dership are the values shared bet­ween Jorge Lorenzo and Dekton® by Cosentino. The four times world motorcycling champion Jorge Loren­zo, who wears the Dekton® logo in his official MotoGP cap, was the pro­tagonist at Dekton® launch event in Italy. Lorenzo together with the skaters Danny Galli, Fabio Colombo and the writer Verbo (aka Mitja Bom­bardieri) created a sport and artistic show which provided fun and enter­tainment at the Cosentino Center, near Milan.

THE ALLIANCE

“We are very honoured of the alliance with Jorge Lorenzo. He re­presents the values of state of the art technology, leadership and ex­treme performance, that the new ultra-compact Dekton® shares” ex­pressed Santiago Alfonso Rodriguez the Director of Communications and Marketing Group Cosentino during the ceremony. “I am proud that the new Dekton® by Cosentino surfa­ce is my sponsor. Dekton® is an impressive product that was born to succeed”, said Jorge Lorenzo.

Dekton® offers endless possi­bilities to architects and designers so that design flows in indoor and outdoor spaces and at all levels both vertically and horizontally. Applica­tions are many: spaces and surfaces may be covered with large formats

 KITCHEN & BATHROOM

(around 320cm x 144cm) available in 12 different colour references (ex. colours resembling slate, cement, rust or natural stone):

• Bathrooms: For its exce­llent performance with water, De­kton® is ideal for bathroom flooring and coverings.

• Kitchens: The technical characteristics of Dekton® make it a material ideal for kitchen worktops, coverings and flooring both in priva­te homes and for professional use.

• Furnishings: Tables and other furnishing surfaces in De­kton® will showcase the desired de­sign and aesthetics while offering an excellent technical performance.

• Exterior façades: The tech­nical characteristics of Dekton® re­sult in a uniform design that covers the walls of any building like a layer of skin.

• Floors and floor coverings: Dekton® is an ideal surface for areas with a lot of traffic, both indoors and outdoors.

• Swimming pools and gar­dens: The zero porosity of Dekton® means that the material can be applied in pools and very exposed outdoor spaces.

Dekton® by Cosentino is proof that it is still possible to continue to innovate in the field of materials for architecture and decoration. It is a completely revolutionary pro­duct with superior technical charac­teristics that allow its use in any weather, ensuring the invariability of its colour.

With Dekton®, Cosentino Group managed to combine tech­nological innovation and design, achieving superior results in per­formance quality.

COSENTINO GROUP

Cosentino Group is a global, family-owned company that pro­duces and distributes high value innovative surfaces for architectu­re and design. As a leading com­pany, Cosentino imagines and anticipates together with its cus­tomers and partners design solu­tions that offer value and inspira­tion to people’ lives.

This goal is made possible by pioneering brands that are leaders in their respective segments such as Silestone®, Dekton®, Eco by Cosentino® and Sensa by Co­sentino®. Quartz, ultra-compact and recycled surfaces, as well as protected granites for creating uni­que designs for the home and public spaces.

The group bases its develop­ment on international expansion, an innovative research and develo­pment programme, respect for the environment and sustainability, and its ongoing corporate commitment to society and the local communities where it operates, education, equali­ty and health & safety.

Cosentino Group currently dis­tributes its products and brands in more than 60 countries, and directly manages from its headquarters in Almeria (Spain) its own facilities in 17 of them (Spain, the USA, Brazil, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Swit­zerland, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Mexico and Australia).

The multinational has 7 facto­ries (6 in Spain and 1 in Brazil); 15 kitchen and bathroom surface pro­duction facilities (1 in Spain and 14 in the USA), 1 intelligent logistic platform (in Spain), 2 distribution hubs (in the US), and more than 70 Cosentino Centers (comprehensive distribution and service platforms) worldwide. More than 85% of Cosen­tino Group’s turnover comes from international markets.

The company Schlüter-Sys­tems has developed the thermo-electric system ‘Schlüter®- Ditra-Heat-E’, an innovative tech­nique capable of heating flooring quickly and individually. At the same time, the Ditra technology guaran­tees safe joint expansion.

What is certain is that, as op­posed to the traditional electric blankets, the Ditra-Heat-E system electric cables are inserted indivi­dually into the expansion joint sheet.

INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

This means that the areas of flooring to be heated can be chosen freely according to the user’s needs. As a result, thanks to its working as an expansion joint, the thermo-electric system can also be installed on critical, wooden supports without any deterioration in the ceramic coa­ting or in the electric cables. Dama­ge in the coating due to temperature changes can also be avoided.

TEMPERATURE REGULATION

The temperature sensors inte­grated into the flooring combined with the digital thermostats allow for regulation of the environmental temperature.

When cold, the emission of heat creates a pleasant atmosphere thanks to the electric cables found just below the ceramic which quickly transmit heat to the surface.

On top of this, we would like to highlight that, thanks to its small construction size, ‘Schlüter®-Ditra- Heat-E’ is ideal for use in any refur­bishment project.

The electric cables are held within the expansion joints by the adhesive used to fit the ceramic. This avoids the laborious process of covering the traditional electric blankets before installing the cera­mic.

MORE ADVANTAGES

Another interesting advantage offered is the durability of the sys­tem which does not require main­tenance and is inexpensive to buy  and install which makes ‘Schlüter®- Ditra-Heat-E’ an attractive solution for making warm flooring.However, it should be pointed out that the hig­her running costs of a radiant elec­tric floor limit its use to very specific areas.

As a response to this, the Ger­man company indicates that “for the heating of an entire home, we recommend our ceramic flooring ‘Schlüter®-Bekotec-Therm’”. The german company, which has been innovating for over 40 years, helping to ease the job of all people working with ceramic coatings (fitters, con­tractors and architects), have once again taken a step forward. And, as always, Schlüter Systems guarantees a good finish while avoiding damage when installing the flooring and ce­ramic coating.

Innovative offers which, as they themselves say, “are born from prac­tice and are the result of long years of experience in the sector combi­ned with a good dose of creativity”. An innovative technique capable of this quickly and individually while guaranteeing safe joint expansion.

One of the areas that on an international level is attracting the most interest, in both financial and tourism terms, is probably the location that boasts the highest density per square kilometre of pure luxury. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Arab Emirates, is the city being made unique by the world’s most impor­tant architects, top engineers and sector experts with ultra-modern buildings. And Fila will provide the treatment for the new Presidential Palace.

This is a building that will play a primary role at a government le­vel, as it will house the offices of the president, vice president, Crown Prince and Ministers and also welco­me visiting dignitaries. The complex will be built on the Ras al Akhdar pe­ninsula, close to the Emirates Palace Hotel, in a 150-hectare plot of land, with more than 160,000 mq for the Palace and a further 5,614 for all the auxiliary buildings. Intervention by Fila, which will entail three years of work, is particularly complicated: the vertical surface to be treated compri­ses roughly 450,000 mq of pale beige ‘Chauvign’ Turkish limestone.

THE PROJECT

Slabs, blocks and arches were all washed and treated at Mosart­Marble, a company that imports and works blocks of marble, granite and limestone from the Middle East and India. Mosart Marble used in-house technologies to work the material and applied

FILA products using a dedica­ted treatment line, following precise detailed protocol drawn up by the FILA technical staff. The slabs were first washed with diluted Deterdek, then protected with HYDROREP. Be­fore the material was installed, it was checked meticulously and, where necessary, a second coat of product was applied using either an airless method or brush. The lower part of the cladding will be further protec­ted with FILAFOB, which will also ensure stain protection. The product  will be applied directly on site to the more delicate parts at greater risk of becoming dirty.

THE FILA TEAM

The Fila team tackled this pres­tigious project with great enthu­siasm, from the start collaborating closely with the Mosart Marble stone supplier staff.

The synergy of specific compe­tences from the two companies led initially to identification of the best system for treating the surfaces, ta­king into consideration both the aesthetic and mechanical characte­ristics of the materials used and also the weather and climate conditions at the building location.

After this, the most suitable application methods were chosen for the size of the material to be ins­talled and the large quantity of sur­face to be treated. Finally, a training plan was organised and put in place for Mosart Marble staff, with a view to guaranteeing maximum effective­ness of the treatment in question.

TECHNICAL INFO

The project is still ongoing and, as the technical info sheet shows, it is expected to keep the team busy for another couple of years. No final evaluation can be made before the job is completed, however, we can already today highlight the signifi­cance of a project that is involving everyone right across the company. The sales and technical divisions first and foremost and also our mar­keting office, which has the task of highlighting the application.

No-one can deny, in fact, that this is a project that will have not only a positive commercial, techni­cal and organisational impact, but also great symbolic value, due to the prestige of playing an active role on a building site of such huge standing and international fame.

The balance of this latest Construmat fair has been clearly positive according to the different agents involved and com­ments from the visitors and profes­sionals that we at tureforma were able to speak to.

Fira de Barcelona’s International Construction Trade Show included some interesting elements focusing on a variety of activities which co­vered everything from architecture awards to different talks under the Construmat brand.

It provided national construc­tion companies, especially small and medium ones, with a way into the most dynamic international markets as a way of compensating for the weak Spanish market.

With this aim in mind, Constru­mat organised, for the first time in its history, the Foro Contract, a plat­form through which 170 construc­tion projects from emergent econo­mies were presented exclusively to the exhibitors.

In total, there was a poten­tial investment of 30 billion euros available to Spanish constructioncompanies which, given the experiences of the last decade and the current changes in the sector, are highly competitive in foreign markets.

‘ACTION PLAN’

All of the Spanish construc­tion agents have consented to the ‘Construmat Action Plan to drive the economy from the construction industry’ which proposes a set of measures for public works, refurbis­hments, energy efficiency or residen­tial areas to the Government.

INTERNATIONALIZATION

In addition to the national mar­ket, a total of 12 foreign delegations, made up of 311 public administration representatives and top managers from companies in countries such as Brazil, Russia, Belarus, Mexico, Chi­le, Colombia, Morocco, Cuba or The Congo, as well as 1,850 ‘VIP Buyers’ (foreign professionals with high pur­chasing power), have participated in the 18th Construmat fair in a new era focusing on offering practical solutions and business opportunities in emergent countries to the sector’s small and medium companies.

CONSTRUMAT AWARDS

The new concrete ‘Half’, deve­loped by the company Promsa from the Gripo Cementos Molins, SA, and the Structure Technology Group from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, BarcelonaTech (UPC), received the Construmat Product Award this year in the International Show in Barcelona.

It is a light, self-compacting concrete made with fibres which is designed for use in refurbishing old buildings.

The product, which is already patented, was praised by the jury for its ease of application – which does not require any electro-welding – and for the fact that it can be pumped due to its low density which makes it light, as well as the thin spaces into which it can be placed, thanks to the aggregate and polymer fibres used.

Half concrete makes the buil­ding structure rigid and lighter and it can be applied easily, quickly and safely as it is placed consistently on the surface.

Once applied, it can be walked on after 48 hours.

FOR REFURBISHING

Its principal use is for refurbis­hing or completing pre-existing fra­meworks as well as reinforcing the typical ‘Catalonian vault’. It is also an ideal product for structures with frameworks which use metal plates (mixed) as this provides the neces­sary weight and resistance required by this type of element, and guaran­tees that the element can be filled and made solid.

And of course, the fair has once again attracted attention towards new products from firms such as Co­sentino, with its revolutionary and highly-praised ‘Dekton’; Schlüter Systems, with its surprising ‘Lipro­tec’ used to create atmospheres with light and ceramic and its successful ‘Ditra-Heat-E’ for heating pavements; in addition to many others offered such as those presented by TheSize, Roca, Rubi, Emac, Propamsa, Sika, Mapei, Tendel, Gas Natural, Barrisol, Technal, Dupont, Klein and Yoake Systems, amongst others

April and may have been marked down in the dia­ries of the top Spanish ceramics manufacturers in the sector be­cause more a hundred companies from the sector have travelled to Mosbuild in Russia and to Cove­rings in Atlanta to continue their rise in the sector and to show the catalogue of products that they offer in both places and keep mo­ving up in the sector.

With respect to the russian event, the tiling sector has suc­cessfully participated in the Offi­cial Spanish Pavillion organised by ICEX in the Moscow construction materials fair. The ‘Tile of Spain’ took part in both contests with 60 and 44 exhibitors.

PRINCIPAL CONSTRUCTION FAIR

Every year since 1997, ‘Tile of Spain’ has been present in Mos­build, the principal construction fair in the Russian Federation and is a mandatory reference point for professionals in the sector in the country as well as the ex-Soviet republics. According to figures provided by the fair, the contest registered over 104,000 visitors in 2012 and had 2,472 exhibiting companies from 49 countries.

A GREAT SUCCESS

Of the various successful acti­vities organised by ‘Tile of Spain’, a highlight was the presentation of the winner of the second architec­tural competition ‘Tile Story’ for the design of the Mosbuild Spanish Pavillion. The competition consis­ted of designing the ICEX-ASCER information stand for the Official Tile of Spain Pavillion at Mosbuild 2013. All of the participants had to combine innovative design with functionality while using ceramics featuring the contest’s brand. The first place went to renowned Russian designer, Denis Avanesov, whose de­sign could be seen at Mosbuild this year.

In addition to this, the fair held seminars aimed at subscriptions, a publicity campaign and advertorials in specialist decoration and archi­tecture magazines, amongst other activities. The Russian Federation is currently one of the largest impor­ters of ceramics in the world and is third-largest destination of Spanish ceramics. Sales to this country in 2012 reached 161 million euros, a 27% increase on 2011. This was the third consecutive year of growth, as the figure had grown around 20% compared to the previous year. The Spanish sector is also the main fo­reign supplier of ceramic paving and covering to Russia with a market sha­re of 30%.

ATLANTA: ‘PILOT’ CONTEST

In contrast to this, one of the great unknowns this year was the event in Coverings as it was the first time it took place in the capital of Georgia. This extremely positive ex­perience, which attracted the atten­tion of over 40 Spanish companies, was held between the 29th of April and the 1st of May and was atten­ded by many visitors who could see first-hand the new offers from the various companies from a wide ran­ge of countries which attended the event

Monolito – the iconic element in the Affetto collection designed by Luca Nichetto for Globo – won the 2013 Iconic Award assigned by the German Design Council, and, besides having been selected by the ADI DESIGN INDEX 2012, was nominated for the Interior Innovation Award and the 2012 Grandesign Etico International Award.

Affettois the outcome of a joint research process that lasted over a year and made use of images, photos, comparisons and materials, ping-ponging between the development of models, sketches and CAD checks. It resulted in a creation that has now gained international recognition. This was possible because all company members were fully aware, from the very start, of the significance of the Affetto product, and devoted to prototyping, commercial promotion, marketing and communication activities, the same care that Nichetto had lavished on the design project.

The German Design Council, the organiser of the award, is a world-class reference point in the dissemination of knowledge in the field of design. An independent jury, staffed by representatives from various sectors including architecture, interior design, design & brand communications, e.g., representatives from the Beijing-based Büro Ole Scheeren firm and London firm Zaha Hadid Architects, assigned the 2013 edition award to Affetto.

’”Iconic architecture” is synonymous with attention to details and painstaking material selection, two elements that play a key role in the making of objects that are able to make our world more beautiful and improve people’s lives: let us honour the icons of our time!

An exclusive ceramics piece with an alveolar structure that is remarkable for being extremely light and highly resistant.

A cutting-edge product which captivates the international markets with its high quality and invaluable support In the technical advice provided by Greco Gres International for the development of diverse projects in a assorted group of countries such as India, China, Russia, Turkey, Algeria, Kuwait, etc.   

The Greco Gres Group presents CERSAIE – A new catalogue of solutions for the cladding of high-tech ceramic facades with a new collection containing a wide range of finishes and different sizes for the cladding of facades in refurbishment or new building projects.

Frontek ceramic tiles have an alveolar structurewhich accounts for their excellent technical qualities for the cladding of facades: extremely hard, light, highly resistant and long-lasting, with low water absorption and excellent performance against weather and environmental conditions, etc. A product which stands out for its exceptional lightness, weighing only 25,24 Kg/m2.

This product is especially recommended for the padding of ventilated facades because it does not require any cutting or drilling through the wall to be fixed to the structure. Its studied design with a double auto-ventilated wall and longitudinal openings makes it compatible with any anchoring system on the market. Accordingly, one avoids the possible weakening which is experienced by other tiles that have to undergo cuts, drilling or cracks during their fastening to the wall.

An exclusive piece of ceramic for sustainable construction

Frontek Integral Ventilated Facade System represents significant energy savings in buildings. The ceramic coating produces an air chamber with intermediate characteristics between the atmosphere and the interior of the building.  This effect, coupled with a continuous thermal and acoustic insulation, improves comfort and reduces air conditioning costs.

These solutions also guarantee stronger acoustic insulation and elimination of thermal bridges, reducing noise pollution from between 10% and 20%. The correction of thermal bridges enables energy savings, reducing energy consumption between 25% and $0% in heating and cooling.

Modern ventilated facade systems ensure improved thermal insulation in large buildings, allowing the continuous installation of insulation coatings between the outer support bearing wall and the cladding of the facade. The ceramic pieces are above all recommended for the coating of this type of facades because they protect the insulation from dampness.

With regards their reaction to fire, they are classified as A1 (no testing required according to Decision 96/603/EEC). The water absorption rate is less than or equal to 0.5%, the tensile strength is ≥ 1,100 N and the bending resistance is ≥ 35 N/mm2 (in its most resistant direction), according to the regulation UNE EN 14411.

Frontek and large scale facades

The Greco Gres Group offers a service of technical advice for large scale projects that use the most advanced technologies in the current ceramics industry; they count on the support of a team of specialists and their own research laboratory, in order to meet the obligation of responsibility and quality acquired by their clients with success.

The Greco Gres International laboratory collaborates with the directors of the works, investigating new formats and finishes in order to obtain the custom-made parts for each project.

CERSAIE Bolonia (Italy), 23rd to 27th September 2013.

GRECO GRES: Pabellón 26 Stand B14

Iserlohn / Bologna.Setting exclusive accents – the illuminated profiles of the new Schlüter^®-LIPROTEC system have received enthusiastic praise since their introduction earlier this year. The Iserlohn-based company expanded its stand in Bologna by 30% to appropriately present the innovative technology. The expanded space gives visitors a comprehensive overview of the design options with light and ceramic tiles.

The illuminated profile technology has enormous potential, as accentuated lighting "from within the wall" allows for customising space in accordance with user preferences. The options of daylight, warm white light, or coloured ambient lighting create the perfect atmosphere at any time.

The system's LED lighting strips are manufactured specifically for Schlüter-Systems and create particularly homogeneous lighting. They are mostly cast and comply with protection class IP 65, which makes them highly durable and suited for use in moist environments. The LED strips retain their protection class rating even when they are cut to size–an enormous plus for individual design. The lighting technology is embedded in high-quality aluminium profiles, which are anchored in the tile adhesive during tile installation.

The illuminated profile technology comes in five intelligent profile geometries, which are suited for a wide range of installation situations:

·         Edges of platforms and countertops

·         Illumination of skirtings

·         Illuminated edges of wall coverings and skirting tiles

·         Illumination of wall panels and on-wall installations

·         Illuminated frames of flush decorative objects and mirrors

For a quick project start, convenient full sets are available for the illumination of edges and wall panels.

State-of-the-art control technology, combined with wireless switches, allows for easy and comfortable operation. The switches can be mounted anywhere in the room and not only allow for switching the light on and off, but also have a variable dimmer function. The switch variety with seven channels offers individual control of the LED strips with regard to the colour temperature of white LEDs and LED colour in RGB mode. The switch covers are made of high-quality, genuine glass, or brushed stainless steel.

With Schlüter^®-LIPROTEC, Schlüter-Systems for the first time introduces an illuminated profile technology system. 

LIPROTEC allows for the individual illumination of various structural components, such as the edges of platforms.