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Tile International 1/2017 14

MARAZZI: NEW INVESTMENTS IN SASSUOLO

In 2015, Marazzi embarked on a pro-gramme aimed at doubling the pro-duction capacity of its Fiorano and Fi-nale Emilia facilities. With this programme now completed, the company has signed off a new series of investments aimed at the historic Sassuolo plant.The work will involve the construction of over 8,700 square metres of production and research space, which will bring production capacity up to 10 million sq.m of porcelain tile per year. Produc-tion will be highly flexible in terms of for-mats and finishes, so as to remain adaptable to market requirements and offer the best customer service.The new Sassuolo plant will be equipped with comprehensive, state-of-the-art pro-duction lines, with new low-energy, low-emissions kilns, new heat extraction and recovery systems and new waste water purification and recovery systems.The installation of the new plants is al-ready under way and will continue step by step without interrupting production. The work is due for completion in 2018.

the redevelopment of the Bologna trade fair complex. “The last edition of Cer-saie,” explained Vittorio Borrelli, Chair-man of Confindustria Ceramica, “con-firmed the strategic importance of the Bologna location for our national and international customers alike, and with great confidence, we have signed this agreement, which comes at a time of major innovation in our event. Exhibitors’ investments are growing, and the need to redevelop the trade fair complex is in-creasingly necessary.”Requiring an investment of 60 million eu-ros, the redevelopment works will in-crease the exhibition space to a total of 210,000 square metres. The first phase, due to start next September, will see the modernisation of halls 29 and 30, while major restyling work will be carried out on the North, West and Piazza Costituzi-one entrances to the trade fair complex. The project also includes new multi-pur-pose areas and the redevelopment of the conference facilities, which will be better connected to the halls, thereby facilitating the interconnection of the ex-hibition areas.

CLAUDIO MARANI APPOINTED NEW GENERAL DIRECTOR OF SACMI GROUP

Claudio Marani, an engineer born in 1951, has been appointed as the new General Director of Sacmi Group.Monari will take over from Piero Cassani, who has been appointed Managing Di-rector of Marchesini Group in Pianoro. Monari started his career with Sacmi in 1981, taking various roles on export mar-

kets, before being appointed Sales Di-rector of Sacmi Impianti’s Milan plant in 1997 and later becoming General Di-rector of the Ceramics Division.In thanking the Board of Directors of the Cooperative for their confidence in him, Monari emphasised his top priority in of-fice: “To continue with the ongoing poli-cy of investment and innovation that has made the Sacmi Group a truly world-class manufacturer”. The Group reported record turnover of 1.354 billion euros in 2015, and is expect-ed to exceed the 1.4 billion euro mark in 2016, thanks to turnover growth of 5.5%.

CERSAIE TO STAY IN BOLOGNA UNTIL 2020

BolognaFiere and EdiCer SpA - a subsid-iary of Confindustria Ceramica - have signed a four-year agreement under which Bologna will remain the venue for Cersaie until 2020.One of the key conditions of the agree-ment entails a commitment to invest in

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LITOKOL ACQUIRES STAKE IN RUSSIAN COMPANY ESTIMA KERAMIKA

Just before Christmas 2016, Litokol S.p.A acquired a 21% shareholding in Estima Ker-amika, a leading manufac-turer of porcelain tile in Rus-sia.Litokol, based in Reggio Emilia and specialising in the production of adhe-sives, sealants and building and interior decoration ma-terials, has thus concluded an important acquisition in partnership with Global Contract srl, another com-pany headed by the entre-preneur Luciano Cottafavi. The two companies have acquired shareholdings of 14% and 7% respectively, for a total holding of 21% in Es-tima Keramika.Present in 100 countries worldwide, Litokol operates directly with trading com-panies or production facili-ties in strategic markets such as Russia, Ukraine, Ar-menia and China. The Russian market has therefore been one of Litokol’s strategic targets for many years: as early as

2002 Litokol Russia opened a production plant in Noginsk (50 km from Mos-cow), in an industrial area neighbouring Estima. Litokol has a long-standing partnership with Estima Ker-amika in Russia, where the two companies have car-ried out many joint projects over the years, giving rise to a far-reaching distribution network that covers the whole country. This invest-ment is therefore of primary strategic value for Litokol, because it complements the company’s adhesive and sealant business with a prominent partnership in the ceramics sector. Estima Keramika has been operating on the Russian market since 2001, with turnover of over 80 million euros and 1,500 employees working in the two produc-tion plants in Noginsk and Samara, the headquarters in Moscow, the nine com-mercial branches and the 14 showrooms open to the public in various cities across Russia. Estima’s pro-duction in its two plants is estimated to be in the re-gion of 15 million square metres at full capacity.

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ABK, 25 YEARS OF INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, ABK is updating its logo and publishing its Easy Living room-configurator on-line.ABK started 2017 with its 25th anniversa-ry celebrations, at which it presented its restyled logo, in which the colour ma-genta is used to characterise the inno-vative style of one of the major Italian ceramic brands – in just three letters. The new logo reflects the company’s history of growth and consolidation, based from the earliest days on creativity and the ability to renew itself without turning its back on its roots.The anniversary celebrations also saw the unveiling of ABK’s Easy Living config-urator, in which the prospective client can design and view innumerable in-stallation options for ABK products in a series of virtual rooms. The user can combine and compare the realism of wood-effect tiles with the elegance of marble and natural stone, to discover the combination most suited to his personal taste and lifestyle.

Easy Living allows the user to view the fi-nal effect of the installation in his room, rendered in realistic high definition, and can be launched by simply clicking on “configure” on the company’s webpage (abk.it).

ZUCCHETTI KOS: NEW SITE NOW ON-LINE

The new Zucchetti.Kos website is now on-line, organised to appeal to both professionals and end clients. The new site, developed with responsive web design technology, which adapts webpages to any browser, is character-ised by clean, elegant graphics and a practical, highly functional interface. The site is organised into three sections – Zucchetti, Kos and Corporate – each of which hosts detailed content. While the Zucchetti and Kos sections are dedicated entirely to product, the Cor-porate section, which integrates both brands, is dedicated to the world of Zuc-chetti-Kos, with a summary of the com-pany’s 88 year history, its collaborations with designers, its international awards

and prizes, big projects from around the world, events and communications.

SHOPPING ITALIAN STYLE: MARAZZI ACQUIRES EMILCERAMICA

On 20 January this year, Marazzi (part of the Mohawk Industries Group since 2012) acquired 100% of the capital of Emilceramica, an operation which is now only awaiting approval by the anti-trust authority.With a 2015 turnover of more than 150 million euros (more than 90% in exports), two plants in Italy and a workforce of 500, Emilceramica is one of the largest ceramic companies in Sassuolo, and one of the 10 biggest ceramic tile com-panies in Italy.Founded in 1961, the company has grown continuously, partly due to its strong policy of acquisitions. Large investments in innovation and a major reorganisation over recent years have enabled the company to position itself in the high end of the market with its Emilceramica, Provenza, Viva and Er-gon brands, now present in more than 5,500 showrooms in 70 countries world-wide. In the North American market, where Emilceramica is particularly ac-tive, it has four logistics hubs and a ded-icated workforce.With this major new investment, Mo-

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hawk Industries, the world leader in the flooring industry (more than 8 bil-lion dollars turnover in 2015, with 3 bil-lion in the ceramic segment) has con-solidated its commitment to its Italian business, as confirmed by Mauro Van-dini, CEO of Marazzi (pictured): “We in-itiated a policy of growth and invest-ment in the ceramic cluster together with Mohawk three years ago, and we believe that this latest operation rein-forces both our leadership and our ability to innovate in ceramic prod-ucts.”The CEO of Emilceramica, Sergio Sassi, agrees: “Becoming part of a larger group, with its strong international presence, is the best route to ensuring a future of development for our com-pany. Emilceramica is a company of undoubted value, which is perfectly in synergy with Marazzi’s own industrial and commercial strategies. Our team is eager to be a member of the number one group in the world, and to continue the growth trend we have been enjoying in recent years.”

NAIVE BY LEA WINS SPECIAL MENTION IN THE GERMAN DESIGN AWARD 2017

In the wake of careful selection of a range of products incorporating out-standing technical and design solutions by an International Jury, Naive Slimtech, produced by Lea Ceramica and de-signed by Patrick Norguet, was awarded a Special Mention in the Materials and Surfaces category of the 2017 German Design Award. The official awards cere-mony for the German Design Award was held in Frankfurt on 10 February.At Cersaie 2016, the same collection also won a 2016 Good Design Award, which is an international accolade es-tablished in 1950 by the Chicago Athe-naeum in conjunction with the Europe-an Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies. The distinctive character of Naive de-rives from a state-of-the-art technology capable of producing a large-format panel - measuring 3x1 m with a thick-ness 5.5 mm - with an almost three-di-mensional surface texture.

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GOOD DESIGN AWARD 2016: BIG SUCCESS FOR ITALIAN PRODUCTS

900 new products from more than 46 countries won prizes in the 2016 Good Design Awards, an international acco-lade established in 1950 by the Chicago Athenaeum in conjunction with the Eu-ropean Centre for Architecture, Art, De-sign and Urban Studies. The aim of the initiative is to make an annual selection of the most innovative industrial design projects. For the last edition, the awards ceremony was held on 27 January.The winners included a wide range of Italian products, first and foremost Naive Slimtech, the collection from Lea Ceram-iche designed by Patrick Norguet. The distinctive character of Naive derives from a state-of-the-art technology capa-ble of producing a large-format panel - measuring 3x1 m with a thickness 5.5 mm - with an almost three-dimensional surface texture. The other winners in-cluded Quadrat, an indoor/outdoor mini infinity pool designed by Studio Ludovica+Roberto Palomba for Zucchet-ti. Kos; Origami by Alberto Meda, a designer radiator for Tubes (pic-tured), inspired by the forms of the iconic parti-tion; Android by Antrax IT, a deco-rative radiator with high thermal efficiency and a sculptural ap-pearance, de-signed by Daniel Libeskind.

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Tile International 1/2017 18

PIERRE CHARPIN FOR CERAMICHE PIEMME

The designer, artist and set designer Pierre Charpin will be designing several new collections for Ceramiche Piemme in 2017, as the company, under the leadership of Managing Director Massi-mo Barbari, contin-ues to focus on crea-tive partnerships as a means of brining in-novation to its range of floor and wall coverings.This far-sighted decision has already borne fruit in the form of the 2016 ADI Ceramics Design Award for the Bits and Pieces collection designed by Gordon Guillaumier, which heralds an interest-ing range of new products for the Fuoris-alone to be held during the forthcom-ing Design Week in Milan.Charpin says that he makes “no distinc-tion between working for a gallery, a col-lector or a company”. He is equally capable of applying his creativity to industrial products, exhibi-tion stands and artworks, and was voted

Designer of the Year 2017 by Maison&Object for his “poetic form” made up of bold colours. The distinctive character of his work has also been rec-ognised by the many companies with which he has collaborated, including Alessi, Ligne Roset, Venini, Zanotta, Hermes Maison and Wrong.London.

FARRELL AND MCNAMARA TO DIRECT THE 2018 ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL

At the proposal of the Chairman Paolo Baratta - following in the footsteps of Pritzker Prize winner Alejandro Aravena - Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara will take on the creative direction of the 16th International Architecture Exhibi-tion to be held in Venice from 26 May to 25 November 2018. The two designers live and work in Dub-lin, where they graduated from the Uni-versity College School of Architecture before establishing Grafton Architects in 1977.The firm took part in the 2002 Architec-ture Biennial and won the Silver Lion at the 2012 Architecture Biennial. They also took part in the 2016 Architecture Bienni-al with the project “The Physics of Cul-ture”.Farrell and McNamara have designed and built many schools and buildings for institutions and universities, especial-ly in Ireland - including the Dunshaugh-lin Civic Offices, the shops and offices of Dublin City University, the Parson’s Build-ing, Trinity College in Dublin, the Govern-ment Department for the Office of Public

Works in Dublin - while in Italy, they de-signed the new building for the Bocconi University in Milan. They have won numerous international competitions, including: School of Eco-nomics of the University of Tolosa; King-ston University Town House; Institute Mines Telecom campus, Saclay, Paris. In partnership with Shaffrey Associates, they won the competition for the new Dublin Library and were chosen to de-sign the new faculty of the London School of Economics and Political Sci-ence (LSE) in Holborn, London.As well as receiving the Architectural As-sociation of Ireland award for several years, the firm won the World Building of the Year award in 2008 for its design of the New Campus for the Bocconi Univer-sity in Milan. In 2016, they won the RIBA International Award for UTEC University in Lima, Peru, and the Irish Design Institute President’s Award, while the previous year they won the Jane Drew Award.They have both taught at University Col-lege Dublin since 1976, and hold the Chair of Architecture at the Mendrisio Academy.

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Tile International 1/2017 20

TRIPLE FOR GARBELLOTTO AT INNOVATION@DOMOTEX

For the third year running, Garbelotto has won INNOVATIONS@DOMOTEX, an award run by the Domotex trade fair in Hanover (held from 14 to 17 January) for new materials, innovative solutions and creative design.This string of successes, one after the other, is a tribute to the Italian parquet manufacturer’s constant commitment to R&D.The winning product for 2017 was Clip-Up System, a revolutionary system of wood flooring, patented by Parchettifi-cio Garbellotto and consisting of prefin-ished wood floorboards and steel clips, which allow quick floating installation without the use of adhesives or mag-nets, and make it possible to replace ei-ther a single floorboard or the entire floor, and reposition it with complete freedom.The winners of the 2016 and 2015 edi-tions were, respectively, Hi-Tech, a black PVC profile for use with all Garbelotto prefinished and solid products to create

marine-style flooring, and Spina Modu-lare, a rhomboid prefinished wood mod-ule that fits together perfectly in a wide range of patterns.

BIGMAT INTERNATIONAL ARCHITECTURE AWARD 2017

On 16 January, entries opened for the 2017 edition of the Bigmat International Architecture Award, which awards prizes to the best projects that have contribut-ed to the development of architectural culture, completed between 1 January 2011 and 1 January 2017.Dedicated to professionals from Italy, Belgium, France, Portugal, Czech Re-public, Slovakia and Spain (the seven European countries in which the BigMat brand operates), the initiative has com-plemented the traditional national awards with six new awards categories, namely: Sustainability and innovative use of material, Architecture, city and landscape, Remodelling, Ephemeral ar-chitecture and Interior architecture.From the works selected in the first phase

(15 per country), the jury, chaired by Jesús Aparicio, will select a short-list of fi-nalists to compete for the 13 awards di-vided between various categories: 6 awards for the BigMat ‘17 categories (1,500 euros each.); 6 national awards (5,000 euros each) and one Internation-al Grand Prix (30,000 euros).The closing date for entries is 4 May. To find out more, visitwww.architecturea-ward.bigmat.com

“4 SERVICED APARTMENTS 4 ORIGINAL PEOPLE”: THE FUORISALONE OF SIMONE MICHELI

During the Milan Fuorisalone from 4 to 9 April 2017, the Ventura Design District will be animated by an exhibit conceived by the architect Simone Micheli, entitled “4 serviced apartments 4 original peo-ple”, which will present a new concept for the hospitality sector. With a curious eye towards the possible future of the world of hospitality, the exhibition will provide an overview of the changes that have taken place in recent years as a re-sult of the significant increase in non-ho-tel hospitality: 4 models of serviced apartments designed to suit 4 different locations - seaside, mountains, country-side and city - will be designed on the basis of the real needs of guests.They will be comfortable, welcoming spaces, but also interactive places and real homes for everyday life, capable of bringing together different functions based on different contexts and differ-ent types of user, thanks to high-grade technological equipment and versatile furnishing systems, ideally supplied by companies in the sector.

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Tile International 1/2017

*Where: District of Lambrate - Milan - via Sbodio 9/via Massimilano 6

7TH FILA “TREATED LIKE A KING” COMPETITION: THE WINNERS

The winners of the 7th edition of “Treated Like a King”, the biennial competition for surface treatment specialists, which gives awards for the best works done us-ing Surface Care Solutions by Fila.- First prize went to Ezio Caffaro of Caf-

faro Trattamenti, for his work on a prestigious villa in San Pietro Val Lemi-na in the province of Turin.

- A silver medal went to Angelo Marti-no, who undertook the treatment of the “cementine” at the Teatro del Col-legio di S. Adriano, in San Demetrio Corone in the province of Cosenza;

- Third place was awarded for the work done at an 18th Century mansion in Castellana Grotte in the province of Bari, by Damiano Ettorre of Leviga Ser-vice.

In addition to the top three selected by the jury chaired by Paolo Colombo, Chairman of Assoposa, and which in-cluded Paolo Zuliani, Head of FilaCon-sulting and FilaService, FILA awarded two special mentions dedicated to the

memory of Diego Mizzi, a treatment spe-cialist who died prematurely, and had already distinguished himself for his pro-fessionalism in the early editions of the competition: the first of these mentions was for the work done by Giuseppe Aiel-lo at Palazzo Scroffa in Ferrara, which was recognised for the judicious choice of the treatment plan and the FILA prod-ucts used in the work phases; and the second went to the Andrioli brothers for their work on a private house in London, which was particularly complex in terms of site management.“This edition of the competition showed an outstanding level of technical prow-ess,” announced Beniamino Pettenon, Chairman of Fila. We have seen prestig-

ious modern and historic coverings that form part of our artistic and cultural her-itage restored to their original glory, and for us, this is the real success of the Treat-ed Like a King competition. And it’s a success that has involved the entire company ever since the first edition in 2006, because it is the result of team-work - from the technical laboratory to the treatment specialists - aimed at find-ing the best solutions for treating even the most precious materials, many of which have suffered degradation over the years.”

First prize

First prize

2nd prize

3rd prize

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Tile International 1/2017

STEFANO BOERI DESIGNS NEW SCHOOL CANTEEN IN AMATRICE

After just 30 days of construction work, the new school canteen in Amatrice - the central Italian town that was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake in August - was inaugurated on 23 Decem-ber.Designed by Stefano Boeri Architetti as part of the “Amate Amatrice” territorial reconstruction plan, the canteen has an anti-seismic structure made entirely of wood, and was built thanks to contri-butions from many sources, including Artemide, Electrolux and the member companies of the Friuli wood supply chain association. The canteen is the first in a series of buildings, all built with prefabricated modules in wood, intended to constitute

a new catering industry hub that will help revive the local economy.Inaugurated in December, the new building has 490 sq.m of floorspace, and also includes a large, multi-purpose hall with magnificent views over the Sib-ylline Mountains.The building consists of prefabricated elements in wood for the outer envelope and load-bearing structures, modular elements in insulated sheet sheet for the roof, aluminium and double glazing for the perimeter walls housing the doors and windows, internal partitions in dry-installed materials, indoor and outdoor flooring made of concrete tiling, and porcelain tile for the toilet facilities and kitchen.

PATRICIA URQUIOLA DESIGNS NEW LAUFEN SHOWROOM IN MADRID

Laufen Bathrooms has opened a new showroom in Madrid, designed by Patri-cia Urquiola, one of the most high-profile designers on the international stage.Spread over two storeys of an early 20th Century villa, the showroom is designed to create a welcoming atmosphere marked by a strong link between the de-sign and the collections displayed by the renowned Swiss company.“The idea was to create a multi-purpose environment and a new breed of show-room, where people can actually work,” explained Urquiola. “An elegant, rigor-ous space, featuring premium materials of the type most commonly used in bathroom design, such as marble mixed with onyx, glass, resin and oak.”Marc Viardot, Laufen’s Product and Mar-keting Director, explained: “Patricia has interpreted the spirit of our company

perfectly. Working with her gave us a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, and proved to be an exciting challenge that met our highest expectations. We asked Patricia to represent the evolution of consumers’ tastes and requirements in the field of bathroom design: func-tionality is no longer enough in today’s market, people want iconic pieces that deliver aesthetic appeal as well as prac-ticality. Patricia has given us a master-class in how to express this search for emotion, which is such a vital skill for de-signers.”The result is a special venue for archi-tects and professionals, built around the need to offer them a place where they can not only see our products but also create tailor-made ideas.

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FROM PORCELANOSA: 10TH EDITION OF THE ARCHITECTURE & INTERIOR DESIGN AWARDS

Entries are now open for the 10th edition of the Architecture & Interior Design Awards by Porcelanosa. The initiative pits young designers and established architects and interior designers against each other with the twofold aim of pro-viding a platform for young talent - Fu-ture Projects awards - and disseminat-ing the best international projects - Com-pleted Projects awards - made using materials manufactured by the Spanish Group.The 2017 challenge to promising new-comers, with the Future Projects awards, involves designing a workspace with an area of 250 to 500 sq.m, either for new-build use or for the remodelling of an ex-isting or imagined space. For architecture produced by interna-tionally renowned names, the jury will assess works completed between Janu-ary 2014 and February 2017.As usual, the jury will be looking for har-mony of form, attention to environmen-tal sustainability and innovative appli-

cation of Porcelanosa materials. The deadline for submission of projects is 27 March 2017.

RAK CERAMICS REVEALS NEW BUSINESS STRATEGY AT CERSAIE

The multinational RAK Ceramics, one of the world’s largest ceramic manufac-turers, with 17 production facilities, an-nounced the launch of its new brand at Cersaie, which will seal the merger of all its subsidiaries worldwide.The new strategy comes into effect in the United Arab Emirates immediately, and will be extended to the other group companies over the course of 2017. Rak presented the plan in Bologna, at the ceramic industry’s foremost trade show, and also gave a preview of the new Rak logo, which clearly represents Rak’s vision “Room for Imagination”, which was also highlighted by the dis-play of the company’s Maximus Mega-Slab series, the largest porcelain ceram-ic panel manufactured in the Middle East & North Africa area. CEO, Abdallah Massaad, said: “RAK Ce-ramics has 25 years of experience in the ceramic industry. Alongside our wide product range, focus on continuous in-novation and commitment to the high-est quality, this experience is one of the four pillars that underpins our vision. Our products already feature in some of the most architecturally significant build-ings, and the launch of our new brand-ing strategy reflects our ambition to be-come the world’s leading manufacturer of lifestyle solutions.”Andrea Mensitieri, VP Marketing and Product Development of RAK Ceramics

added: “For Rak Ceramics, Cersaie 2016 marks the first stage of a new journey, which we embarked on in 2015 with a major rebranding plan, and which we are now extending with a global cam-paign and a new logo”. “‘Room for imagination’ is the claim of this campaign, aimed chiefly at discern-ing designers and consumers on the look-out for the ideal way of bringing their concept of living-space to life,” con-cluded Marco Borghi, Senior Product Communications Manager.

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Tile International 1/2017 26

EARTH BY CASALGRANDE PADANA WINS GERMAN DESIGN AWARD 2017

The German Design Award 2017, organ-ised by the German Design Council, which has been assessing and reward-ing international design excellence since 1953, recently announced its lat-est winners. Over 4000 entrants took part in the latest edition, whose awards cere-mony was held on 10 February in Frank-furt, with products and projects from 50 countries, with the result that internation-al entrants accounted for 37% of the to-tal, representing a rise of 5% on the 2016 edition.Among the winners of the prestigious award in the “Materials and Surfaces” category, was the ceramic project enti-tled Earth, spawned by a partnership between Casalgrande Padana and Pin-infarina. The project won the award for the way it combines the know-how of two different sectors - ceramic and in-dustrial design - to create a collection in which tactile three-dimensionality is ob-tained through a conceptual fusion of three different materials: glass, leather and fabric.The combination of aesthetics and technical performance even extends to sustainability: Earth is also available in Bios Antibacterial Hydrotect and Bios Self-Cleaning versions, which are totally eco-compatible. The collection works

perfectly in the most diverse environ-ments, because of its rich colour palette and wide range of formats.Mauro Manfredini, Chairman of Casal-grande Padana, explained: “We have al-ways manufactured advanced ceram-ics that strike the right balance between sustainable use of natural resources, care for the environment, technological progress, economic growth and social responsibility. To create the Earth collec-tion, we decided to combine the strengths of two top-flight companies: Casalgrande Padana and Pininfarina, the best-known name in Italian industri-al design. The result is an unprecedent-ed product, light-years from the count-less imitations of natural materials currently on the market.”

IRIS CERAMICA GROUP LAUNCHES SAPIENSTONE, THE KITCHEN WORKTOP BRAND

Iris Ceramica Group’s new SapienStone brand of gres porcelain kitchen work-tops, previewed at the 2016 Fuorisalone in the form of SmartSlab Table, saw its of-ficial market launch at the latest edition of Cersaie.Iris presented the brand at Cersaie by means of a multimedia installation enti-tled “Dress your kitchen”, which also pro-vided an opportunity to announce its new partnership with the Spanish com-pany TBP Top Porzelanik Barcelona®, the manufacturer of TPB tech®, an innova-tive worktop that uses SapienStone por-celain stoneware to offer the direct pos-sibility of induction cooking. The product features latest-generation inductors and touch-controls integrated into the work-

top, thus eliminating the use of glass plates and transforming the work sur-face into a cooking area.The Italian holding company’s new brand has thus shown how it can har-ness its technical know-how in the ce-ramic arena, and deploy it in residential and commercial kitchen applications. Designed to meet the most stringent re-quirements in terms of strength, hygiene and durability, SapienStone kitchen worktops deliver a winning combination of high performance and good looks. Available in Basalt Black, Basalt Cream, Urban Anthracite, Urban Argento, Uni Ice, Malm Black, Malm Grey, Bianco Lasa, Calacatta Statuario and Calacat-ta, the material reinterprets premium marble, concrete and natural stone, in large-format porcelain panels (320x150 cm) with a thickness of 12 mm (stand-ard) or 20 mm on certain variants. Made with through-body colours and vein pat-terns, the worktops offer a realistic effect and undiminished appearance over time.The line is also suitable for outdoor use because of its high performance in terms of resistance to sunlight and weathering.

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Tile International 1/2017 28

FLOW EDITION BY BAUWERK AMONG WINNERS AT 2016 ICONIC AWARDS

Flow Edition, the new “invisible” parquet developed by the Swiss companyBau-werk, was among the winners in the flooring section of the Product category at the 2016 Iconic Awards. The international competition, which promotes projects and products that in-corporate outstanding architectural in-novation, recognised the innovative na-ture of Flow Edition and singled it out for a “Best of the Best” award. Flow Edition is a two-layer floorboard that gives the finished floor surface a seamless look with no apparent inter-ruptions.

LXO BY LIBESKIND FOR OIKOS ON TRACK FOR COMPASSO D’ORO AWARD

The “LxO” colour palette, designed by Libeskind for Oikos, was selected for in-clusion in the ADI Design Index - an an-nual publication produced by ADI, which presents the best Italian products from the design sector. The company’s inclusion entitles it to take part in the prestigious Compasso d’Oro award.The “LxO” line remains faithful to the phi-losophy of Oikos, which has always

sought to forge partnerships with major names in international architecture, with a view to exploring new eco-colours and eco-materials aimed at tailor-made contemporary interiors. The LxO - Libeskind for Oikos - palette consists of 33 intense chromatic solu-tions in which light and colour blend harmoniously. The collection is rooted in a fusion of artisanal stylistic research and industrial production, both oriented towards sustainable architecture.The jury’s decision was also based on the collection’s special presentation: a multicoloured orographic reinterpreta-tion of the natural process of canyon erosion, in which colours become three-dimensional and are added and sub-tracted according to the complex ge-ometries that are typical of Libeskind’s approach to design.

Completely unchamfered, Flow Edition floorboards cover the floor without any visible joints, and the classic, staggered installation pattern gives interior space a sense of continuity. The only surface “movement” that meets the eye is provided by the natural grain patterns of the wood.Made with two layers of ash on a larch base, Flow Edition is available in the Trendpark format (1450x13x11 mm) with protective treatment and imperceptible B-Protect. Because they are slim, further-more, the floorboards are well suited for use with underfloor heating.

Find out the NEW COLLECTION of adjustable height supports for outdoor raised floor.

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08 - 11 March 2017Milan • ItalyHall 7 • Stand R09-S10

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Tile International 1/2017 30

THE WINNERS OF THE ADI CERAMICS DESIGN AWARD 2016

At Cersaie 2016, the ADI Ceramics De-sign Award picked six winners and awarded one mention of honour through a panel of experts made up of the designer Silvia Stanzani, Oscar G. Colli and Carlo Branzaglia, Chairman of the Emilia-Romagna Delegation of ADI. The award, established in collaboration with ADI (Associazione per il Disegno In-dustriale) within the framework of the cultural programme ‘Building, Dwelling, Thinking’, promotes the most innovative products of the Italian ceramic industry, by selecting those that show the highest degree of originality, technology and in-novation.The six winners in the floor and wall cov-erings sector are as follows: - First and foremost, Ceramiche

Piemme’s Bits&Pieces collection de-signed by Gordon Guillaumier. The complete originality of the concept derives from the inspired decision to borrow decorative subjects from the past and introduce them into the lat-est production processes, thus suc-ceeding in making artistic use of “waste” and transforming it into a pre-cious texture and pattern.

- Next is the Viva collection by Emilcer-amica, which impressed the judges with its “L’H” surface, designed by Gi-ancarlo Macchioni

- Ornamenta also won an award, thanks to the product Oplus+ made in collaboration with Alessio Zanzarel-la, which originated from a competi-tion held by Centro Edile Quartarella in Altamura, relating to the decoration of large-format panels.

In the bathroom furnishings sector,awards went to the following:- Bertocci Bathroom Accessories for Fly,

designed by Studio Menghello, Paolel-lo Associati;

- Gruppo Tre S, for the functional and innovative concept of the Muse / Scuretto tray and shower products, designed by Marc Sadler;

- Verum Italy, with Adriano Design, which designed Due Acca, an origi-nal and innovative bathroom tap.

A Mention of Honour went to Simas’s Sharp collection of washbasins, de-signed by Anzellini Simone, for its unu-sual use of vitrified china in a wide range of colours.

“This really is a great opportunity for the award-winners,” announced Carlo Bran-zaglia, Chairman of ADI Emilia-Romag-na, “because the products identified in this context are pre-selected for the 2017 ADI Design Index, our annual publica-tion that presents a selection of the best Italian design and includes products and product systems of different types.” “Design is increasingly important for ce-ramic manufacturers,” said Emilio Mussi-ni. “There is an increasing understand-ing that Italian ceramic has more chance of standing out on the world market if it continues to focus on this as-pect, especially if it does so through col-laborations with expert designers.”

Piemme

Ornamenta

Bertocci

Verum Italy

Emilceramica

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