Technically advancing, ceramic materials are playing an increasingly prominent role in construction and architecture. Our guest shares his view on the possibilities of modern ceramics and its prospects -
Alberto Favaron, Project Director of KERAMA MARAZZI
In architectural projects, ceramics often carries the aesthetics of marble, stone, concrete. Can we speak of ceramics today as an independent category of materials for design work?
It is true that in ceramics, among other things, traditional finishing materials are being "rethought", and we are seeing a steady demand for such solutions. At the same time, KERAMA MARAZZI, as a company that is de facto the leader of the Russian market of ceramic materials, has a much broader view of the prospects for ceramics. It is appropriate to talk about a new ceramic culture in which our materials are an aesthetically flawless and functional response to market demands. These are new products and formats that are easily adaptable to the needs of customers - and allow you to go beyond the standard by expanding the scope of ceramic materials.
Having appeared thousands of years ago, ceramics are constantly enriched with: decorative compositions, precious materials, relief, patterns, colors … Such a willingness to perceive and embody any idea, preserving its own spirit - in the very nature of ceramics.
How is the attitude of the architectural community towards ceramic materials changing? Are you seeing such a change today?
Let's put it this way: architects and developers are increasingly beginning to see the advantages that ceramic finishing gives. We are witnessing a continuous improvement in the technical characteristics of ceramics, and by its properties it is becoming one of the most interesting materials for construction.
Note that the role of traditional building materials is also being rethought. For example, many public spaces today use purely technical materials - including concrete and Corten steel. They are placed in the interior and are used to solve purely design problems. So architecture becomes decoration, and decoration becomes architecture. Ceramics fit perfectly into this trend.
In modern architecture, the functionality of the material, the convenience of working with it is put in the first place. This is a great opportunity for ceramic materials that combine aspects such as form, function and decorative properties. Including large and super-large format.
When you talk about a large format, what sizes are we talking about?
The assortment of large formats at KERAMA MARAZZI is so great that it already deserves a separate catalog. Our maxi range starts at 80x80 and 80x160 cm, and also includes our relatively new formats: 120x120, 40x240, 60x240, 120x240 cm.
New this year - superMAXI materials, reaching a size of 160x320 cm.
And this is definitely a new level of design work when used in interiors and for cladding buildings.
How do these extra-large ceramic panels differ in use from more conventional finishing materials?
In terms of installation costs, it is about the same level as in the case of other popular solutions. But it is more correct to compare ceramic tiles not with artificial panels, but with natural materials. In ceramic granite, you can get large-format slabs with any effect: stone, marble, sandstone. The thinnest slab of 60x240, 120x240 or 160x320 of these materials would weigh hundreds of kilograms, it would be very difficult to move it, and facade systems in this case need a completely different class. In addition, the ease of maintenance and cleaning of ceramics plays an important role, as this directly affects the costs of building and operating a building.
Another important detail: thanks to the ceramic maxi-formats, the issue of the seam between the slabs disappears. Large formats have an amazing ability to smoothly and without breaks "wrap" a surface or interior space of any size.
One of the showcase projects is the Movenpick Taganskaya hotel on Zemlyanoy Val in Moscow
On the facades of an 8-storey hotel authors of the project - workshop of Pavel Andreev - they wanted to see large panels of Jurassic marble. This material is very interesting in its aesthetics, but practically inaccessible in large formats and is not distinguished by resistance to moisture and low temperatures. therefore it was decided to reproduce the beauty of the Jurassic stone in porcelain stoneware.
After scanning in high resolution, we received a series of unique drawings of natural material for ceramic panels in 120x240 format. When installing them, we used hidden fasteners. This made it possible to create the impression that the facade was made of solid stone, and with the large format we minimized the number of joints. As a result, it was possible to accurately fall into the aesthetics laid down by the authors of the project, and to implement a project that perfectly fit into the urban environment.
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zooming 1/5 Hotel Mövenpick on st. Earthen Shaft Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 2/5 Hotel Mövenpick on st. Earthen Shaft Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 3/5 Hotel Mövenpick on st. Earthen Shaft Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 4/5 Hotel Mövenpick on st. Earthen Shaft Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 5/5 Hotel Mövenpick on st. Earthen Shaft Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
Were personalized panels made for this project?
Yes - where customers want to highlight their project, we are ready to make a personalized design for interiors and facade decoration. The large format is already a decoration in itself, but with a personalized design the solution reaches a fundamentally new level.
Custom designed ceramic panels give architects and planners unique opportunities for façade and public interiors. Personalized porcelain stoneware can be used everywhere: in residential, office and hotel spaces, public and commercial spaces. They are united by the fact that they stand out for their unique appearance - isn't this the dream of any architect!
Our business unit specializes in personalized products and extra-large formats (160x320 and 120x320) Surface Laboratory by KERAMA MARAZZI. Not only in Russia, but in the world it is the only company offering personalized finishing materials of this format and such reliability. Another important advantage is that the boards are produced in two thicknesses: 6 and 11 mm. This allows you to combine in one project the light weight of a 6 mm board, as well as the mechanical strength and reliability provided by the 11 mm thickness for floor applications.
RC "Filatov Lug" (architects - SPICH bureau, Sergey Choban) - another object with the use of personalized facade panels from Surface Laboratory by KERAMA MARAZZI.
In the design of the buildings of the quarter, watercolors were used, collected from 18 thousand panels.
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zooming 1/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 2/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 3/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 4/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 5/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 6/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 7/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 8/8 Residential complex "Filatov Lug" Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
The company recently announced the production of thickened porcelain stoneware. How do you assess the market potential of this product?
In Italy and in Europe in general, ceramic materials with a thickness of 15-20 mm have been successfully used for several years. One of the most important projects where this material has found application is Italian railway stations. The renovation plan applies to all stations, where the use of thickened porcelain stoneware is foreseen throughout the area. It is used not only in train stations, but also in any space subject to serious dynamic loads - as well as in public areas with high pedestrian traffic. The mechanical strength of this material and its resistance to deep abrasion are important there: all thickened KERAMA MARAZZI products are mass-colored.
Thickened porcelain stoneware is also often used around private or public buildings: sidewalks, garden and park paths. Due to its increased thickness, the tiles become "self-supporting" and can be laid directly on gravel, grass, sand.
As an example, I can cite the use of "thickening" in landscape gardening of territories around modern residential complexes. In such places, concrete slabs are traditionally used: an alternative to them can be thickened porcelain stoneware, which has many advantages and a lively texture of stone or wood.
In terms of new aesthetics, what did 2020 bring to the company's range?
For almost 20 years, KERAMA MARAZZI has been devoting its annual catalog to one of the world's cultures: Indian, Scandinavian, Arabic, Latin American, Spanish, French, Russian, Italian. The 2020 collection is dedicated to Milan. And aesthetically, there are very interesting solutions, including unique drawings of Milanese marble, which you will not find in any ceramic collection.
The special pride of our new collection is onyx. This stone has a powerful, dominant energy. Regardless of the room in which they are used, onyx immediately becomes the visual center of the project.
We managed to faithfully reproduce the beauty of onyx in a maxi format. This is not one, but a whole series of drawings that amaze not only with the amazing depth of color, but also the precisely reproduced structure of the veins. The maxi format enhances and emphasizes these features.
How does the market react to these materials?
We are in constant dialogue with designers, architects and developers. I want them to created their projects as true creators, possessing a full range of ceramic solutions, enjoying working with any surface. Over the past few years, the company has been holding the KERAMA MARAZZI Grand Prix - a competition for projects of private and public spaces - and we see how the level of work grows from year to year, how our materials give more and more freedom for the imagination of the authors.
Grand Prix KERAMA MARAZZI 2020, like previous contests, it is intended to identify the best author's projects in which the decorative potential of KERAMA MARAZZI materials is maximally revealed - both in private and public interiors, and in architecture. Experts - Nikolay Lyzlov, Alexander Jikia, Massimo Santi, Roberto Leonelli, Alberto Favaron and Elisabetta Bandini.
The total prize fund in five nominations is 3,240,000 rubles. Acceptance of works - until November 8
A detailed description of the nominations, rules for participation and project design can be found on the competition website.
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zooming 1/3 Porcelain stoneware with reproduction of Norwegian quartzite, Pro Nordic series Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 2/3 Maxi-format porcelain stoneware, Oniche series Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
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zooming 3/3 Thickened porcelain stoneware, Roverella series Photo courtesy of KERAMA MARAZZI
