Curators Raffaello Galiotto and Vincenzo Pavan invited designers and producers to draft marketable natural stone products
The „Territorio & Design”-Presentation was set up on the left side of the Italian Stone Theatre in Hall 1 of this year’s Marmomac. Industrial designer Raffaello Galiotto and architect Vincenzo Pavan had invited designers, stone producing companies, and technology manufacturers to design prototypes of marketable stone products and exhibit them.
The name „Territorio & Design” revealed the purpose of the project: the prototypes should mirror the region of provenance of the stone. Neglected material properties such as surface haptics should also be at the center of focus. And the color of the stone should be considered, which, in contrast to engineered stone and ceramics has infinite depth.
We show the pieces on exhibit. First place is reserved for Paolo Ulian’s piece called „Drap“. The Organizers of the Fair gave it the Icon Award which makes it the symbol of the next Marmomacc marketing campaign.
Paolo Ulian was inspired by water jet cutting technology from which he derived the side table: the increasing thickness of the piece is accompanied by an ever less accurate cut. The various sizes can be cut from a single block.
Photos: Luca Morandini / Marmomac
„Drap“. Design: Paolo Ulian; Company: Silvestri Marmi; Material: Zebrino.
When working with thick marble, water jet cutting tends to lose its precision at the end of the cut, producing irregular ripples. What is usually considered a defect is emphasised here, emerging to create an aesthetic quality. A sort of draping that almost spontaneously assumes the appearance of a tablecloth. The ring/tablecloth is made with a water jet concentrically cutting a marble block that is 20-25 cm thick. This method makes it possible to produce rings of different sizes from the same block, limiting material waste.
Zebrino: A marble extracted in some areas of the Apuan Alps known by several names like Cipollino Carrarese, Cipollino Zebrino, Zebrino Apuano. The material is fine grain, compact and non-porous. It has a stratified structure that is whitish, ivory, sometimes slightly rosé, and is characterised by layers that are rich in quartz, pyrite and dolomite in colours including grey-green and light pink. The marble layers mix to form homogeneous bodies of moderate dimensions, almost completely free of impurities and very similar to the statuary type called Cremo and Cremo Delicato. Its streaked look is particularly suitable for the production of interior and exterior wall tiles and to create diverse textures that can be freely combined. It is a material that is well suited for all uses, like sculptures, pieces of furniture, objects, bathroom counters, washbasins and so on.
„Fence“; Design: Ludovica + Roberto Palomba; Company: Margraf; Material: Fior di Pesco Carnico®.
An architecture within architecture, like a sacred enclosure that delimits space by creating intimacy in the environments.
Fior di Pesco Carnico®: A saccharoid marble breccia structure with blood – manganese pigment, part of the marbles of Timau located in the province of Udine. Extracted since the early 1920s from the only existing quarry called Pierabech in Forni Avoltri, Fior di Pesco Carnico is an exclusive Margraf marble with shades ranging from grey to pink to white, with ivory veins and a coarse grain. Used primarily in interior and exterior floors and walls, it is one of the leading stones used in 20th century Italian architecture in public spaces like banks, stations, cinemas and theatres. International exports of Fior di Pesco Carnico increased significantly starting in the 1980s, being used in important buildings like the Winter Garden and the World Financial Center in New York, the Coca Cola Building in Atlanta and the Canary Wharf Main Tower in London.
„Oasi“; Design: Odo Fioravanti; Company: Grassi Pietre; Material: Pietra di Vicenza – Grigio Alpi.
Oasi is a system of tables of varying sizes based on structural elements made Vicenza stone, that, with joints similar to children’s building blocks, support a perforated metal plate top. The Vicenza stone supports have some cylindrical elements on their top surface, „bubbles” that fit perfectly into the perforations of the metal top. The stone thus emerges and shines, delicately crossing through the steel plate. So there are areas in the centre of the tables where it is possible to position centrepieces or that can be used as natural trivets where the projecting stone protects the metal surface from hot plates and pans.
Pietra di Vicenza – Grigio Alpi: Vicenza Stone is a soft limestone consisting of fossil fragments bound with a limestone cement. Having an overall white and straw colour, it has minute ochre spots of limonite and goethite, and is found in white, yellow and grey varieties (in this latter case it takes the name Alp stone grey). Quarried in the Berici Hills near Vicenza, depending on the location where it is extracted, it takes the name of San Gottardo, Costozza, Zovecedo. As soon as it is quarried it is very tender and tends to harden gradually over time. For centuries its ease of cutting and machining has made it one of the most valuable and commonly used ornamental stones for architecture and sculpture throughout the Veneto and neighbouring regions. Also used in Roman times, it was often the stone of choice of Palladio and the most illustrious Venetian architects for the villas and palaces of that region until the 20th century.
„Ever Growth“; Design: Federico Rossi; Companies: QD Robotics + Marble Studio Stagetti; Material: Marmo Bianco di Carrara.
Starting from the metamorphic and metaphysical processes that have taken place during the formation of rocks, Ever Growth is a project that aims to explore the evolution of Carrara marble through a digital metaphor with complex mathematical algorithms. A geometric abstraction that will attempt to aging the material, creating unusual patterns and patterns, making the material even more unique, revealing its true nature of ever-changing rock. A simple table, made of floor-standing material on two pillars, obtained through a digital process using a robotic milling cell.
Marmo Bianco di Carrara: This is one of the most well-known international varieties, extracted from the Apuan Alps in various types of quarries – underground, bench, hillside and open pit – distributed mainly in the basins of Fantiscritti, Canalgrande, Torano and Colonnata. Formed during the Hettangian, the marble features a solid white body with a uniform saccharoid structure and medium large grain, without stains and a few veins filled with microcrystalline pyrite. It is a material that is resistant to frost, compression and bending, suitable for use in load-bearing elements like columns, lintels, bases, steps and flooring. Carrara White marble has been used in architecture since the Roman era, particularly popular during the Renaissance where Michelangelo’s work made it the first choice for sculpture as well. It has been used extensively in modern and contemporary architecture and sculpture.
„Ponte (M)“; Design: Blumerandfriends, Matteo Borghi; Company: Helios Automazioni; Material: Serpeggiante Silvabella Classico. Photo: Peter Becker
We always imagined a table with a long, thin, „light” stone top capable of supporting loads and use. Looking to the world of load-bearing structures like beams and bridges, we pushed the physical characteristics of the stone to their limits, trying to remove all the material not needed for its integrity. Combining this effort with the type of workmanship and construction of the object, you arrive at a necessary and unique stage where „you can’t do otherwise” … the ultimate look is achieved. An 8 mm thick marble slab cooperates with a stainless steel support structure to which a light „crown” is applied to increase the hold. Four legs of the same material guarantee support.
Serpeggiante Silvabella Classico: The marble and stone of Puglia are basically made up of limestone rocks present throughout the region. The Pietra di Apricena stone district is one of Italy’s main quarrying areas (for the quantity of material quarried) and extends to the foot of the Gargano in the municipalities of Apricena, Poggio Imperiale and Lesina. Bronzetto, Biancone, Fiorito and Serpeggiante are the four main varieties found in this area, with colour variations including beige, ivory and rosé, enriched by thin and sinuous veins. Silvabella in particular is a natural compact limestone featuring uniformity and remarkable durability and an unmistakable beige tone, with lighter and darker streaks tending to brown. A material of great tradition and versatility with excellent durability, very low permeability and a persistent brilliance of the polish, suitable for floors, walls and products of artistic craftsmanship and design.
„Tricilino“; Design: Giuseppe Fallacara, Micaela Colella – New Fundamentals Research Group; Company: Bianco Cave; Material: Pietra di Ostuni. Photo: Peter Becker
Triclinio is a seat in Ostuni white stone, inspired by seats of the classical world on which diners reclined as they shared a meal. This element, transposed into a contemporary style, becomes a monolithic bench shaped from a single block of soft white stone in sinuous shapes that echo its classical origins, even while being produced with CNC machines. Hiding in the thickness of the stone mass, a padded mat allows the stone surface divided into square forms to soften and support the position of the seated person.
Pietra di Ostuni: Ostuni White Stone is a type of limestone rock, not very widespread, extracted from quarries in the region between Ostuni and Carovigno, with smaller quarries in the municipalities of Locorotondo and Cisternino. This type of lithotype is characterised by a fine, homogeneous grain and a high degree of compactness, and is easily distinguished by its peculiar light ivory colour tending to white and its silky finish. Its chemical composition makes Ostuni White Stone easy to work and is suitable for sculptural applications of a high artistic value. In fact, it is traditionally used for the creation of complex decorative forms, though recently rediscovered as a precious material for the realisation of design objects and finishes for contemporary architecture.
„Slim Stone“; Design: Pio & Tito Toso; Companies: Marmi Remuzzi Bergamo + Cave Gamba; Material: Marmo Arabescato Orobico.
The Slim Stone collection is a material born from stone and Remuzzi Marmi’s innovative manufacturing process of the marble slabs: Bislapis (from Latin Bis meaning double, and Lapis meaning stone, literally double stone). This new technology makes it possible to combine natural stones with limited strength, even with different mechanical and colour characteristics, reducing the thickness of the double slab. The result is a more durable composite material with a significantly reduced weight than those normally in use. For the Territorio & Design exhibition we have sought the sense of lightness and elegance that Bislapis technology makes it possible to express using orobic arabesque marble characterised by a great variety of shades and extensive veining.
Marmo Arabescato Orobico: The Orobic arabesque, ornamental Stone, is extracted in the Brembo Valley, from Triassic rocks (about 225 m years) belonging to the Red Limestone Formation. From a petrographic point of view, it is a veined or laminated limestone, distinguished by very special colours due mainly to the presence of iron oxides and hydroxides, dolomite and volcanic ash. The inimitable peculiarities of Orobic arabesque are its natural colours and designs, unique in the world, originated in a tropical environment similar to today’s Bahamas. The main varieties are: Orobic arabesque Red – Orobic arabesque Pink – Orobic arabesque Grey Pink – Orobic arabesque Grey – Orobic marble is to be found throughout the entire history of art and architecture in Italy, from the floor at the base of Michelangelo’s Pietà (In St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome) to the floor of the new Fiera (Exhibition Halls) in Bergamo.
„Sea Bath“; Design: Roberto Semprini; Companies: Ramella Graniti + Gruppo Tosco Marmi; Material: Palissandro Classico, Palissandro Blu Nuvolato.
Sea Bath is a project of material experimentation and aesthetic research focused on the development and production of furnishings. Sea Bath is an installation that evokes a glimpse of a bathroom environment where objects have a marine symbolism. A minimalist console in classic palissandro marble is veined with light grey resin waves that enclose inserts in cloudy blue palissandro. At the centre of the console is a large spiral-shaped washbasin in classic palissandro that echoes the shape of a shell. The scene is framed by two circular shaped towel warmers on the two sides, also in classic palissandro
Palissandro: Saccharoid grain recrystallised dolostone almost exclusively made of dolomite. Featuring a high level of compactness, heavy texture and medium grain, the stone is highly resistant to wear and weather and has a unique lustre. Colours include white, cobalt blue, beige/brown and grey. Found in the northern Piedmont part of the Lepontine Alps, it is a material rich in history. It was used in numerous historic buildings, among others the Pavia Cathedral and the Arch of Peace in Milan. Today Palissandro Marble is an exclusive material for use by designers as it is extracted from just one quarry in the world, featuring an elegance due to its natural golden reflections and versatility thanks to the wide range of colours and veins available.
„Process“; Design: Lorenzo Damiani; Companies: Odone Angelo + Travertino Toscano; Material: Travertino Toscano.
Stone materials, like other natural materials often used by humanity, are destined to run out in the near future. A different kind of use, ecological and rational, could envisage an alternative systematic process of design and implementation that would result in considerable savings in material: this is the idea behind the project. Tuscan travertine slabs are cut and assembled using a technique that is practically „tailor made”, to then be milled with the aim of obtaining elements from the forms apparently derived from the full block: a collection that is currently made up of a column washbasin and a circular tub. First and foremost this collection represents a production process project in which the structure of objects becomes decoration as well thanks to the use of two types of travertine, assembled to obtain an internal/external alternating relationship. Responsibility and awareness are the keywords of this project.
Travertino Toscano: Sedimentary rock of chemical origin characterised by concretions with parallel layered bands and a porosity that varies across layers and zones. Some time after extraction the material becomes compact and durable, assuming a yellowish-brown shade due to the presence of traces of ochre and limonite pigmentation. Quarried in the Tuscan hills of the province of Siena, in the municipality of Rapolano Terme, this lithotype is also known as Rapolano Travertine or Rapolano Stone as well as many other commercial names deriving from extensive international use, and is available in the varieties of ivory white, grey, orange and brown. Used in the Etruscan and then Roman times, it became quite popular in the Rationalist Architecture of the first half of the 20th century. Over time it acquired a significant market in the American and Middle Eastern markets. From the 1980s to the present it has found space in small or large quantities in most of the major projects of contemporary architecture.
„Sliced Cone“; Design: Giorgio Canale; Company: Cereser Marmi; Material: Thala Grey Royal, BiancoCarrara, Nero Marquina. Photo: Peter Becker
Sliced Cone was born of respect for natural stone, and the desire to give shape to soft forms and curves while seeking to produce „zero scrap”. Technology has turned out to be a unique tool in the hands of designers and artisans who have been able to breaking down barriers up until now considered unbreakable. Too often, however, this new freedom of expression draws attention away from the real value of natural stone. The first way to show this respect is to be careful at how much material is „removed” from the original block to get the final result. Sliced Cone is the first result of a study of conical shapes, generally obtainable by removal from blocks, in this case by machining 2-3 cm slabs. Thanks to water jet technology, the architect Canale has developed a system for cutting concentric circles with sloping sides that can be reassembled in sinks and tubs of various sizes. Sliced Cone is a concept intended to represent a small innovation in the world of stone, expanding the potential for slab processing.
Thala Grey Royal: Proposed in an exclusive version having the highest quality and aesthetic standards, Thala Grey Royal is a calcareous limestone extracted through an operation of „separation” from strata formed by water. „Adopted” by ancient Rome, this marble originates from the Tunisian coasts and for centuries was one of the high-quality stones used in wall coverings, architectural elements and furnishings of public and private Roman buildings. It is distinguished by a uniform light grey body that contrasts slightly with veins, dark stains and light specks. Its current look is complemented with a contemporary taste both in its colour and surface characteristics, attesting to the modern nature and elegance that this material has maintained over time, in continuity with ancient tradition.
(24.11.2017, USA: 11.24.2017)
