47 Spanish wall and floor tile manufacturers from ASCER (Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association) participated in the good-sized Cevisama 2023 (if seven pavilions wide and 80,000 m.sq area of sheer ceramic magnificence can be called just ‘good’!). Held between February 27 to March 3, Tile of Spain (an organisation under ASCER) hosted the chilly and windy week that kicked off with an engaging presentation.
The Spanish Tiling It With Personality
In a warm underground auditorium at the Events Centre – President of ASCER, Vicente Nomdedeu’s address revealed an increase in total turnover, exports, and domestic sales for the sector, despite the production declining by a small margin. Saudi Arabia was disclosed as one of the top 10 export markets for Spanish Tiles.
Next, Lutzia Ortiz Miralles, Head of Product Design, ITC-Aice and Ana Benavente Piotte, Expert in Design, Innovation and Trends, talked about the trends in the design world over and the shift in priorities since the pandemic. Besides the well-traversed concepts of biophilia and renewed briefs for home and offices post-pandemic, Lutizia spoke about a crucial aspect of well-being – personality.
More often than not, space users, aka clients, ask for trends or aesthetics from online references in a space. What gets lost in the process is curating a space that reflects the choices and personalities of the occupants. Here, only a few can beat the Spanish. These natives are proud of their culture, which reflects in their lifestyle, clothing, cuisine and even businesses – such as the tiles industry.
Alberto Echavarria, Secretary General of ASCER, specified, “Although we are beginning to gain ground in Middle Eastern markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, it is challenging to earn headway as manufacturers from India, China, and Turkey present tough competition when it comes to price points. Even so, we strive to drive more awareness about Spanish tiles’ enduring beauty and energy efficiency.”
The Ceramic Genius of 21st Tile of Spain Awards
As the team at ASCER pushes the pedal to world ceramic domination, it is worthwhile to look at how Spanish designers use native details to highlight their designs. The 21st Tile of Spain awards brought to light a handful of projects that serve as models for employing ceramics to bring out the best.
For example, the winner in the interior design category, “Avila. Planning an empty space” by ALL AROUND LAB (Noelia de la Red, Jordi Ribas), had an in-vogue monotone and minimalist concept with a twist. In reducing the count of materials, the designers resorted to using ceramic tiles as flooring and furniture cladding. This contributed to a visually coherent space that, at the same time, is rich in textures.
On the other end of the spectrum, the special mention in the same category, “A home/gallery in Granada’s Gran Vía” by Annona Arquitectura (Silvia CabreraJiménez & Felipe Hita Suárez and Ana Frías collaboration), took a colour-blocking and mix-and-match approach. Colourful ceramic materials combined with patterned and decorative tiles on floors, walls, ceilings and furniture created dynamic volumes and an artistic look.
Agora Valencia, which was conceived at the strategic centre of the World Design Capital Valencia Program 2022, was also a special mention in the architecture category at the 21st Tile of Spain Awards. Although a temporary installation, courtesy of the Silk Blanco tiles from Inalco and Wandegar’s innovative technical applications – the structure was an exemplar of modularity, sustainability and contextual climatic considerations.
The Prime Focus on BIM and Sustainability
We love to see an entire city’s design development in sync, and Valencia is just it! There is a thought-out trajectory towards technological innovations, from Agora Valencia employing BIM to ease the design of prefabricated modules to ASCER creating BIM catalogues for Tile of Spain companies.
Building Information Modelling (BIM), a collaborative methodology to create and manage building projects, centralises all the data (time, cost, environmental statistics and more) in a digital model. The Tile of Spain catalogue includes 150 ceramic tiles produced by various manufacturers with the .rtv extension. With this step, they hope to consolidate their position in the international tile market.
A peep into Cevisama 2023
Inside the premise, with most welcomed filtered sunlight through a long glass ceiling, were eight pavilions filled with ceramic tiles and bathroom products manufacturers. The most imaginative stall was that of Neolith – shaped like an opening box, unlocking various tile possibilities with the Neolith Iconic Design. Neolith Iconic Design is a 3D-printing system with 0% silica in its formation. Rightly being conferred with the “Alfa de Oro” and “Best Stand Design” awards, team Neolith sported bright smiles with versatile design at Cevisama 2023.
Roca Tiles bagged the second Interior Design Award for the Best Stand at Cevisama 2023. Proving their technological innovation and dedication to sustainability, Roca Tiles has come up with a material that is just 7 millimetres thick and has many advantages, such as reduced energy consumption without compromising on the dependable Roca quality. Propagating ‘The New Standard’ buttressed on the four pillars of simplicity, modularity, sustainability and uniqueness, Roca’s stand was visualised by the CuldeSac™ team as a “walk-in catalogue”, showcasing their products in a clutter-free manner.
In contrast to Neolith and Roca’s subtlety, Vives‘s panache came in third for the Best Stand at Cevisama 2023. Amongst the winding ceramic walls of the stalls, we got word from Jose Luis Gutierrez from Vives’ Export Department: “Our quality, high-end finishes and design-centric approach is what sets us apart from our international competitors. Locally Vives, as a brand, has received the utmost appreciation for its showroom design, and we like to think of it as inspirational. As often designers leave with more ideas for their projects”, he revealed with a hearty laugh.
The neighbouring stall from Vives was Apavisa‘s—an exhibit curated like an art gallery, where the tiles were fixed inside wooden frames. In conversation with Pedro Miralles, Commercial Director at Apavisa Slabs, it came to light that Spanish tiles were in demand for hospitality and private residential projects in the Middle East. “There is a rise for sophisticated and sustainable design in the Middle Eastern Region. Apavisa has always been conscious of energy consumption and at the forefront of adopting technological innovations such as 3D printing. These are not things we have to add but already have,” he further elaborated.
Thereon, we moved to see offerings from Ceracasa Ceramica: bold patterns, floral prints, chic settings and a live food caravan created for an impressive stall journey. Clara Cabrera Vidal, Marketing Lead, informed us about the collection that catches designers’ fancies the most. “Our Couture Collection stands out most to designers in the Middle East and everywhere else. To make our collections even more enticing to regions such as Saudi Arabia, we ensure our SOSA certifications are always up-to-date.”
If Ceracasa Ceramica’s showcase was full of imprints, Decocer‘s was resplendent in shapes and forms. No figure or tile dimension was off-limits, and there were no restrictions on options in finishes and shades. The motto was, ‘if the client wants, we deliver it.’ “We are big on experimenting with our customers. We are open to going back and forth and reaching an outcome that fully satisfies them. Usually reaching the ideal result doesn’t take more than four to six weeks; given that we’ve been in the business for over 30 years – we know how to deliberate”, said Verónica Obrero Badal, Sales Export Manager.
Halcon Ceramica, from Grupo Halcon, was another Spanish tile brand that caught eyes. For one, a beautiful dusty pink Kriskadecor ceiling installation contrasted against the elegant porcelain-slate display. Second, the sheer size and availability of options in neutral, earthy textures and hues were grand. Halcon Ceramica offered class in a catalogue, from Calcutta marble prints to limestone textures. “What designers like most about us is our ability to offer our products in various sizes. 60×120 is our star product, and recently we have started distribution of 100×100, which I’m sure will also be well-accepted. Our colours and finishes are also a hit, and soon we will venture into Lappato stone tiles”, informed Jutta Walterham, Marketing & Product Manager.
All about cultural pride and propagation
Talks by Pritzker Awardees Francis Kere and David Chipperfield had an underlying theme of preservation and conserving what’s native. Francis Kere’s social architecture, vernacular innovations in Burkina Faso, and refreshingly informal yet sincere demeanour had the audience tuning in keenly. David Chipperfield’s tales of the past days, the wisdom of conscious design thinking and insightful narration of going against the grain and trusting your convictions even if it meant facing backlash was dream advice for aspiring and upcoming architects.
From the direction and motive of Cevisama 2023 to the talks – from February 27 to March 3 – the city of Valencia seemed to echo one thought clearly, ‘Be proud of your identity, converse it and for sustenance – share it across borders unabashedly.’
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Date added:
7 March, 2023
