fine aggregate by-products,the material has the same aes-thetic and performance char-acteristics as engineeredstone. It is ideal for use as floortiles, as well as worktops, andother internal flat surfaces.The innovative new technolo-gy, itself a non-chemical,styrene-free process, hopes torevolutionise the engineeredstone market, replacing theexisting 30-year-old technolo-gy which has dominated theindustry for a generation.

At Ecobuild, Reed Harrisshowed off its 100% recycledporcelain floor tile: Serie 100.

Swedecor’s Studio is the firstcollection developed in theLinea range with 4.8mm thick-ness. The minimum thicknessmeans less impact on the envi-ronment reducing the con-sumption of raw materials,energy, packaging materialsand transport. The slabs of theLinea range are Ecolabel certi-fied.

Also from Swedecor,Advance is the most evolved

aesthetic expression of careful-ly selected choice of naturalstones, for a ceramic collectionwhere natural inspirationmerges with timeless contem-porary style. Advance createsrefined design spaces, superbhospitality venues ensuringexcellent technical featuresand tremendous versatilitythanks to three available sur-face finishes: matt, brushedand textured.

Caesar presented Summa,an exclusive porcelain rangeinspired by natural stones andfeaturing modern, cutting-edge colour shades. Thecolour changes, the chromatichues and the material proper-ties of this product are charac-terised by a tremendous rangeof variety that imparts a senseof naturalness to surfaces

Caesar also showed Flow, aporcelain tile available in sixcolours, created from naturalpigments and clays of thehighest quality. Flow comes inthree surface finishes and twomodular sizes.

Also from Caesar, Emotionsoffers three surface finishes -natural, honed and textured -all in a slender thickness of just4.8mm. Emotions is suitablefor residential and commercialareas, both internal and exter-nal. The collection, mono-cali-bre, squared and rectified,boasts a broad range of sizes.The standard thickness comesin five colours; Sandy White,Warm Beige, Urban Grey, DeepBrown and Trendy Black, in600 by 600mm and 600 by300mm.

Leading Italian mosaic man-ufacturer, Appiani, showedmosaics in 20 colours, six fin-ishes and five modular sizes, aswell as subtle mixes. The com-pany’s products are ideal forwellness and spa projects, aswell as high end interiordesign projects. The companycan also create custom-madedesigns in micro-mosaics.

Amarestone, a specialist sup-plier of first quality naturalstone for architectural andinterior design projects, pre-

Green is the colour

ECOBUILD REVIEW

18 TSJ MARCH 2011

Kerlite Avant Garde, displayed by Domus.

Joe Simpson reports from ExCel on that rarest of events: awell-attended and interesting UK trade exhibition.

Compared with the rest ofEurope, the UK has a

woeful record when it comesto trade exhibitions. As wellas struggling to attract alarge enough audience, mostUK trade shows seem to bestaged with little thought toattendee satisfaction.

Given the recent announce-ment that Interbuild has fold-ed, one would have been for-given for approachingEcobuild at ExCel with adegree of trepidation.However, despite the changeof venue from Earl’s Court,Ecobuild remains an exceptionto the rule.

It does, of course, have onehuge advantage .. the threeletters - ECO - in its title. Greenis the colour of choice for theconstruction sector today.However, it was not just sus-tainable products and meth-ods that drew such a largeaudience to Docklands. Therewas also an extensive andexciting programme of semi-nars, demonstrations and

events that truly added valueto the visiting experience.

The tile and stone offeringwas modest, in terms of num-ber of exhibitors, but includedmany of the most importantsuppliers to the specificationand contract markets, such asDomus, Reed Harris, Swedecorand Strata Tiles. There wasalso a shortlist of manufactur-ers at the cutting edge ofdesign including FAP, Appiani,Bardelli and Mirage. Takentogether these companiesoffered a fair representation ofthe latest in contract ceramics:laminam sheets, slim porce-lain, ink jet decors, preciousmetal mosaics, etc.

HighlightsEchotect, a sustainable, 100%recyclable alternative to engi-neered stone, was unveiled forthe first time at Ecobuild.

Echotect demonstrated aseries of flat surface materials,manufactured using thispatented technology. Madeof recycled plastic bottles and

Tema e Variazione by Ceramica Bardelli.

ECOBUILD REVIEW

20 TSJ MARCH 2011

sented an. extensive range ofmarble, limestone, slate andtravertine imported directlyfrom carefully selected quar-ries both in the UK and aroundthe world. Bespoke pieces andunusual or rare stones areAmarestone’s speciality andthe company can also adviseon the use of and supply ofancillary products includingadhesives, grouts and stonesealers and waxes..

Fap Ceramiche caught theeye with its special trims, allfinished with the range of co-ordinated TonoSuTono grouts.This particular element is usedto create perfect bathrooms,with attention right down tothe last detail.

The range of Fornasetticeramic tiles collections was afeature of Ceramica Bardelli’sdisplay. The Fornasettiana col-lection includes a set of 12decorative subjects createdusing hand-applied decalco-mania, available in either amatt or gloss finish in 200 by200mm.

The collaboration betweenCeramica Bardelli andFornasetti started more than20 years ago and has resultedin numerous collections that

reproduce the decors ofLibreria, Bicchieri, Mongolfiere,Soli e Lune, Lunario del Soleand Tema e Variazione.

Today, the Tema e Variazionerange offers a set of 20 decora-tive subjects realised usinghand-applied decalcomaniaon white or platinum back-ground, available with matt orgloss in 100 by 100mm.

Domus, one of the UK's lead-ing suppliers of tiles, mosaicand stone to the residentialdeveloper and the architectur-al specification markets, dis-played their latest eco materi-als and products includingLaminam sheets, such asKerlite Avantgarde PietraD'Irlanda porcelain tiles.

Refin majored on ceramictiles inspired by a natural lime-stone that can be traditionallyfound in the Bourgogneregion of France. Refin hasreinterpreted this preciousmaterial, combining its naturalappeal with the excellenttechnical performances of topquality porcelain stoneware.The Pietre di Borgogna collec-tion is Ecolabel-certified.Joining Ecolabel was a volun-tary move by Ceramiche Refinin order to offer the con-

sumers, architects and plan-ners an environmentally sus-tainable tile choice. The Pietredi Borgogna range comes infive graphic and chromaticversions, two of them have atextured finish interpreting thesurface of limestone. Thisrange is characterised by natu-ral hues, ranging from beige togrey, with bright and darkshades staggered by dots,veining and irregular greystripes evoking the fossil shells,which can be typically foundon the surface of the naturalstone from which the ceramiccollection takes its inspiration.

Shackerley, one of the UK’sleading suppliers of ceramicgranite into the architecturaland construction sectors, hasbecome one of the country’sprincipal authorities on theuse of this versatile material asan exterior cladding material.The company displayed itsQueen’s Award winningSureclad ceramic granite ven-tilated façade systems. This isan attractive, long lasting andcost-effective method of pro-tecting and improving theappearance of the buildingenvelope. Sureclad systemsenable the thermal efficiency

and acoustic performance of abuilding to be significantlyenhanced in line with sustain-ability objectives and BREEAMtargets. Shackerley’s ceramicgranite façade panels are man-ufactured entirely from natu-rally occurring constituents.The blend of refined clays,quartz, feldspars and metaloxides, is dry pressed into slabsat high pressures, then fireduntil irreversibly fused

Available in an extensiverange of colours, sizes and fin-ishes, they can be manufac-tured to resemble almost anytype of naturally quarried stoneand provide the specifier withan exceptional range of con-temporary aesthetic options.

Pimar Srl, supplies beautifulItalian limestone from its' own

quarries in different colourssuch as beige, grey, white andCoral Stone. Different finishes,dimensions and even a cus-tomisation service are avail-able. Pimar. guarantees per-fect results and promises toprovide valuable assistanceduring any project.

At Ecobuild, Sant Agostino’sproduct offer includedS.Wood, a most attractivewood imitation tile available intwo 1,200mm sizes: 150 and200mm wide. Laying thesetwo different formats togetherallows designers to imitate atraditional wood floor madewith different size planks.S.Wood offers extraordinarynaturalness of appearance,married to porcelain’s highimpact and wear resistance.

Advance by Atlas Concorde, displayed by specialist distributor Swedecor. Flow by Ceramiche Caesar.

Portuguese Bauvale limestone floor by Amarestone.