According to statistics presented by Veronafiere, the show's organizers, this year's event attracted 1,300 exhibiting companies - 900 Italian and 400 international - hailing from 53 different countries. Additionally, 21 national delegations were represented, including such countries as Australia, Cuba, Jordan and Pakistan, which made its first official appearance at this year's exhibition. Among the other delegations were Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Hungary, India, Japan, Singapore, the U.S. and Uruguay.

Figures show a steady growth for Marmomacc over the past 10 years. In 1992, there was a total of 621 exhibitors, of which 465 were Italian and the other 156 came from 32 different countries. The net exhibition space was 25,259 square meters in that year, whereas the area was more than twice that in 2002 - measuring 60,000 square meters.

The spacious exhibition halls allowed for elaborate booths, showcasing the latest trends in stone design. Many exhibitors used this opportunity to introduce the newest colors and finishes to their stone collections, which were available in tiles, slabs, blocks and cut to size. An assortment of mosaic borders and medallions as well as stone furnishings were also on display, illustrating new innovative applications for decorative pieces.

But stone suppliers weren't the only ones promoting their products. Marmomacc was also filled with large-scale fabricating and quarrying equipment, stoneworking tools and accessories, and installation and maintenance products. Many manufacturers introduced new machinery, while others used the time to promote already successful products. Live demonstrations were also not an uncommon site when walking the exhibition halls.

"Marble, Art, Culture"

In addition to the exhibit halls, another important part of Marmomacc 2002 was the "Marble, Art, Culture" program, which included an exhibit, seminars and group discussions. The program was designed to help those attending have a better understanding of different design trends and application possibilities for natural stone.

One session, "Stone in New Italian Architecture," focused on the last five years of progress in using stone for modern architecture. It featured a range of projects, including public and private buildings, urban areas, squares and streets, which were presented in the form of drawings, photographs, models and videos. The designs were the works of Italian architects such as Tobia and Afra Scarpa, Leonelli Struzzi, Augusto Romano Burelli, Francesco Venezia, Renzo Piano, Aldo Rossi, Umberto Riva and Mauro Galantino.

As in years past, the program also included lectures by well-known international architects. This year's lineup included English architect David Chipperfield as well as Michael Graves and Alan Ritchie from the U.S.

Chipperfield spoke about the major museum works he has designed and built. Among those mentioned were the Neues Museum in Berlin, Germany; the Citadel of Culture in the former Ansaldo factory in Milan, Italy; and the reuse of the former Austrian Military Arsenal in Verona.

Graves and Ritchie discussed their approaches to stone architecture among a filled auditorium. The two architects focused on contemporary architecture in the U.S., and in particular, how it relates to their own work. Each architect gave a slide presentation of his projects, along with explaining the reasoning behind the designs.

Also included in the "Marble, Art, Culture" program was the "Fire and Water" exhibit, which was dedicated to the use of stone in kitchens and bathrooms. There has steadily been an increased interest in these areas of design, and this exhibit reflected some of the cutting edge trends. The exhibition was the work of Marmomacc in collaboration with Abitare il Tempo. Architects, designers and artists of international status, such as Giulio Cappellini, Aldo Cibic and Elvilino Zangrandi, as well as companies that work with stone materials, home furnishings and accessories for bathrooms and kitchens, such as Flaminia, EffetiCucine and Stone Italiana, were also involved with developing the showcase.

Awards program

This year's recipients were U.S. architect Michael Graves; Antonio M. Esteves Henriques, a Portuguese trade journalist; Claudio Testi, an entrepreneur in the marble sector; Michel Foret, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Walloons who has made an important contribution to promotional activity in the natural stone sector in Walloons throughout Italy as well as other European countries; Antonio Forti, president of Assomarmi; and Giovanni Mantovani, Director General of VeronaFiere.

Moreover, a commemorative award was made in the honor of the late Alberto Giacomini, who had been nominated for the award in 2001. A few days prior to the awards ceremony, Giacomini informed the secretary of the event that he would be unable to attend for health reasons. Unfortunately, he passed away not too long afterwards. Those at this year's awards ceremony also remembered the late Luigi Antolini, who was the First Master of Stone.

AIA continuing education course in Verona

During the four days, the 15 architects who took part in the program studied significant architectural stone structures in Verona and Vicenza. The architects also took an excursion to a marble quarry and granite factory as well as field trips to Palladian villas, stone workshops and visits to the Marmomacc exhibition itself.

Veronafiere, an American Institute of Architects continuing education provider, accepts 15 American architects to participate in the program each year. Architects must compete for scholarships, which cover meals, hotel accommodations and local transportation as well as most of the tuition. A $250 fee is required of each selected architect, who is also responsible for transportation to and from Verona.

The course will be offered by Veronafiere again next year during Marmomacc, which will be held from October 2 to 5, 2003.

Sidebar

The competition was organized in conjunction with the local stone association in Hungary, and the aim of the event was to encourage students to visualize future projects using stone in innovative applications. As the winner of the competition, which was judged by the university faculty, Kapovits received a trip to the Marmomacc exhibition in Verona, Italy, where she could further expand her knowledge by attending the broad range of seminars on stone architecture.

The garden space conceived by Kapovits will be located adjacent to the Roman Catholic Private Home for the Blind, which is on a slightly sloped, 6,500-square-meter site within Budapest. The lot contains several buildings, storehouses and a playground, and the planned "Garden for the Blind and Visually Impaired" will be in the vicinity of the "Petofi House," which, being unoccupied property, is suitable for the future development of deaf/blind apartments or handcraft rooms.

"Very often, architecture emphasizes the visual, but the blind cannot have this visual experience," Kapovits explained. As a result, she sought to create an environment that would covey the architecture through space and materials. As part of her research, Kapovits interviewed a range of blind people and found that touch and acoustics were some of the most important aspects to be considered. Moreover, she felt that the versatility of stone would allow it to be used extensively in the design, as it was suited to create different surfaces, such as paving, signs, benches and other elements.

In a very practical application, stone was specified for walls of varying heights, which will help users know exactly where they are within the space. Wall heights facing the nearby house facade will be 1.1 meters, while walls to the sides will be 1.3 meters high. Those walls facing the central avenue and the clock tower will be 2.1 meters high with passes and breaks, and retailing walls along the central avenue will be 0.9 meters high. There will also be a 3-meter-high stone wall to the right of the house entrance.

The garden will be approachable from four sides and Kapovits designed the site with strict geometry, based on her research that 90-degree angles can be helpful in orienting those without sight. Each of the entrances will feature a 30- x 30-cm, three-dimensional stone "map" that is carved to present an orientation of the area. This will allow visitors to enjoy the space independently - even those visiting the garden for the first time.

The area is divided by two crossing 2.5-meter-wide paths, creating four quarters, each of which has special properties and functions. "Natural stone is an excellent medium for this application," Kapovits said. "By optimizing the uniquely sophisticated tactile senses of blind people, the use of various types and finishes would go beyond aesthetics and step into the realm of the functional as an aid in direction finding." She added that other sensual exposures, such as scents (flora) and sounds (a central clock tower and acoustic effects of walls of varying heights) play a distinct role in achieving this objective.

In addition to paving, walls and orientation maps, other uses of stone within the garden include a central water pool, which will be 20 cm deep; 6- to 8-person stone benches with stone tables on the sides; and drinking fountains. Hungarian lime-stone is expected to be used for the construction of the project, and it will be fabricated with smooth as well as rough-faced finishes. These materials will be donated by the local stone association in Hungary.

The garden at the Roman Catholic Private Home for the Blind will be dedicated to the approximately 50 resident children, deaf/blind adults and their caretakers, but Kapovits pointed out that its doors are open to over 100,000 visually challenged people throughout Hungary.

Construction will begin in spring of 2003, and it is expected that the work will be assisted by members of the blind community.

Touring the exhibition halls of Marmomacc 2002: Stone Suppliers