ORLANDO, FL -- The call for entries for this year's 2010 Ceramic Tiles of Italy design competition asked North American designers and architects to show off what they can do with Italian tiles. The A&D community responded effortlessly to the challenge, with a range of outstanding submissions that clearly point to a positive new year in design. The new decade also marked the competition's shift to a completely digital application, making the application process paperless and more accessible than ever. As a result, Confindustria Ceramica, the Association of Italian Ceramics, and the Italian Trade Commission received the highest number of top-quality submissions in the competition's 17-year history. The jury was so impressed by the entries that they awarded two prizes in each category: residential, commercial/hospitality and institutional.
VALENCIA, SPAIN -- TAU Group's trademark subsidiary Porcelanatto has announced a partnership with international designer Karim Rashid in a line called NO-Stalgia. This new avant-garde style transports Rashid's design exuberance to the realm of ceramics -- creating a new medium for the decorative field. To officially unveil this line to the U.S. market, TAU, a Tile of Spain branded manufacturer, will hold a press conference at Coverings in Orlando, FL, on Wednesday, April 28 from 3 to 4 p.m. in booth #1723.
VALENCIA, SPAIN -- Coverings 2010 will serve as the debut venue in the U.S. for Tile of Spain's new global marketing campaign, an aggressive platform with the message: "Yes, We choose Spanish ceramic."
CLEVELAND, OH -- The Marble Institute of America (MIA) is now accepting entries for its enhanced 2010 Pinnacle Awards competition, which will include a new element in the judging criteria for this year's competition. This year, judges will be evaluating sustainable design elements in addition to the traditional criteria of beauty, creativity, ingenuity, craftsmanship and suitability of materials. If a submitted project displays superior effort, innovation and execution towards sustainable building goals, the MIA would consider awarding its first MIA Pinnacle Award for Sustainable Design. The Pinnacle Awards program is facilitated by the MIA and made possible by the generous sponsorship of Mapei.
SYLMAR, CA -- On February 18, the Walker Zanger showroom in Houston, TX, hosted the 2010 Administrator's Training and President's Forum for the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Known as one of the world's most comprehensive stone and tile companies, Walker Zanger provided use of its showroom space to the ASID for this event, and it extends this same opportunity to other organizations focused on interior design, stone and tile, architecture and building. Walker Zanger's showrooms seek to give back to industry communities by providing an attractive backdrop for meetings, networking mixers, trainings and other educational events, according to the company.
COCONUT GROVE, FL -- Ceramic Consulting Corp. (CCC) has announced the appointment of Scott Alpert as General Manager /New Business Development. Alpert brings three decades of tile experience to the organization.
Now in its 28th year, Cevisama - the annual International Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Furnishings Show - was held this year from February 9 to 12 at the Feria Valencia exhibition center in Valencia, Spain. And as in past years, the show provided a platform for more than 600 tile manufacturers to display their most recent and innovative products to visitors that hailed from around the world.
As architects and designers strive to create designs that are both aesthetically pleasing as well as environmentally friendly, stone and tile manufacturers are working to develop materials and methods to assist these goals.
Lord, Aeck & Sargent was created in 1989 when two Atlanta, GA-based practices, Aeck Associates, which was founded in 1942, and Lord & Sargent, started in 1983, made the decision to join forces. Since that time, the firm has demonstrated a strong commitment to keeping sustainability at the forefront of its designs.