During the 2017 edition of the fair trade CERSAIE, L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui gives the floor to a selection of participants. Today, we discover the story of the Italian brand Cotto d’Este.

In a few words, could you present your company and your latest projects?
For over 20 years Cotto d’Este has been manufacturing cladding and flooring coverings of the highest quality in porcelain stoneware for the high-end market segment. Cotto d’Este has become a privileged partner for architects and designers, who increasingly choose its products for prestigious projects around the world. Among the cutting-edge buildings realized with Cotto d’Este’s products we find the well-known Bosco Verticale designed by Stefano Boeri, the Solaria and Aria towers – two leading figures of the new Milano landscape – the innovative Reale Mutua headquarter in Turin – winner of the 2017 prize “La Ceramica e il Progetto” –, the Unipol tower in Bologna, and the Bologna High Speed train station, known to be one of the most impressive infrastructural projects in Europe.

You are participating to the Cersaie exhibition this year, what products and innovative solutions are you going to present?
This year we are presenting at Cersaie the Cement Project, a system of surfaces and colours that echoes cement effects with aesthetic and sensory fidelity, including the traditional wooden slatted form. The collection draws inspiration form the great brutalist architecture, taking on that rigor and strong expressive power, while enabling a wide variety of interpretations. The project uses a combination of three tones, light grey, intermediate grey, and dark grey; these shades are featured on three different surfaces: Work, Cem and Land, each available in different thicknesses and sizes.
The Work surface finish replicates the effect of wooden slats with a precision never seen before on large, thin ceramic slabs. It is available in Kerlite plus 5.5mm, which combines the contrasting characteristics of concrete and the lightness and manoeuvrability of large, ultra slim slabs. Kerlite guarantees a unique, more flexible and resilient product, distinguished by its versatility and convenience of use. Thin, lightweight with sizes up to 100×300 cm, the Kerlite slabs are reinforced with fiberglass and suit the design challenges of contemporary architecture. Moreover, thanks to a reduced thickness (down to 3.5mm), they have a minimal ecological impact: less raw materials, water and energy consumption, less CO₂ emissions. In addition to the Kerlite version, Work is also available in 20mm thickness, perfect for horizontal surfaces and floorings, as well as for exteriors.
The Cem and Land surfaces reproduce cement in its pure, compact, urban style. Cem is available in Kerlite plus 5.5mm, while Land comes in a 14mm thickness, a distinctive Cotto d’Este size. The company is unique in supplying high thickness materials where the firing process is over twice as long as for the standard 10 mm porcelain stoneware and done at higher temperatures, achieving maximum strength and durability.

How do you foresee the evolutions of your sector, and the main challenges to address between now and 2025?
Cotto d’Este is part of the holding Panariagroup, therefore, the main challenges and the long-term goals of the brand line up with those of the Group. Starting from the beginning, technological innovation has represented for Panariagroup the strategic key to achieve new goals in ceramic production and in the respect for the environment.  A pioneering spirit that has led the Group to fulfil, way in front of the rest of the industry, important strategic and industrial decisions always based on a sustainable approach: Panariagroup was, as a matter of fact, the first ceramic group to invest in laminated porcelain tiles, an authentic example of product innovation for sustainability. Today it can claim the highest volume of sales of ultra-thin materials in the world.
The continuous Research and Development work lead by the highly qualified staff of the Research Centre is the way the Group searches for new solutions in the ceramic floor and cladding sector, with the ultimate goal of improving people’s way of life.