fluidity by tile of spain at MADE expo made in a fallas workshop

‘fluidity’ structure under construction image © designboom

during the milan fair MADE expo in early october, tile of spain, invites you to discover a spectacular installation designed by spanish architect jose ramos tramoyeres, co-founder of the architectural firm green geometries laboratory (GGlab ) and paolo flores. the project has been made possible thanks to the participation of the spanish institute for foreign trade (ICEX) and the economic and commercial office of the spanish embassy in milan. for the construction of the temporary structure, the architects collaborated with the ‘fallas’ workshop manolo garcia in valencia.

the temporary pavilion ‘fluidity’ uses the characteristics of ceramics to respond to current needs of a greater continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces — the private and the public. the project foresees various urban elements characterized by a double skin, dressed in ceramics. the outer side is composed of ceramic elements that decontaminate the air, while the inner side consists of extruded ceramic tubes. the floor itself is flexible, and tiles form waves that move in synergy with the various layers of the project – walls, ceilings and floors interact with each other.

designboom visited the workshop and is able to offer you a sneak preview of what will be on show next month. please stay tuned for our upcoming MADE expo coverage with a follow up on this exciting project.

a view into the workshop image © designboom

the increased investment in research and development conducted by the industry in recent years has made ceramic tiles the ideal choice for all types of surfaces and applications, providing results of extraordinary quality in terms of both convenience and aesthetics. the sector is also at the forefront of current trends and is able to satisfy even the most stringent environmental and ergonomic criteria. the use of ceramic tiles on ventilated facades, raised floors, walls, facades and structured walls, industrial areas, large formats and the production of tiles designed specifically for people with disabilities, or inspired by other materials such as stone, wood or steel, are just some of new ideas spanish industry has developed and that have revolutionized the construction industry. there are also other even more original and interesting innovations, including techniques for shaping and bending the individual pieces, grout-free laying, surfaces with magnetic properties, laying with hidden joints or even intelligent tiles. read more.

we visited the workshop during the final state of project definition. many more ‘bionictiles’ are getting fixed to the outer skin image © designboom

‘bionictile’ by ceracasa this material is able to decontaminate the air in urban areas, thanks to a patented enamel that transforms nitrogen oxide into harmless nitrates, without requiring the addition of any energy source other than solar energy. the tests performed at the institute of chemical technology of the polytechnic of valencia and at the mediterranean centre for environmental studies have provided important data. one square metre of bionictile is said to be able to detoxify some of 25.09 micrograms nox/h of polluted air.

back view with bionictiles image © designboom

back view – this side of the pavilion is still under construction image © designboom

spanish architect jose ramos tramoyeres, founder of GGlab, poses inside the structure. the yellow and green ceramic tubes will cover the entire interior surface. image © designboom

close-up to the ‘lifearq’ bamboo series tile tubes image © designboom

‘lifearq’ bamboo series tubes by natucer the circular tubes are made of porcelain, using an extrusion technique that allows its installation in both indoor and outdoor spaces. particularly suitable for architectural use, it is available in 5 colours and in three different sizes to fit most applications and uses (indoor, partitions, facades).

digital drawings helped to plan the artisan structure, especially for the variously curved tiles and their exact positioning image © designboom

image © designboom the ceramic benches under construction image © designboom

soho interior series by cerámica decorativa the flax-coloured (off white) pieces are available in 15×40 flat and textured formats, developed by the group of architects through the use of disposable moulds. this system greatly simplifies production, with numerically controlled polystyrene dies used for each of the pieces. the series is available in 9 colours and 10 different formats.

bench – the fluid forms are obtained by differently curved tiles image © designboom

renderings of the ‘fluidity’ structure

las fallas (the fires)? do you look for a great party? does the sight of flames excite you? do you secretly harbor pyrotechnic urges? if you answered yes to any of these questions, then ‘las fallas’ of valencia is your kind of event — a loud, smoky, high-spirited fiesta where the whole town is literally set ablaze! each neighbourhood of the the spanish city valencia has an organized group of people, the ‘casal faller’, that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinnersto be able to finance the annual building project of a construction known as a ‘falla’. during the week leading up to march 19, each of the groups builds its own elaborate firecracker-filled cardboard and paper-mâché artistic monument and takes it out on the street. the festival ends with burning down the creations (which can easily cost 500.000 – 1.000.000 euro each). las fallas is undoubtedly one of the most unique and crazy festivals in spain. more info here.

manolo garcia is showing designboom the maquettes (model) of the next falla project for march 2012. he is working on a giant leonardo da vinci head that rotates on some of his best known inventions. image © designboom

the labor intensive ‘ninots’, that is how people in valencia call their fallas characters, take almost the entire year to construct. any ninots are several stories tall and need to be moved into their final location of over 350 key intersections and parks around the city with the aid of cranes on the day of ‘la planta’ (the rising). the ninots remain in place until march 19th, the day known as ‘las crema’ (the burning).

the project was designed to last over time: fluidity is not intended to be an ephemeral installation created for this event alone. after the MADE expo, the installation will move back to valencia for the next edition of ‘cevisama‘ (the international ceramics and bathroom furnishings show) before being donated to an institution or organization.

MADE expo international architecture and building trade show 05 – 08.09.2011 milan fairground (rho) PAD. 3 U0I-VI0