The increasingly widely adopted ventilated building envelope system, technology and large-size ceramic coverings embody two architectural trends. Architects are continually seeking reliable, consolidated solutions that provide them with a high degree of expressive potential in their design work.
For a better understanding, we could think of the energy balance of buildings in terms of a large vessel full of water in which we wish to maintain our design temperature constant at all times. There are some leaks in this container, or in other words heat losses through the envelope of the building (walls and windows) and heat losses due to ventilation. There are also free heat inputs from sunlight and the heat sources inside the building (people, lights, electrical appliances).
It is obvious that, in terms of scale, upgrades to the envelope are the most effective way of improving the energy balance of the existing building stock and for creating high-performing buildings in the case of new builds.
Drivers of new construction systems
The ventilated facade is the right solution for architectural projects that combine the highest degree of comfort with energy performances.
The fundamental factor in the structure of the ventilated facade is the creation of cavities, within which a microventilation effect is generated: this protects the building’s skin from weather and from the excess heat generated by sunlight, while also preventing damp retention and the formation of ice or mold inside the cladding cavities.
Ventilated facades still account for a smaller share of the building cladding market than continuous facades, but thanks to the spread of large ceramic slabs, there are encouraging signs of growth in the use of this technology.
Source: 2020 market data.
Breakdown of sales by product type
Source: 2020 market data.
Breakdown of sales by market segment
A ventilated facade is therefore an excellent solution not only for reducing a building’s energy use but also for improving its heat and noise insulation. Porcelain stoneware slabs are often chosen as cladding because they are lighter than natural materials like stone or marble, more resistant and easy to maintain and clean.
It should also be emphasized that ceramics are a totally natural product, which does not become damaged over time, does not emit volatile compounds (VOC) and is not classified as special waste at end-of-life. Ceramics are a material that can be recycled an infinite number of times.
Agno Facade
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Playing with multiples
Extra-large ceramic slabs, which can be subdivided into an infinity of shapes, are able to create continuous surfaces or dimensional multiples that often become the key decorative feature of facade claddings.
Large slabs enable the design of claddings with unique tactile appeal and compositional identities. They represent the new technological frontier in porcelain stoneware, covering ventilated claddings and indoor spaces and playing an important role in redefining thresholds, spaces midway between indoors and outdoors, a major theme in contemporary architecture.
Thanks to state-of-the-art technological and production processes, in recent years the porcelain stoneware industry has significantly extended its field of application. A slab of 1.6 x 3.2 meters is equally at home in outdoor and indoor spaces, just as perfect for covering a facade and a kitchen worktop, or even for finishing furniture; a surface solution that can always be applied in all architectural situations, from small to extra large scale.
Industrial Collection
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Made in Florim lightness and strength
The alternative to marble and other stones, which cost more and have greater environmental impact than ceramics, Florim slabs are strong and flexible. The 6 millimeter thickness of the large ceramic surfaces in the catalogue is the ideal solution for maintaining resistance values – breaking strength 1350 N and bending strength 52 N/mm2 – comparable to those of conventional stoneware; the slimmer thickness makes the slab not more fragile but more flexible, guaranteeing all stoneware’s usual resistance to perforation, impacts and tensile stresses.
THE BENEFITS OF A LARGE SIZE
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Florim offers the market the widest range of designer large stoneware slabs. Inspired by natural materials, the process for the creation of a slab and an entire line draws on a legacy of know-how consolidated in many years of experimentation and of serving the market with success.
Their multiple potential applications make large slabs a “universal” product, due not just to their versatility but also to their sustainability and their ability to speak the most diverse architecture and design languages.
