Giulio Iacchetti: "A well-made design object can become a lifelong companion. But the objects that stand the test of time are those whose role goes beyond their function. They are objects that share a story with us. They arouse emotions and generate a close bond of affection. The most real and most authentic objects are those that evoke strong memories and have a story to tell".

Ceramics are a very big part of the spaces designed by the interior designer Kristina Zanic in the Emirates.

Twenty-five Italian and international architects, who know and use Italian ceramic tiles, discuss their perception of the product and its evolution.

Ceramicland is putting forward a new vision for the ceramic cluster. This manufacturing hub has evolved over the years and now operates in a globalised world. And it is precisely in this new world that Ceramicland aims to fulfil its potential.

The 160-page publication entitled “Ceramics and design. The Italian ceramic industry architecture competition 2012-2016” presents the 33 winning projects chosen from more than 500 submissions by Italian architecture firms that used Italian ceramic tiles between 2012 and 2016.

The construction industry is going through a period of gradual transition in which quantity must be replaced by quality, new build by renovation and urban regeneration, and low-efficiency buildings by structures capable of producing more energy than they consume.

The choice of materials is one of the most critical factors in the sustainability and performance of a project. The functions performed by materials go well beyond aspects of construction and aesthetics and include the energy comfort of buildings.

For Solano Benítez "architecture 'speaks' through materials, it communicates using ceramic and stone. We acquire knowledge through action".

The project laboratory created by a group of friends who followed the same career path from Gregotti Associati in the mid-eighties through to the foundation of the practice Piuarch represents a new form of professionalism in Italian architecture.

Japanese designers Setsu and Shinobu Ito, who work together in Milan, follow a design approach based on the relationship between human beings, nature and technology and share a fascination with Italian design