10-07-2018

FMG marble-effect porcelain floors in shopping centres

Shopping centre floors must be resistant, unalterable, and easy to clean and maintain, properties typical of FMG porcelain: a material that meets all the requirements of big contemporary public spaces. Their expressiveness and luminosity qualify FMG marble-effect porcelain floors as one of the most refined, elegant flooring solutions available for shopping centres today

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Flooring for shopping centres and for large exhibition spaces must meet a number of functional and aesthetic requirements.

These unique flooring materials for large surfaces have come to play a very special role in the design of public spaces today.

Shopping centre floors must respond to a number of different requirements, starting with uncommon strength to withstand the constant load and flow of people and mechanical vehicles. Other factors also related to resistance and durability include lightfastness, impermeability, non-slip finish, and easy cleaning and general maintenance.

These are only a few of the aspects to be taken into consideration in the choice of the best flooring materials for shopping centres and department stores.

The materials used in tiles for shopping centre floors must therefore meet particular needs that go beyond their primary purpose as cladding.

The new technologies have been a great help for architects and designers in recent years, offering them new kinds of highly resistant ceramic materials which are extremely effective in the long term, such as porcelain, still the best type of cladding material for shopping centres and large exhibition spaces.

Its resistance to stress from loads and abrasion make porcelain the top material for today’s floors in buildings of all kinds, from homes to public spaces, and from outdoor pavements to renovation projects both large and small.

It is undeniable, however, that porcelain’s technical performance is most important in areas of high density traffic and in industrial applications.

These are situations and spaces that are subject to daily stress which can be extreme, in which a number of technical properties typical of porcelain really make a difference.

The procedure of making porcelain involves use of presses and firing at very high temperatures to replicate processes of rock formation which take thousands of years in nature. The result is an extremely compact material which has the same properties right through, vitrified with a very low porosity and therefore effectively impermeable, perfect for withstanding external aggression.

Thus porcelain meets all the standards and safety requirements specified by the strictest legislation for coverings in public places such as shopping centres and department stores. For instance, porcelain eliminates the risk of slipping with non-slip surfaces that are also resistant to abrasion and fire.

FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti, one of the leading brands in the Iris Ceramic Group, has been in the vanguard for twenty years, making the best high-tech ceramic available on the coverings market.

Many large-scale projects have been completed with FMG slabs and maxi-slabs, including the Stockholm Waterfront, the Metropolitan Hotel in Tokyo, Saint Louis Airport in the USA and Teatro Nazionale, a theatre in Milan.

The many effects available in FMG porcelain permit a great variety of different choices and solutions to meet the requirements of different types of shopping centres and stores.

The marble effect is particularly high-impact and is very often used in projects of this kind, in a variety of different types and textures.

Statuario Venato, Calacatta, Nero Marquina, Crema Marfil Extra and Crema Marfil Select are only a few of the types of FMG marble that have been chosen for floors in numerous shopping centres in different countries and architectural styles. These include Tiara Shopping Centre in Moscow (Russia), Plaza Cumbres in Monterrey (Mexico), and Boutique Filicori Zecchini in Bologna’s Galleria Cavour.

Marble-effect porcelain is a design choice capable of underlining exhibition spaces both large and small; when used on the floor, or combined with decorative pieces in shopping centre floors, FMG marble-effect tiles are extremely versatile and suit a great variety of decorating styles.

The luminous impact of marble is always unique and unmatched; and when it is paired with the big windows or artificial light sources typical of shopping centres, it adds expressive power to the entire space, underlining its attractiveness for visitors.

Marco Privato

GALLERY