Miami, FL – At AIA 2010 this year, visitors learned why architects worldwide are joining in the mantra, “Yes, We Choose Spanish Ceramic.” The American Institute of Architects 2010 National Convention was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center from June 10-12.

• Acropolis – Replicates Greek marble in three colors with a black compliment. Available in 18 x 18” floor tile and 10” x 16” wall tile, the series comes in four colors: Beige, Grey, Black, Marron.
• Luxor – An 8” x 12” and 12” x 12” floor tile that offers the look of a Turkish travertine marble in a matte finish. This tile was designed as a direct response to several distributors looking for a tile that provides a sense of movement in both soft and rich colors.
• Delta – The simple look of classic marble is captured in this 10” x 16” and 18” x 18” floor tile.

Roca Ceramica: los Roca Tile Group is a world leader in production, distribution and marketing of ceramic and porcelain tile for all applications. Known for its commitment to sustainable products and manufacturing practices, Roca displayed new products that offer a wide range of design:

• TopGreen – Roca´s most ecological collection includes Green Earth and Green Urban, two series with 80% recycled content certified by third-party certification agency Bureau Veritas.
• Rock & Rock – A unique double-press, through-body porcelain collection, including the large format 24¨x48¨ sizes. The different series from this collection that will be displayed include Lavagna, Packstone, York, and Zen.
• Color Collection – A large selection of colors for glazed ceramic tiles in the subway size 3” x 6”, as well as the popular 4 ¼” x 4 ¼” and 6” x 6” sizes.
• Dot Mounted – A collection of 2″ x 2″ dot-mounted mosaics of glazed porcelain, an ideal solution to complement the Color Collection.
• Avila – A through-body porcelain series in a range of beige, grey and brown colors.
• Orion – A popular double-load rectified porcelain, including a wide variety of colors and sizes, in a polished and unpolished finish.
• Rock Art – Roca’s complete range of natural stone mosaics, perfect to combine with porcelain and ceramic floor and walls.

Emac Complementos: One of the leading manufacturers of profiles and complements for ceramics, offering all types of decorative and functional solutions for floorings, walls, facades and urban pavements. New products launched this year are Slim Range, Anti-Slip Solutions and decorative profiles created by international fashion designer Francis Montesinos. These products feature delicate designs, whimsical patterns for extra eye appeal, Swarovski crystal embellishments.  www.emac.com

Inalco: Specializing in creating porcelain ceramic series and large format design, Inalco pioneered the concept of slim tile with its SlimmKer Collection. At thickness of only 4-6 mm, SlimmKer is easy to handle, cut and lay, saving installation time and resources used in manufacturing.

• Inalco displayed its SlimmKer series in Foster, one of the company’s principal series. Available in 31” x 31”, 2.4” x 47.2 and 18” x 36” formats and in both bush-hammered and smooth finishes, the texture offers the utmost in neutrality for any design space.
• Large format capabilities are demonstrated by the 80.8 series in wall and floor applications. This series is inspired by adding a brushed effect to modern wood with slight veining and lineal embossed patterns.

Porcelanosa Group: Tile has served as the backbone of the company since the early 70s but today Porcelanosa Group encompasses the manufacturing of bathroom vanities, sanitary ware, kitchens and related products. This range comes together in Porcelanosa’s lifestyle concept, as a home-making solution for residential and commercial customers worldwide. New products include:

• Qatar offers soft undulations inspired by dessert sand patterns in a 12” x 35” wall tile format.
• London emulates a sense of movement with a sonic wave pattern, heightened by the soft sheen of a pearlescent glaze.
• The cool look of grey marble is captured in Bardiglio, a large format polished porcelain floor tile.
• Trento creates bold splashes of color in an alternative take on mosaics. With irregular shapes and two-toned color, Trento is available in a 9” x 12” format and in colors Damasco, Oceano, Marmol, Moka, Nacar and Naranja.

Trencadis Innovacion: Specializes in the production of trencadis, Mediterranean style mosaics formed from irregular shaped fragments of ceramic tile, porcelain or natural stones. This ornamental finish comes in mesh-mounted panels for quick and easy placement, with a patented border to achieve a seamless appearance. They are available in numerous colors, patterns and custom designs.

• Four basic series are available: Monochromatic, Mottled, Gradations and Custom Designs. Each year the company highlights how trencadis can be applied to the latest color and design trends. For 2010, this includes the use of global colors and earth tones.
• After intensive research into the new ceramic and porcelain tile now available, the company is offering a series of trencadis fabricated from glazed floor tiles in vitrified white body. This new addition allows enhanced application possibilities and is suitable for use in pavement and extreme climates due to its extremely low water absorption rate. Another benefit is the ability to offer a more durable and resistant line of trencadis while maintaining the same price range.
• Trencadis Innovacionrecently completed several prominent projects that demonstrate the innovative capabilities of trencadis mosaics including:
• The Al Hamra Firdous Tower serves as both the world’s tallest sculpted tower and Kuwait’s tallest tower. Trencadis in natural limestone adapts to the curved faces of the south façade of this landmark tower designed by SOM.
• Trencadis Innovacion is the official supplier for the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. This landmark project by Santiago Calatrava is one of the world’s most recognized projects completely finished in trencadis mosaics.
• The Barcelona building in Sydney, designed by Australian architects Durbach Block, uses the trencadis style to grace the upward curves of this modern, Gaudi-esque building.
• Two fountains in Villamanrique, Spain that use the new vitrified white body trendcadis. The fountains’ designs represent a 15^th century poet from the town and the local castle.

SHARING INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

Program 1: BASIC SPECIFICATIONS FOR CERAMIC TILE

Program 2: DEFINING PORCELAIN TILE TECHNOLOGY