NEXT LANDMARK 2017 – THE AWARD CEREMONY

On Thursday 30 November SpazioIris Moscow has seen the end of Next Landmark 2017, the competition sponsored by Floornature and Iris Ceramica Group and now in its sixth year, which awards prizes to the designs of the most deserving architects and designers.

The focus this year was on the launching of the new “Design Your Slabs” technology developed by Iris Ceramica Group: a ultra-high definition ceramic printing process that allows on-demand customization of porcelain tile surfaces.

The competition was organized in two parts. The first, called Architectural Skin, was for all architects and designers taking part in the competition for the first time and who were asked to create a geometrical or figurative pattern for 100×100 cm porcelain stoneware slabs to be produced using the latest technique ‘Design Your Slabs’. The second part, called Next Landmark of the Year, was for all those who had taken part in previous years and this time were required to create a decoration for 300×150 cm porcelain stoneware slabs. The decoration had to portray the personal ideological concept of the architect through a sketch, a texture, a participatory design, a representation of environmental friendliness, a reference to architectural or urban history.

The winning design in the first category was created by the French design firm of the architect Grégory Lacoua. “Wonder” was the title of this slab and it offers an interesting play of voids and solids, which invites the eye to discover what lies behind some supposed windows through which lush nature can be glimpsed.
The winning design in the second category was submitted by the Italian firm ellevuelle architetti with the slab “Kinetic Fossil”. The maxi slab depicts an alternative urban landscape, which, through the clever use of black and white, alternates various geometrical elements to outline a surreal setting.
Lastly an honourable mention was awarded to the slab designed by the Austrian firm of Nikolay Hristov Ivanov, an abstract re-interpretation of a tree that comes to life through numerous flowing geometrical lines.

An atmosphere of cheerful conviviality characterised the award ceremony, where all the guests could appreciate the installation of the slabs of the winning designs. Members of the jury at the event included: Olga Aleksakova – co-founder of the Moscow architectural firm Buromoscow; Luca Molinari – Italian architect and independent critic; Vincent Parreira – French-Portuguese architect, founder of the Paris architectural firm AAVP Architecture; Paolo Schianchi – architect, designer and chief editor of the portal Floornature.com.