S-Tiles -

“Buildings shelter mankind… Architecture shelters the spirit of mankind”, said another great architect, Louis Kahn. The Scottsdale residence designed by the Jones Studio applies this thought and, thanks to a careful research on the geometrical association of various elements and their relation with the surrounding natural and artificial environment, the building reproduces internally the same harmony of organic space and emptiness.

The house is facing a pile of rocks, the shape – a parallelogram built on two layers – it is the result of key elements defined by the site itself. The structure of the building develops itself on two main axes without a common corner. Internally the large glass walls allow enjoying an extraordinary view on the dynamic drawings sketched by the far away city lights and, of course, magnificent Arizona sunsets.

The charcoal coloured porcelain tile transformed the elevated living area floor into a uniform and mirror surface (given by the tiles finishing and polishing) looks like a sheet of water. The recall with the exterior and especially the swimming pool, located on a lower level, contribute to create a continuum effect between interior and exterior of great impact.

The 2004 edition of the CTI Design Competition Award selected the Walner Residence as the best example of ceramic products use in housing.

S_TILES: ARKIM - COOPERATIVA CERAMICA D ’IMOLA
The vitrified stoneware tiles used in this project are part of the Granigliati TOP series and are manufactured with selected and particularly fine raw materials by Arkim, a brand of Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola. Tiles are manufactured through a specific process, pressed with high strength. In this way, after a specific thermal treatment with a temperature of around 1200° C, they have very low water absorption and very high mechanical resistance.