S-Tiles - introduzione

Old is gold

In order to communicate the objective of Old is gold we thought it a natural and symbolic choice that to use a beautiful Italian ‘piazza’, like the one in San Gimignano in Tuscany. In it one can identify its heritage as one of beauty, culture, deriving from a grandiose past and, at the same time, the vitality and well-being generated from a responsible, yet socially aware, preservation.

The upkeep of the historical heritage, respect for the landscape and of the local communities here constitute the basis for a wider observation on certain values, often neglected in hyper-consumerism societies, such as durability. In the sphere of building – as is explained in detail in the section FOCUS – the consideration of durability as a parameter of sustainability is inevitable.

Ceramic materials are counted amongst those finishing materials that have been best able to conjoin tradition and innovation. The aesthetic and functional values, the flexibility of their application and the extraordinary possibilities of personalisation of the product all derive from this position of ‘magical equilibrium’ between past and future, between craftmanship and advanced industrial standardisation.

It is in this way that thinking of the future, of generations of those who are yet to be born, we hope that other architects in thirty, a hundred, or even more years may be able to share the outlook of Renzo Piano, whose statement introduces this section.