Is it possible to create projects from a material made of recycled glass? Can the architect or interior designer imagine taking his most creative point of view to personalization as a natural framework? Is it ethical to be inspired by non-invasive models thanks to the use of materials that respect the essence of nature? What if we personalize a given space, of any kind, turning our intervention into art at the service of design?
At The Decorative Surfaces we have confirmed that the answer to this chain of questions inevitably goes through the ‘yes’. The arrival to the market of Obsidiana™ is the before and after that the sector was waiting for. Now facing a decisive step towards a new era in which sustainability and bioclimatic integration are part of any responsible action.
“The future of natural stone is engineering stones”
The best way to respect nature is to keep it intact. In this sense, and regarding natural stone materials, COMPAC’s CEO, Paco Sanchis, recently argued on the New Zealand sector portal, ArchiPro, that “the future of stone surfaces is decidedly artificial; it is the way to leave our natural resources intact for future generations, also by recycling a range of materials to create engineered stones. ”
Under this premise, the company has started with the revolution of recycled glass. It is a whole new commitment that has not left the sector unmoved. Because it is a new step towards a future that respects the environment without renouncing the creative potential of professionals.
However, it is also a starting point, so that from the R&D department of the international company based in Gandía (Spain), they already work to find new materials. Those which can evolve the sense of creating engineered stone from other recycled materials. “As we develop it, we hope to be able to use more materials in addition to recycled glass to create stone surfaces,” Sanchis said on the same specialized portal.
Advantages of using Obsidiana ™
In addition to the qualitative ones that we have reviewed at the beginning, we found other advantages of a tangible and intangible nature. These add nuances when choosing this material for multidisciplinary projects and disparate spaces.
- It has a high degree of recycled material from glass.
- It competes with other materials as porcelain in applications. However, it improves working conditions during manufacturing as it contains a percentage of crystalline silica below 7 percent.
- By reducing this percentage, it can be offered as an alternative to fabricators, who everyday demand materials with less silica.
- The manufacturing of the product by the stonemasons can be carried out with the same equipment and tools that are used for quartz. No special machinery is required, and the working speeds are, at least, the same as for quartz.
- Compared to porcelain, the elaboration with Obsidiana™ is much faster and cheaper.
- The veins are in mass.
- Advantages regarding marble: greater stability and higher scratch resistance.
Volcano
In its first catalogue we find two lines of materials: Obsidiana Volcano™. The strength of a volcano as a natural allegory that represents recycled glass and the universal vision that the universe provides, as a metaphor for the respectful intervention of the professional that turns spaces into life opportunities. In this dual and sustainable framework, the new stage in the conception of the design, the work and its personalized adaptation to the environment that Obsidiana™ represents is framed.
The collection gathers 6 different sensations inspired by the force of the volcano. Thus, from the Volcano line we find the finishes Light, Fog, Cloud, Gray, Pearl and Dark. Shades of the entire range of the collection that project sobriety as natural as its creative process. As paradoxical as real.
As Paco Sanchis also stated in the aforementioned statements, the Obsidiana™ line will expand its range of possibilities, including recycled materials. According to what professionals propose, at the mercy of their interventions, new possibilities that inspire, at the same time, their creation inspired in glass or other recycled elements without loss of durability, resistance and natural sophistication.
Call to action
What if you share your experience or project carried out from this new revolution for professionals and construction materials? We open the possibility of telling us and we will gladly publish it among the contents of our digital magazine specialized in architects, interior designers and designers.
