Milan Design Week 2015 - Laminam and TOTO together at the FuoriSalone for two new co-branding collections: a blend of cultures, innovative technologies and marketing strategies

The ability to think differently, to use material in order to innovate and to shake off the limits imposed by tried and tested practices: these are the hallmarks of Laminam, Italian market leader in the manufacture of large-size ceramic surfaces, the 1mx3m slabs for the architecture, furnishing and design sectors. 

The FuoriSalone 2015 will see the debut of two new collections, Kanka and Kotan, co-branded with the Japanese giant TOTO, one of the world leaders in bathroom solutions. 

Large surfaces with unprecedented textures, inspired by the shimmering shades of oxidized metals, reminiscent of autumn leaves, and the matt surfaces of raw concrete and water-colour painted, macerated paper. The specialised expertise of LAMINAM, which has revolutionised the works of ceramics by being the first to produce large ceramic slabs, joins forces with TOTO, which has provided the innovative Hydrotect® technology. This is a technique that uses the active cleaning power of titanium dioxide (TiO2) when subjected to photocatalysis, using only sunlight and rainwater, which, when applied on the slabs as a finish, makes it possible to purify the air outdoors; indoors, it gives the slabs antibacterial properties, as well as the ability to get rid of unpleasant smells.

The co-branded collections will be distributed on Western markets by Laminam, and in East Asia by TOTO. This new growth strategy for both businesses will allow TOTO to expand its Green Building Material Business division, introducing the manufacture of large-size ceramic slabs into Japan for the first time, while it will allow the Italian firm to become more widely known and competitive on the international market. The aims are ambitious: in June, TOTO will start selling the two collections developed in collaboration with LAMINAM in Japan and China, and expects to have sold approx. 600,000 square metres of ceramic slabs by the end of 2017. 

“I believe this is a hugely important project, able to bring technology and culture together”, says Alberto Selmi, CEO of LAMINAM SpA. “We aim to combine two cultures into a single product, the result of how both companies have been influenced by one another. I see this as an entirely new approach for the market, bringing added value to a product that already boasts outstanding technical performance. I feel sure the market will respond with enthusiasm”. 

The project presented at the FuoriSalone 2015 is a Design Exchange, is an exchange between thetwo companies not only of know-how, but of marketing, manufacturing and even cultural expertise and style, all at the service of innovation.

The two leading companies in their respective sectors have come together to share their individual technical and manufacturing skills to create products that take the strengths they share – strategic vision, excellence and creativity – to a new level. 

Strong in the export sector, with exceptionally painstaking attention to detail and close links with the local area make LAMINAM SpA a classic example of Italy’s “pocket-sized” multinationals. Headquartered in Fiorano Modenese, it is the leading Italian manufacturer of large-size ceramic tiles, using a highly automated production process with technologically advanced machinery created by System Group, of which the company forms part. With a turnover of approx. € 40 million in 2014 and a yearly growth forecast of 20%, LAMINAM exports its products to countries such as Russia, North America, the Gulf States and the Far East. In addition to manufacturing, the company has a division entirely dedicated to technical consulting, with professionals working alongside customers to respond to structural demands and to new applications of the product, in both the building and design sectors. 

With 17 factories in Japan, Thailand, China, India, Mexico, the USA and Germany, TOTO Ltd, headquartered in Fukuoka, is one of the world’s largest manufacturing groups in the bathroom furnishing sector. With a turnover of € 3,945 million (533.4 billion JPY) in 2013, it is known for developing research into Hydrotect®technology through its Green Building Material division, which holds the license for the product and also manufactures large-size ceramic slabs as a building material and for application in the bathroom and kitchen. This new move into the production of large-size panels will allow the company to expand the Green Building Material division in the reference markets of East Asia.

THE CO-BRANDED COLLECTIONS 

How the collaboration began 

In 2013, Laminam signed an initial agreement with TOTO to guarantee its clients the innovative Hydrotect® self-cleaning treatment on its ceramic slabs. 

The commitment both companies share to quality investments, the significant resources channelled into research and development, the creative power and the attention both companies pay to more responsible, properly informed consumption led to the idea of joining forces and individual expertise to produce and launch a brand-new, highly innovative product on the market, for sale in the companies’ respective geographical areas. 

In terms of appearance, the two new collections pick up on the tactile and visual appeal and expressive power of some of the most fascinating places visited by the Laminam product development team during their stay in Japan: the famous scenery of Kanka-Kei, which reaches the peak of its splendour in autumn and which provided the inspiration for the textures of Kanka, reminiscent of the colours of the leaves that can be seen in the spectacular gorge, and the city of Kyoto with its ancient constructions, in particular the roofs of the houses and the temples that underlie the sense of beauty and sophistication of the kotan surfaces.

Kanka 

Inspired by the shimmering shades of oxidized metals, the hallmark feature of the Kanka series are the textures, reminiscent of autumn leaves, a symbol of regeneration, with fluctuating nature transferred onto three-dimensional surfaces in which the texture bears the traces of traditional Japanese origami techniques, combined in an endless variety of ways. 

Kotan

With all the minimalist allure of the architectural tradition of Kyoto, the Kotan series is inspired by the matt surfaces of raw concrete. The material textures strike a perfect balance between the essential nature of Japanese culture and the craftsmanship techniques for macerating washi paper, giving the surface a calm, pure appearance.

Technical Characteristics

Size: 1000x3000 mm

Thickness: 5.6 mm

HYDROTECT^®

The history of bioactive ceramics 

The concept of bioactive ceramics originated in Japan in the Sixties, in the laboratories of Tokyo University, where a series of experiments were carried out on oxides, aimed at implementing the chemical reaction through light and giving rise, for the first time, to the photocatalytic effect. 

In 1967, the researchers Akira Fujishima and Kenichi Honda discovered the cleaning effect of titanium dioxide (TiO2) when subjected to photocatalysis. They studied the phenomenon today known as the "Honda-Fujishima-Effect", publishing the results of their research in an article entitled "The Effect of Photokatalysator TiO2", which appeared in Nature magazine in 1972. In the case in point, the reaction that occurs when a rutile titanium dioxide crystal and a fragment of platinum are dipped into water and exposed to the light is the development of gas bubbles. Thus, the water – exclusively in the presence of light and without electrical energy – breaks down into oxygen and hydrogen. The impressive oxidizing power of TiO2 then proved able to destroy a large number of organic compounds. On these bases, in the mid-Nineties, a team of development engineers from the leading bathroom solutions company Toto developed and patented the photocatalysis-linked passive cleaning action: HYDROTECT^®. This combination ofthe disintegrating action of the TiO2 and the advantages of an ultra-water-resistant surface able to reduce the contact angle with water under the action of UV rays has paved the way for a new generation of covering materials with self-cleaning, air-purifying and antibacterial properties.

The result of research 

Thanks to the important collaboration agreement entered into with Toto, today Laminam is able to guarantee its customers the innovative self-cleaning Hydrotect^® treatment on its ceramic slabs. 

The slabs treated with Hydrotect^® are an innovative, eco-compatible type of product able to trigger chemical and biological reactions with a positive impact in terms of fighting bacteria, combating polluting agents and self-cleaning of surfaces and to make a decisive contribution to improving the quality of the environment they are used in. These processes occur without the need for electricity, energy or the renewal of the compounds required to sustain the reaction over time. The slabs treated with Hydrotect^®, in addition to the appearance and performance of the ceramic covering material, are also able to drastically cut cleaning and maintenance operations on the surfaces, thus guaranteeing significant money savings, while maintaining the quality and appearance of the architectural elements. 

Laminam+Hydrotect^® - Outdoor coverings

When applied to outdoor coverings, the exclusive Hydrotect^® technology is able to guarantee excellent performance, making tiles self-cleaning and antibacterial and purifying the air.

When the light of the UV rays comes into contact with the surface of the outdoor covering and irradiates it, active oxygen is generated, which breaks down all the organic substances and neutralizes the nitrogen oxides. Rainwater then spreads, and thanks to the ultra-water-resistant characteristics of the treated slabs, creates a thin layer that cleans the slabs, removing the dirt previously broken down by the active oxygen.

Laminam+Hydrotect^® - Indoor coverings

The slabs treated with Hydrotect^® can also be used for indoor settings, thanks to the combination of the properties of titanium dioxide with the antibacterial properties of noble metals. In indoor applications, lighting conditions would not be sufficient to guarantee the reaction required to eliminate bacteria, but the addition of the treatment with noble metals gives the slabs antibacterial properties, as well as the ability to get rid of unpleasant smells, even in the complete absence of light and of the photocatalytic effect deriving from the action of the UV rays. 

TOTO with LAMINAM “DESIGN EXCHANGE” 

Installation by Alessandra Stefani

TOTO with Laminam “Design Exchange” installation by Laminam Art Director Alessandra Stefani, set up in company’s Milan showroom for the duration of the FuoriSalone will offer visitors an experience aimed at engaging the senses and illustrating the material and its potential applications. 

There will be two main exhibition settings, with continual visual and conceptual references to the tradition of Japanese living spaces. 

The first, the Balance Room, covered throughout in white cotton, is a bright, pure, cocooning atmosphere ready to welcome visitors, shrouding them from the buzz of the city and whisking them off into a whole new universe, with a different pace and a fresh, distinctive visual allure. 

Sounds and images will light up the four 5-metre-high LEDwalls set up in the exhibition space. 

The next room is the Secret Room, a cosy interior space within sliding walls created using Kotan Beige slabs, the colour and feel of which take their inspiration from Washi paper. A path along the floor, composed of geometric inserts created by cutting the Kotan Grey slabs,with material effects reminiscent ofcement,recall a Zen garden.

Visible at the back of the room is a large bed, a parallelepiped covered in Kanka Brown,a surface featuring the warm, vibrant nuances of oxidized metals. This is joined by two smaller volumes in Kanka Black that symbolise the union of the far-off cultures, experiences and flavours evident in the new collections. 

An ideal reconstruction of a Japanese living space, with a reference to the balance and purity of the Japanese collective imagination, re-interpreted with the attention to style and the conceptual approach that are the essence of Italian design.