Corticeira Amorim and FAT - Fashion Architecture Taste, the London-based practice, joined for the first time at the London Design Festival which will run between 14-22 September 2013. Cork from Portugal will be showcased again at a leading international event.
This innovative project, which has just been unveiled in London, was developed from a natural cork floor covering. The final result can be seen on a bridge over the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries, the event's main venue.
During the official opening, Ben Evans, Director at London Design Festival, highlighted: "Amorim is the world's biggest cork producer and the most interesting. It is why we wanted to partner with them for this project which ambitiously shows what cork is capable of. Working with the V&A and architects FAT has given us the best cork floor I have ever seen."
With an avant-garde approach to a natural cork floor covering - one of the major products of the industry - the project invites the visitor to discover the visual and tactile properties of cork while challenging existing connotations with the material. Through this project, it is also possible to witness the performance of cork floors in terms of both thermal and acoustical insulation.
Sean Griffiths, an architect and director of FAT, stressed that "it's been a fascinating experience entering Amorim's world of cork. It really is a 21st century material which is highly sustainable. Using cork has allowed us to work in a very different way, starting with the material as generator of the concept. Cork has a very natural appearance which is supported by an intricate geometric structure and the main idea of the design is to capture the relationship between these aspects of the material. The design also makes use of the strong visual acoustic and tactile qualities of the material."
The floor will be made up of a series of cork tiles laid in a repeating trompe l'oeil geometric pattern, which is based on a scientific diagram of the cellular structure of cork. The pattern also accidently recalls certain architectural characteristics of the Douro region of Portugal, where geometric tile patterns are often found.
António Amorim, Chairman and CEO of Corticeira Amorim said: "Amorim's partnership with the London Design Festival is a unique opportunity to showcase CorkTECH, by Wicanders®, our innovative, design-driven natural cork flooring. Combining FAT's cutting-edge creativity with cork's unmatched technical capabilities will deliver an exciting, contemporary perspective on Nature's most sustainable flooring solution."
The London Design Festival is an annual event held in September to celebrate and promote London as the design capital of the world. The involvement of Corticeira Amorim in the event is part of a concerted strategy designed to attract the attention of the international design community to the potential of natural cork used in innovative flooring solutions.
