Cosentino launches Dekton with a special architectural exhibition in New York City

The exhibition, Surface Innovation: Redefining Boundaries of Interior and Exterior Spaces, showcased the rigorous research, development and innovation led by Cosentino to bring Dekton to market and featured original concepts by six emerging New York architecture firms, including Architecture in Formation, Desai/Chia Architecture, Easton+Combs, Manifold ArchitectureStudio, Moorhead & Moorhead, and SOFTlab. Known for their innovation and creative approaches, these future leaders of the industry presented six diverse design concepts using the new Dekton material, showing us new ways to think about surfaces and the relationship between interior and exterior spaces.

Cosentino is passionate about innovation and Dekton represents an important evolution in the surfacing category.  It was a natural alliance to work with firms who are pushing the envelope to help shape the future of the industry. This exhibition brings together the creative energies of some of the most talented young architects in New York, said Eduardo Cosentino, CEO of Cosentino North America.

Juxtaposing emerging design with world-renowned architecture, the press conference was attended by prestigious architect Daniel Libeskind who announced he is working with the new Dekton material to create Beyond The Wall, a permanent sculpture at the Cosentino global headquarters in Spain.  Beyond The Wall shows Libeskind’s unique approach to architecture as a language capable of narrating the story of the human soul; a hybrid and wide-ranging force, at once a narrative, a method, an art form, and a way of thinking about the world. Dekton is the deep skin of this amazing concept. The project will be unveiled by Libeskind in Spain in late November 2013.

About Dekton
Dekton is the most significant new product launch for Cosentino in over a decade, totalling more than 22,000 hours of research and development.  Cosentino has invested 172 million dollars into the new product, including the construction of a new state-of-the-art factory at the company’s manufacturing headquarters in Spain.  Dekton is made from a blend of raw materials used in the production of refined glass, porcelain, and natural quartz and utilizes a proprietary new advancement called Particle Sintering Technology (PST), developed exclusively by Cosentino’s R&D team.  PST is essentially an accelerated version of the metamorphic rock formation process that occurs in nature, where rock is subjected to intense heat and pressure over thousands of years. To manufacture Dekton, Cosentino has reduced this process to four hours with extreme heat and pressure.  The result is an ultra-compact surface with unique UV resistance, exceptional strength and performance, high resistance to impact, scratches and abrasion for use in high-traffic areas and has very low water absorption.  It also provides thermal shock resistance against heat, frost and thawing, enabling the product to be used outside in any climate.

This powerful combination allows Dekton to be used in multiple architectural applications including flooring, cladding, staircases, exterior facades, kitchen countertops, bathrooms, pool surrounds, and many other home and commercial surfaces.  For architects and designers, Dekton harnesses the potential for design to flow from the indoors to outdoor spaces using one continuous product, creating complete uniformity.

The introduction of Dekton by Cosentino today is the culmination of years of R&D and our unwavering commitment to innovation in order to remain at the forefront our industry. We are thrilled to present it to the US market during Archtober and in partnership with such an incredible group of talented architects,”said Lorenzo Márquez, VP of Marketing, Cosentino North America.

Surface Innovation: Redefining Boundaries of Interior and Exterior Spaces is on view in the Breakthrough Space Gallery at the Center for Architecture from October 1-31, 2013.  The exhibition is free and open to the public, presented by Cosentino in collaboration with AIA New York. 

* For further information: www.cosentinogroup.net / www.dekton.com