Over the past few months, the lockdown caused by the coronavirus crisis has profoundly changed our habits. In just a few weeks, millions of people have experienced a radical change in their way of thinking about and living in their spaces.

By Casalgrande Padana

The beginning of 2020, has seen the birth of new technological needs and social changes that have influenced the way we consider our domestic space. With the rise in smart working, for example, homes are no longer simply private spaces dedicated to rest and family but workspaces too.

Casalgrande Padana proposes a line of bioactive ceramics (Bios Ceramics): an innovative collection of environmentally friendly products that autonomously interacts with the environment to spark a series of chemical and biological reactions capable of bringing down bacteria levels, pollutants and traces of dirt or impurities on the tiles. These porcelain stoneware tiles therefore are able to improve the quality of the indoor or outdoor micro-environment where they are situated.

Outdoor spaces like balconies, terraces, verandas, patios and gardens have become green again, full of potted plants and flowers, climbing plants, and little vegetable gardens. In the future, they may become genuine centres of social interaction, with architects working to restore them to a prominent and functional role.

Limpha is brand’s response to that necessity: a porcelain stoneware tile collection that draws inspiration from climbing plants to transform wall tiles into elements of natural beauty. Its wide scope of application and exclusive technical features (frost-, abrasion-, and wear-resistance, light fastness, and flexural strength) make the porcelain stoneware of the Limpha collection suitable for both interiors and exteriors. Its use of Bios Self Cleaning technology helps to improve our quality of life by reducing pollution and improving air quality.

Civil engineering, urban planning, architecture, and design must all come together to face new challenges including the reinforcement of essential social distancing through the reorganisation of spaces. Infrastructure like airports, metros and stations, as well as recreation areas and parks, must be reimagined in a way that lets us live our daily lives in safety and comfort.

For this, the company has created the Tactile porcelain stoneware collection, which includes a guide system: a useful way to break down architectural barriers and allow the visually impaired to orient themselves and follow their path without the need for additional guidance. Tactile is ideal for use in many spaces: along beaches, in metros, in airports, in railway stations, in transit areas in swimming pools and gyms, and other general applications. Additionally, in heavily-trafficked urban areas, where crowding poses real dangers to people’s health, it can also be used as signage indicating safe social distances.