Best Surfacing Products of 2019
SQUAR Collection
Designer Giovanni Barbieri developed SQUAR to give designers a budget-friendly way to create artistic installations, which progress from flat and square to irregular relief using a single product. Made of engineered marble, for walls, and concrete or clay for wall and floor applications, both three-dimensional and flat tiles are available in three shapes, three sizes, and an array of colors.
Relaxing Floors
A new line of carpet planks from Mohawk Group has earned Living Product Challenge Petal certification for having a net-positive impact on people and the ecosystem. To reduce its environmental footprint, Mohawk tied production of the 12" x 36" planks to a special conservation strategy that mitigates water waste and combines the tiles with the company’s Red List–free EcoFlex NXT polyolefin backing.
Flek
This new 3form panel makes innovative use of production surplus. Trimmings from the company’s Varia Ecoresin are ground up and sealed between two fresh layers of resin to create Flek, a terrazzo-style panel, which can be bent, curved, and cut and comes in sizes 48" x 96" and 48" x 120", and in six colors. The process, in addition to other steps, makes the feeder collection, Varia, a zero-waste product.
Chameleon Collection for Interiors
Designer Marcel Wanders collaborated with Pure + FreeForm on this update of his lightweight, 100% recyclable, no-VOC, Red List–free aluminum wallcovering, originally designed as exterior cladding. Available in sizes of up to 4' x 15', the new indoor panels appear to change with shifts in light and the angle of perception.
Glass Sandpaper Stair Treads
Developed by Nathan Allen Glass Studios and the West Vancouver– based Hollingsworth Architecture, these exceptionally stable unilateral glass treads—comprising six layers of low-iron safety-tempered glass, with five interlayers made of high-performance SGP or liquid-resin—require support on only one short end, allowing them to cantilever for a dramatic stair. Available in sizes up to 5' x 10' (for landing panels), the treads are treated with the manufacturer’s non-slip Sandpaper finish.
Deconstructed Felt
An extension of Patcraft’s conceptual line, this 12" x 48" carpet tile emphasizes its method of production. The pattern is created by mixing various stitching techniques that deliberately expose the felted Ecoworx backing, and it references the way users often layer carpets in a space. Available in three styles, the flooring is Cradle to Cradle Silver–certified.
Intentek Wireless Charging Surface
Improving on the bulkiness of some charging surfaces, this laminate by Formica features integrated charging coils that are embedded in each 4' x 8' and 4' x 10' panel. Available in any of the company’s Laminate designs, the seamless, flat surface can wirelessly charge Qi-compatible mobile phones on contact.
Tatami System
Designed to be reconfigured as often as today’s work spaces, Tarkett North America’s Tatami System provides the benefits of woven and tufted broadloom in budget-friendly, easy-to-install modules that measure 6' or 12' squares and 6' or 12' x 24' rectangles. These large-format tiles are made of solution-dyed nylon specially engineered to withstand high-traffic commercial use.
Architectural Record presents the best surfacing products of 2019—horizontal, vertical and decorative. Click through the slideshow above to view each winner.
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