On the afternoon of April 20, the "Cross-regional Slate Determines the Future" 2021 China Slate Summit, co-organized by China Ceramics Headquarters, China Slate New Material Exhibition and Procurement Base, and Ceramic Industry News Digest, was shared offline in China The multi-energy conference hall on the third floor of the Ceramics Headquarters came to a successful conclusion. Sharing from multiple angles and dimensions, I believe it will bring a lot of thinking and help to friends in the industry. The following is the dry information shared by Xie Yingkai, executive director/design director of Tomson Kenwen Creative Group!
Hello everyone, today I came to the 2021 China Rock Slab Summit as the only designer on site. I hope to share some of our designers’ design vision, thinking and practice about rock slabs, and how design interacts with the material industry. Make a flexible combination.
Designers seem to be "outsiders" in the materials industry, but in fact we are also within the industry. Although we are not directly involved in the production and sales of rock slabs, we are indeed the most important participant and user in the application of rock slabs. Thomson Kenwen Creative Group has completed many relatively large-scale commercial projects, including Huaduhui Shopping Center in Zhanjiang, Guangdong, Jinxiu Qingcheng Shopping Mall Renovation Project, Qingyuan Yingde People's Square, Guangzhou East Tower 55th Floor Office, and Guangzhou "Xi" Boutique SPA Club Etc., all aspects of material performance need to be considered, such as safety, fire resistance, and visual effects. In my design projects, rock slabs are not only used as floors, dining tables or walls. We have even tried to use rock slabs as hangings in some commercial spaces. At the same time, rock slabs are fire-resistant, high-temperature resistant, light and thin, etc. The features also solved many problems for us.
/ Do bricks of thinking make rock slabs? /
As for rock slabs, I may not know as much as everyone here, but I know that there is no unified definition standard for it yet. Ceramic tiles and rock slabs are both sintered materials, and their production processes and application ranges are different. So, can rock slabs and bricks be equated? I also know some material dealer owners, so I discovered a very interesting phenomenon: that is, "bricks do not have themselves". From imitation leather grain, imitation wood grain, to imitation marble, they not only imitate textures, but also the specifications are getting bigger and bigger. . Therefore, when ceramic tile material suppliers enter the limelight of rock slabs, they naturally continue to use brick thinking to make rock slabs. And what is the relationship between designers and the slate and material industries? Materials are usually not sold directly to end customers by slate manufacturers. More often, they need to reach the C-side through channels where designers participate in R&D and application. Since rock slabs are so closely related to designers,Then we have to think about it divergently: from construction to indoor applications, from high-end to mid-range markets, including the possibility of "outside the boundary", what other performances can rock slabs have?
/ Possibility of “inside and outside” /
· High-end circle quality apartments
Currently, slate is mostly used in high-end quality places, including the well-known luxury mansion No. 1 Shenzhen Bay, Guangzhou Shangdong Park Hyatt Residence, and the Xi'an Lamborghini Experience Center design project built by us. Lamborghini Experience Center is a luxury brand of serviced apartments. At first, the customer just wanted us to be a sales department and add three model rooms. At that time, I pointed out: As the world's top supercar brand, Lamborghini's experience center is designed in this way. I think it is a waste of a good IP and cannot make the brand do better.
Boghini Experience Center
Therefore, we have made significant adjustments from the architectural structure to the soft furnishings, hoping to make the entire space visually impactful. In the public kitchen, public living room, swimming pool, gym, and other places of the Lamborghini Experience Center, from the ceiling to the ground, Deses slates were selected. From the garden to the infinity swimming pool on the roof, even when the roof is opened, the experience center becomes a semi-open, semi-indoor square. This is the role of design, to make things appear that you can't even imagine. I feel that the current design and application of rock slabs are still too routine. Without eye-catching designs, it is impossible to impress consumers.
Lamborghini Experience Center
· Mid-range warm residential community
When participating in the program "Dream Remodeler", we are also constantly practicing: Can rock slabs be used in small spaces? Although domestic slate prices are generally relatively expensive,But there are also manufacturers that will launch some more affordable slates. This is more in demand by the public, because homes also need the blessing of rock slabs. In 2020, we remodeled a house of only about 20 square meters for the owner of "House·Ju". In this small space, we also used stone slabs - a kitchen counter sponsored by Desais. The kitchen counter and steps are self-contained. Since the project space is too small, the countertop can only be 5 cm thick at most, so we chose rock slabs. Firstly, the slabs can effectively compress the thickness. Secondly, the slabs are moisture-proof and sturdy. It can effectively replace some kitchen counter functions.
"Dream Remodeler" Renovation Project
On the second floor, the desk is made to the same height as the ground on one side of the space, and the tabletop is also made of slate. Why is slate considered a good material? Because when using bricks, the suitable bricks for small apartments are generally smaller in size, and there will be many gaps during paving, which is not beautiful enough. When using rock slabs, the gaps are relatively small, and its wear resistance can also resist some scratches and knocks. We also made use of the function of slate and made many dual-use designs. For example, the bedside table is actually combined with the stairs, which requires this bedside table to be stronger and more stable than others, that is, the bedside table takes on the responsibility of the stairs.
"Dream Remodeler" Renovation Project
I have been thinking, can manufacturers really get out of the industry only through word of mouth about their good products? Is there no other way? I don’t think that’s the case. More often than not, when combined with innovative design, it can arouse consumers’ desire to buy. For example, "Dream Renovator" is a good example. Through a home improvement program watched by 200 million people, ordinary consumers know about Dessert slate, which may have a much wider effect than hiring a celebrity spokesperson.
"Dream Remodeler" Renovation Project
·Multiple commercial spaces
We have also done a commercial renovation project for Shijiazhuang Yue V+ Living Home Furnishing Center.The user requirements are very simple, to be an ordinary home products store. But we think this positioning is uncompetitive, and instead want to build it into an architectural space like an art gallery. Because building materials are low-frequency consumption, they are not only low-frequency, but also have little public awareness. Many people go to material stores without knowing exactly what they want, let alone how to use certain materials. Therefore, we want to turn the material market into a wandering, cultural sharing and artistic experience space where customers can be touched and feel their value recognized.
Shijiazhuang Yue V+ Living Home Store
Our ideas are good, but as a commercial space, the requirements for material safety are particularly high, and many ideas sometimes cannot be realized. In the design draft at that time, a large amount of wood was used to decorate, connect and even important components of different spaces. Party A was also very satisfied. But in actual operation, this kind of equipment cannot pass the safety standard test of commercial space. In the end, we could only change our thinking and use metal plus 3M film to simulate the effect of wood.
Shijiazhuang Yue V+ Lifestyle Home Museum
I think if this project were pushed back a few years, I would consider replacing it with slate. Because the slate is light and thin, it will not put a big burden on the entire space structure. At the same time, the slate with wood grain finish is more realistic. I heard that some slates can even have both touch and feel. It can be said that they have both application range and performance. It is more in line with the effect the designer wants.
· Breaking through new dimensions
In addition to indoor wall coverings, cabinets and countertops, etc., I think manufacturers can also consider the application of slate at the architectural level. Liesangbong Tower in South Korea, Flare of Frankfurt in Germany, and 570 Broome in Midtown Manhattan are all examples of international applications of slate on building facades. But besides architecture and interiors, what other possibilities does slate have? I hope that rock slabs can break through new dimensions of thinking. Assuming we don’t talk about rock slabs, let’s look at another important material among building materials—cement. What uses does cement have in our minds? Build a house. What else can be done besides building a house? I remember a work by the architect Zumthor. He used 112 tree trunks to build aFor the frame of the church, cement was poured layer by layer on the roof. After the 24 layers of concrete were fixed, a fire burned the wood, leaving cement walls with scorch marks, creating the famous Bruder Klaus Pastoral. Church, this is a very alternative and spiritual application of cement.
Apart from these, what else can cement be used for? It can also be made into lamps and furniture of unique brands such as "Local Creation" and stationery of "Taiwan Tiny City". Do these breakthrough new-dimensional applications of cement have some learning or reference implications for rock slabs?
I want to leave you with this question mark about rock slabs. Many people believe that from a business perspective, the rock slab industry has now entered the fiercely competitive Red Sea market. However, after some "outside" thinking and discussions from the perspective of designers, have you ever thought that the rock slab industry will not follow its competitors? Instead, we focus on creating our own value. In fact, there is still a large blue ocean market waiting for us? I have always liked the word "BLEU" in French, because in addition to representing blue, it also has a vague and unknown meaning, giving people a very imaginative potential space, just like the current supernova species zone of rock slabs. The way it makes me feel. The famous French novelist Marcel Brewster once said: "The real journey of discovery lies not in finding new scenery, but in having new visions." I hope that my sharing and thinking about my identity as a designer can bring everyone an understanding of rock. The future development direction of the board industry can be helped with a little help.
