Over 90,000 attendees are expected to visit Feria Valencia in Valencia, Spain, from January 28-February 1 for Cevisama 2019. The event will include an Architecture and Design Forum, as well as various design competitions, awards and prizes. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to see the latest offerings from 800 exhibiting brands, showcasing ceramic tile, sanitaryware, enamels, frits, ceramic colors, roof tile and brick, glass blocks, raw materials, and more.

Architecture and Design Forum

With the theme of “Material Architecture,” the Architecture and Design Forum of Cevisama Lab will be held January 29-30. Leading figures from the field of architecture and design are scheduled to participate, including: Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jacques Herzog of Herzog & de Meuron; Ángela García de Paredes, an architect and professor in the Department of Architectural Projects of the School of Architecture of Madrid; architect Carme Pinós; Xavier Ros, associate professor in the project department of ETSA Barcelona (UPC); and Fuensanta Nieto, co-founder of the Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos studio and a project teacher at the School of Architecture of the European University of Madrid. Admission is free and open to attendees until full capacity is reached.

New Pavilion

Cevisama organizers have decided to expand the 2019 event by drawing an audience with links to the contract channel, particularly architects, interior designers, designers and property developers. Toward that end, Pavilion 6 will be an add-on to the traditional show while aspiring to become an international meeting point in its own right—not just for major international distributors, but also for specifiers from all over the world.

The new pavilion will be carefully styled in terms of overall design and interior design so that it is in line with the expected level of visitors. Some of the foremost names in the world of ceramic tile and bathrooms, including TAU, Laminam, ABK Group, Poalgi, Nova Mapini, and Portuguese firms Love Tile and Margres (part of the Panaria group), have confirmed that they will be exhibiting in the new pavilion. A number of major operators in the natural stone sector have also confirmed that they will be exhibiting on group stands.

The entrance to the pavilion will feature a replica tunnel that will lead visitors toward the latest trends in materials and products. Pavilion 6 has its own direct access from Feria Valencia’s main entrance, the North Forum (Foro Norte), which also has a dedicated bus stop. Several business and lounge areas will be distributed across the pavilion to promote networking and make it easier for people to have meetings.

An additional attraction is that the Espacio Cocina-SICI show will be taking place on the upper level of Pavilion 6 at the same time as Cevisama, which organizers expect will prompt distributors and specifiers to attend. Espacio Cocina-SICI will showcase the latest in kitchen furniture, accessories and equipment.

Trans-Hitos Competition

In partnership with the Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica (ITC), the Trans-Hitos competition and associated exhibition is part of the annual Cevisama showcase and aims to reveal the most innovative uses for ceramic as a material. The competition seeks to support the work of young creatives; the winner of the first prize sees their design take on physical form within the Trans-Hitos space exhibited in Feria Valencia’s central mall for the duration of the event.

“House of Cards” by architecture and interior design studio Nihil Estudio is this year’s winning design. According to the designers, the project “attempts to build a house of cards out of large format engineered stone tiles.” The jury highlighted “the design’s iconic merit, creating a vision of weightlessness by using the latest technology in ceramic materials.” The jury also pointed out “the varied combinations of colors and textures that offer different takes on a single design.”

The jury was chaired by the president of the Regional College of Architects of Castellón, Ángel Pitarch, while members included Víctor Echarri, head of the Ceramic Studies Department at Alicante University; architect Guillermo Vázquez; and Javier Mira, Ana Martínez and Carmen Álvarez, representing the ITC, Ascer, and Cevisama, respectively.

Design Competitions

Multiple design competitions will be held during Cevisama 2019. For example, the efforts of exhibitors will be recognized during a Stands Design Competition. Exhibitors’ stands will be judged on their quality and originality, as well as how well the stand and its contents work together harmoniously. (It is important to note that judges will not evaluate the quality of the actual product or the exhibiting companies, just the stands’ design.)

Students (undergraduate and graduate) enrolled at schools of design, fine arts, architecture and engineering will participate in the Ceramic Tile and Bathroom Design Competition, which is organized in two areas: ceramic design and bathroom design. The ceramic design portion of the competition will evaluate the use of ceramic tile products for architecture that have innovative shape, aesthetics and/or function. These products should offer cost-effective and environmentally friendly enhanced decorative potential. The bathroom design area will focus on public baths, considering the bathroom as a meeting point.

Additional Highlights

Multiple additional opportunities for learning and networking will feature throughout Cevisama 2019. For example, the Alfa de Oro prizes will be given on January 28, while a “Ceramic Trends Report 2019-2020” presentation will be given on January 30. Wednesday will also feature the Day of the Cevisama Brick 2019 and the Day of the Cevisama Distributor.
 

Visit https://cevisama.feriavalencia.com for registration and additional details.