Vancouver-based architecture journalist Adele Weder has won an honourable mention in the 2019 Ceramics of Italy Journalism awards.
Her wining article, Sincere Forms of Flattery, appeared in Canadian Architect’s February 2019 issue. It describes how ceramic tiles designed to imitate materials such as marble may become the only ethical and sustainable choice, once the original materials have been depleted.
“The appearance and texture of ‘wood look’ ceramic tiling is astonishing in verisimilitude. That is, until you actually touch it and feel the cold, hard surface of something that is emphatically not wood. Petrified wood, perhaps. But clearly a much more functional design solution for bathrooms. And clearly a more ethical solution than clearcutting the world’s rainforests.”
she writes.
“Alternatively, perhaps designers could advise, educate and encourage their clients to choose an alternative material to actual endangered wood—or an alternative ceramic pattern to a material imposter.”
The jury was chaired by Emilio Mussini of Confindustria Ceremica, and also included journalists Ilaria Vesntini, Cristina Mandrini, Davide Cattaneo, and Andrea Serri.
The prize includes round-trip airfare and a stay in Bologna. The award will be given in a ceremony at the Palazzo Re Enzo on September 23, 2019.