Italcementi, a company of reference in the sector of innovative materials for architecture, and Alessi, a leader among the ‘factories of Italian design,’ join forces to launch #Concrete In Design, an international competition for young designers interested in experimenting with new expressive forms using i.design Effix, a material of the latest generation for very high performance. The product is a cement-base mortar developed by the researchers at i.lab, the Center for Research and Innovation of Italcementi, to respond to needs of decoration and style in the design world. i.design Effix combines the durability of a cement-based material with the workability of plastics: it is easy to use and particularly well-suited to the creation of small, slender architectural parts, with smooth or worked surfaces. Its ease of shaping and performance features make it ideal for a wide range of applications. The task of the young designers, who can rely on www.desall.com, a web platform for the participatory design of new products and the digitalization of the creative process, is to explore the new applications and potentialities of i.design Effix, making a table centerpiece for outdoor use. The winner will be announced in December 2013, and will take part in February 2014 in a workshop organized by LPWK Design Studioof Laura Polinoro. The workshop takes place at i.lab, the Center for Research and Innovation of Italcementi in Bergamo. Participation in the online contest is free and open to designers and creative talents of all ages and nationalities. Participants can choose to submit one or more projects, but only projects published at the website www.desall.comon the page set aside for the contest will be eligible.
