Ceramics of Italy Unveils Tile Competition Winners

For almost three decades, the Italian Trade Commission has brought the genius of Italian ceramic manufacturing and design to North American. For twenty years, it’s also bestowed the annual Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition awards, which honor North American architects and designers utilizing those ceramics in residential, commercial and institutional projects.

The 2013 winners (in residential, commercial, and institutional categories) include Schaefer-Graf’s adaptive reuse of a century-old, three-floor residence; Brooklyn’s Barclays Center arena; and the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s LEED-certified government building. Each winning firm received $4,000 and a five-day trip to Italy to attend the legendary tile and bathroom products show Cersaie.

“It’s been so exciting to watch this competition evolve,” says Christine Abbate, the former director of marketing and promotion for Ceramics of Italy’s, and current president at Novità. “Each new format, finish, and technological innovation has inspired North American designers and architects to use an age-old material in innovative and contemporary applications. We can’t wait to see what the next twenty years will bring.”

Firms have until February 7th, 2014 to enter next year’s competition. To see winning efforts from previous competition—including projects from Yabu Pushelberg, Bernard Tschumi Architects, and Fougeron Architecture—explore Ceramics of Italy’s new digital retrospective iPad app here.