At Coverings Connected in April 2020, we virtually honored 12 outstanding projects that demonstrated spectacular craftsmanship and creativity in the use of tile & stone. This week we’re putting the spotlight on the Commercial Tile Design winner.
Commercial Tile Design Winner
Valley Plaza
Architecture Design Collaborative
Bakersfield, CA
This single-story retail property has approximately 1.1 million square feet of retail space. The Architecture Design Collaborative team approached the design from a traditional perspective, adding a contemporary twist.
The entrances were treated with a bi-tonal tile pattern that sharply contrasts with the concourse pattern. This contrast creates a dynamic sense of space. The light-tone concrete tile plays against a dark-tone concrete tile in a seemingly random gradient that creates movement from the exterior to the retail core. The single-story mall, which consists of broad concourses called for a dynamic non-linear tile pattern design. The Center Courts, typically treated as very traditional spaces, are reimagined.
These expansive spaces created the perfect opportunity for playful moments. At this property, a traditional herringbone pattern becomes the unexpected when the pattern becomes a tapestry of blues and earth tones in 16”×32” format tiles which creates a sea of color, drawing visitors in.
The tile design was developed with a mixture of large-format Italian porcelain tiles; a digitally enhanced terrazzo pattern, bold-rich-colorful tiles, and a realistic concrete tile. The concrete-style tile acts as the neutral canvas, while the blue hues of the colored tile play off-of the terrazzo textures.
The concourse was treated with an expansive pattern that incorporated terrazzo textures and blue tones along the length of the concourse. The angels of the pattern were explored in several iterations to achieve the movement desired between each color and texture while minimizing cuts and wasted material.
The final product was derived from the angle of the diagonal cut of a single 16”×32” tile. The four colors and textures were defined by 4-rotations and each of the sections emphasized and defined with a brass transition to mimic that of traditional decorative terrazzo.
Do you have a recently completed project that features innovative design and installation of tile & stone? Consider entering it to the 2021 CID Awards – the submission portal will open this fall.
