Projects
Shimmering star-like reflections
Alessandra Coppa
RONDINE
2010
Hard Rock Cafe is a global restaurant chain with an interior design based on the theme of rock and roll.
Founded in London in the seventies, the brand shot to global fame as more and more cafes were opened worldwide.
The original Hard Rock Cafe in London, housed in an open-plan former Rolls Royce showroom, was opened by the two young Americans Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton. Their idea was to create a restaurant where the British would have a chance to discover American culture, lifestyle and cuisine. In 1979 Eric Clapton gave one of his guitars, a Fender Lead II, to Tigrett who asked if he could hang it above his seat in the cafe. Clapton agreed, and his guitar became the first item in what was to develop into an enormous collection of rock and roll memorabilia. This collection of rock items became the chain’s trademark and the driving force behind its global success. Like ecomuseums, the cafes now host more than seventy thousand items worldwide, including pianos, drums, harmonicas, microphones, shirts, trousers, scarves, shoes, handwritten lyrics, cars, motorbikes and even a bus.
Assorted rock and roll memorabilia hang on the walls of more than 163 Hard Rock Cafes, Hotels and Casinos in 52 countries all over the world. Alongside the famous Seminole Hard Rock Hotels and Casinos in Tampa and Hollywood, other Hard Rock Hotels and Hard Rock Casinos are located in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Orlando, Chicago, San Diego, Pattaya, Bali, Macau, Penang, Singapore and Punta Cana.
The cafe in Singapore, a bustling cosmopolitan city with a highly diversified mix of cultures, religions and lifestyles, is located in the city centre amongst the most fashionable stores.
Like the other restaurants in the chain, the spacious interiors feature original furnishings and house a vast collection of musical memorabilia. Extending over two floors, the Singapore Hard Rock Cafe stands out for its eclectic, postmodern, pop atmospheres that combine a sense of hedonism with self-conscious kitsch. This is epitomised in particular by the eccentric facade featuring a car suspended over the classically inspired triumphal entrance portal, transformed at night by light effects worthy of an amusement park.
As in an old-fashioned picture gallery, the walls are crammed with photos of rock icons including Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix.
The bar zone is paved with blue coloured 60×60 cm size Crystal collection tiles from Rondine. Made from 40% recycled material, the ceramic surface appears to be studded with thousands of jewels, shimmering star-like reflections created by a blend of selected raw materials and haematite powder. The surface combines stunning aesthetics with the outstanding technical characteristics of porcelain tile, producing a unique theatrical effect when illuminated by spotlights.
Rondine, Crystal series
porcelain stoneware
60x60 cm
blue
Water absorpion (ISO 10545-3): 0,14%
Chemical resistance (ISO 10545-13): GLC - GHB - GA
Resistance to deep abrasion (ISO 10545-6): PEI V
Stain resistance (ISO 10545-14): compliant
Frost resistance (ISO 10545-12): compliant
Modulus of rupture and breaking strength (ISO 10545-4): 45,1N/mm2
Slip resistance (DIN 51130): R10 - astm-c 1028 DRY 0,76 - WET 0,71 - B.C.R. asciutto 0,59 - bagnato 0,40
Thermal shock resistance (ISO 10545-9): compliant
Crazing resistance (ISO 10545-11): compliant
Linear thermal expansion (ISO 10545-8): compliant
ECOLABEL
LEED