High-thickness paving solutions

Long gone are the days when ceramic tiles were relegated almost exclusively to bathrooms and kitchens. Thanks to their unique characteristics of ruggedness, durability and ease of maintenance, they are now increasingly being adopted in the field of construction and architecture. And following ongoing R&D investments and advances in production technologies, porcelain stoneware tiles are also playing a vital role in urban design, an area of use that until recently was accessible to just a few specialist products. In particular, porcelain is proving to be an attractive and high-performance solution for use in streets, squares and walkways in towns and cities.
One such example is Viale America in Rome’s EUR district, where a pavement in the Parco Centrale del Lago area — known colloquially by Rome’s inhabitants as the «Laghetto» — has been surfaced with products from Saxa Gres, a company founded in 2015 with the mission of applying circular economy principles to the ceramic industry. The chosen product is Pietra Lavica Grey, a high-thickness (5 cm) line designed specifically for urban paving which is capable of withstanding stresses that would once have been inconceivable for ceramic surfaces. Used in 20×20 cm and 10×10 cm sizes, Pietra Lavica Grey is part of the Grestone Urban Pavings collection, a material covered by three patents and composed of a mixture of porcelain stoneware with up to 30% inert materials originating from municipal waste. This modular, versatile solution works well even in a high-footfall area like Viale America with its constant stream of residents and commuters, demonstrating that porcelain stoneware is a valid alternative to more traditional paving materials such as red porphyry, travertine, basalt, marble and other natural stones. By replicating the aesthetic and functional qualities of these materials but with a much lower environmental impact and without further depleting the planet’s resources, it improves the appearance of cities while helping to make them greener and more welcoming.