Kontakte – Das Jahrbuch der KIT-Fakultät für Architektur 2023

Ceramics
As you view the various adornments, let them guide you
through the eras from which they originated. Floor tiles with
hand-painted patterns in various square sizes to striking
glazed kiln tiles, are just a small selection of the diverse category
of ceramics. And by ceramics we mean objects made
of malleable earth materials that are solidified by treatment
with high temperatures. Ceramic materials are used to
make important building materials such as bricks, clinker
and tiles, as well as everyday objects such as earthenware
and porcelain. Depending on the nature of the material,
a distinction is made between coarse ceramics and fine ceramics.
Fine ceramic products are stoneware semi-porcelain,
sanitary ceramics and floor/wall tiles. All tile objects are
carefully removed from old buildings, freed from mortar
and other residues and cleaned. After that they are ready for
a second or even third life cycle on your floor or wall.
Nowadays in newly furnished bathrooms you can
certainly find washbasin, toilet, shower made of white ceramic.
The white color radiates cleanliness and tidiness, the
bright furniture also gives the usually small functional room
a little more spaciousness. Whether square or round, modern
or classic; there is a certain variance with which you can
find the right bathroom furnishings, but colorfulness is no
longer in demand. It used to be different, in the sixties and
seventies it was normal to furnish one’s bathroom in tan
or curry. These products are now being traded on the reuse
market; like this moss green sink shelf that was never installed
because a matching buyer was never found. The question
that now arises is: Do we prefer timeless, somewhat
generic products that can easily extend their life through
second use, or more interesting objects with the risk that
they will be replaced more quickly?
E Bathroom ceramics stock,
Bauteilbörse Bremen
F Omas Kachelofen, Berlin
22
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