20/01/12
MAXIMUM WINS THE 2012 INNOVATIONSPREIS

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More than 40 materials in all categories of flooring (wood, carpeting, ceramic tiles, vinyl…) were submitted to the attention of the jury for the 2012 Innovationspreis at Domotex.

Only four products were awarded prizes, and the overall winner for innovation in the sector was Maximum.

The panel of judges, including architects Ulrich Gremmelspacher (KSP Architekten Braunschweig), Bernd Rokahr (Rokahr Architekten Hannover), Harmut Runge (Innenarchitekt Hannover) and Peter Teicher (RTW Architekten Hannover) and coordinated by Petra Stefan (editor-in-chief for the architecture magazine AIT) identified Maximum as the best example of technology and creativity applied to something truly innovative: the first 100% porcelain stoneware tile measuring 300x150 cm.

What is innovative about it is the tile’s ground-breaking dimensions: at 4.5 square metres per tile, Maximum is a concrete example of a “great” material for contemporary architecture.

Despite its outstanding size, Maximum is only 6 mm or 3 mm thick, permitting experimentation with effects of transparency created by use of light and shadow, and above all adding new vitality to spaces with its flexibility and light weight, permitting creation of curved walls and unusual shapes.

What’s more, the tile’s imposing dimensions reduce the grouting between tiles to the benefit of aesthetics and hygiene, permitting creation of innovative surfaces coordinating floor and wall tiles with work surfaces, false ceilings, wall coverings, shower trays and dividers.





Maximum’s innovative production method is a result of Fiandre’s focus on the environment at all stages in production: ultra-pure raw materials, including recycled materials for reduced impact on nature, use of recycled water and, above all, cutting-edge technologies ensuring great care and reduced waste.

It was because of all these qualities that the Innovationspreis judges chose Maximum to represent the new generation of architecture materials - a material combining the technological and aesthetic benefits of Fiandre materials with new high performance features enhancing their quality: strength, light weight, flexibility and elasticity.