All tiles are non-directional, which adds to their versatility, along with their diversity of formats and tones. Moreover, all colors in the new series are coordinated with AGROB BUCHTAL’s ChromaPlural range, allowing for all kinds of mixes and matches. What's more, it always remains possible to create bespoke projects as well.
Every design process requires architects to simultaneously address a multitude of often contradictory questions. When it comes to tiles, Area Pro is an excellent answer. The series is available in many different sizes, and with the right technical specifications for a variety of applications in residential, hospitality and commercial projects.
Design luminary Sebastian Herkner worked with AGROB BUCHTAL on the development of the anti-slip surface which has been dubbed the Grid. He talks about this collaboration and explains what fascinated him about this project.
“I was very pleased when AGROB BUCHTAL approached me to design an anti-slip pattern for them”, says Sebastian Herkner. “These tiles are to be used in very utilitarian settings and I found it an amazing opportunity to work on a design which will bring functionality and beauty into areas where aesthetics is not necessarily a first consideration.”
Whereas many of Sebastian Herkner Studio’s other projects have a striking presence, he truly enjoyed working on something less notable. Herkner: “It was certainly different to designing an iconic armchair but for me, a project always begins similarly, with a visit to the company, to get to know the people, to understand what they are making, and to take a look behind the scenes. I found it super fascinating to design an anti-slip pattern for a tile. Perhaps it is not an obvious design assignment but it is very important.”
Herkner continues: “I had designed tiles before, for a small company in Bavaria that used to make stove tiles, but this was a completely different job, because the patterned tile is a mass product. No matter what, every design begins with a white piece of paper, and what I was looking for was a pattern that is spontaneous and has a logic.
That led to this repetition of trapezium-shaped rectangles and this pattern that can be continued in all four directions. For me, it was a bit like textile design but it had to be very functional obviously and meet very exact specifications. I had to revisit my high school mathematics for this grid, to determine the depth of the relief and the size of the ‘hills’. This design was a combination of creativity and physics.”
For Herkner, collaboration with AGROB BUCHTAL on the grid for the Area Pro tiles was rewarding. “In our work, you achieve the best results when you approach a design project with an open eye and unconditional curiosity. I love the diversity of projects we have been able to work on in the past 13 years. For us, every product we design supports the next one. From every project, we learn something which we can use in another.”