"The international jury of the XXVIII ADI Compasso d'Oro Award
awarded the ADI HONORABLE MENTION to Graphii Coat 30GP"
But isn't Graphii Coat 30GP a building coating? What does this have to do with a design award?
Yes, it is, even if it is not a simple coating but a geopolymer-based mineral coating with the addition of Upgraded Recycled Graphite. By the way, we admit it: we didn't even think it would have such success for its design. Instead, the Compasso d'Oro Jury was able to capture the essence of Graphii Coat 30GP in the profound link between its functional characteristics and its aesthetics.
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“The Compasso d'Oro selection has always included not only prizes and career awards, but also honorable mentions: those products that the jury judges to be of superior quality, deserving of particular importance beyond the attribution of a prize."
The Compasso d’Oro is (re)dressed in graphite
The birth of Graphii Coat 30 GP
We start from the assumption that guides our work: we want to find new applications for graphite, waste from industrial processes. The same graphite which, through engineering, becomes "Upgraded Recycled Graphite". An ingredient that enhances the natural characteristics of this material. Thus were born Perpetua the pencil, g_cork, g_ink…
We ask ourselves the possibilities that performances of this material can offer, and we ask ourselves: why not? Through research and development we find the way to transform this question into concrete solutions.
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“Graphii Coat 30 GP arises from a question: is it possible to make the materials usually used in construction (such as concrete, bricks, terracotta, iron and steel) more durable over time by using geopolymers in synergy with graphite?”
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After a long process of research and development together with Alex Reggiani of Geomits and Alberto Saccozza of the Saccozza Ingegneria company in Vicenza, we managed to obtain a coating, later patented, made with 9 different ingredients - including concrete, terracotta and steel - coming from recycling or by-products of industrial processes, based on “Upgraded Recycled Graphite”.
Aesthetics and functionality
“Scraps? Maybe once, and only due to our laziness and blindness. Today they are precious resources capable of bringing unimaginable innovations with a positive impact."
Graphii Coat 30GP is fireproof, mechanically resistant, natural rust passivator, free of Volatile Organic Compounds. Protects the metal from oxidation, resists corrosion and attack by many acids and bases, excellent resistance to abrasion and chromatic change under direct sunlight (UV rays). It resists salt attack and mold, and is able to accumulate and release heat for heating and cooling.
The predominance of “Upgraded Recycled Graphite” gives a unique aesthetic to any material on which it is applied, offering a contemporary and recognizable finish. It can be applied by spray or brush to various absorbent supports: concrete, wood, terracotta, bricks, tiles.
It seems like a provocation, but the role of design is also made up of this. The effectiveness of an innovation, even if it is based on boring technicalities, also depends on its appeal. This is why we invest a lot in the design of what we create.
After the Honorable Mention in 2016 for Perpetua the pencil, the recognition for Graphii Coat 30 GP represents confirmation of how contamination and collaboration are the most effective approaches to amplify the effectiveness of change. Sharing skills and knowledge to achieve common objectives, whose positive effects are as widespread as possible.
We are deeply grateful to our partners and to all those who continue to believe that innovation capable of improving everyone's future must be, first and foremost, respectful of the environment and people.
And, why not, also beautiful to look at.