SapienStone SMART SLAB is a new composite material by the Iris Ceramica Group that integrates heating, cooling and sensor technology directly into oversized ceramic panels.
SMART SLAB takes product SapienStone into the future by adding a layer of discreet technology to the underside of its wafer thin ceramic slabs.
Options include heating and cooling units, inductive cooking and charging modules, wireless antennas and transponders as well as access control systems, switches and actuators. Smart Slab signals the arrival of intelligent materials in furniture design and architecture, unlocking a wide range of potential applications previously inconceivable in such an elegant material.
A responsive web configurator allows architects and customers to quickly select the material and functions to be integrated. The SMART SLAB is then seamlessly produced at Iris Ceramica Group’s fully automated factory in Modena and sent out to the customer, dramatically reducing the speed and total cost of technology integration into the built environment.
The top layer of the SMART SLAB composite is made of SapienStone, a virtually indestructible ceramic material impervious to fire, frost, thermal shock, scratches and microbes. The unique composition and structure of SapienStone makes it particularly adaptable and allows for a multitude of uses from furniture and interior fit outs to architectural structures.
The installation at Palazzo Clerici provides a first glimpse into an ongoing development partnership between the group and designers Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram by introducing the SMART SLAB TABLE. A sleek 3m x 80cm tabletop demonstrates the potential of embedding technology by integrating adjustable heating and cooling elements in a stunningly thin and durable surface.
Circular heating elements are positioned directly beneath guests’ plates, keeping them at a precise temperature of 42.5° C, as specified by critically acclaimed chef Massimo Bottura. Meanwhile, cooling elements are strategically placed along the table to keep champagne bottles perfectly chilled.
To celebrate the launch of the SapienStone SMART SLAB TABLE during Milan Design Week 2016, Massimo Bottura will be cooking on this cutting edge table during an exclusive dinner held in the Sala del Tiepolo of Palazzo Clerici.
SAPIENSTONE SMART SLAB
12-17 April 2016 Milan Design Week
Sala del Tiepolo, Palazzo Clerici
Via Clerici 5, 20121 Milano
