Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar

Dekton®  by Cosentino: Rafa Nadal Academy

David Iglesias, architect of the Rafa Nadal Academy: «The premise of this project was to build a training academy and at the same time create a building for use by the people of the town and for the whole of Mallorca. Therefore, the end result had to be made up of a very defined area, specifically for children, and another, completely the contrary, where people could circulate freely. Consequently, the two buildings that make up the final project are relatively multi-functional, each one with its own features and level of safety. They are perfectly interconnected, in such a way as to meet with the objective».

The Rafa Nadal Academy has become a real showcase for Dekton® and Silestone® products. The Cosentino Group has fitted more than 40,000 m2 of Dekton® of all thicknesses and for different types of use, such as tiling, floors, worktops, stairs or baseboards, with particular emphasis on its use in the façades of the two main buildings of the complex, the pools and the spa area. Silestone® is in evidence in the 130 shower trays in Blanco Zeus colour with a suede finish. This very same tone and texture was also chosen for the more than 100 bathroom worktops, which incorporate Elegance hand basins from the Cosentino Bath Collection.

Customised Facade

The façade of the Rafa Nadal Academy is composed mainly of Dekton® and glass. The qualities of Dekton®, such as its high resistance to ultraviolet rays, its resistance to frost and thawing, its colour stability and high stain resistance are essential properties for its use with such exterior façades. Also of importance is its ease of assembly, due to the precise nature of the material; there is an excellent ease of fusion between the CAT1 Wandegar system, used in the placement procedure, and the Dekton® pieces. The result is visually spectacular. “THE BEST FEATURE OF DEKTON® FOR THE ARCHITECTS: ITS FORMAT” David Iglesias, Architect: “The best feature of Dekton® is something which we architects love: its format. It allows you to play with large dimensions and with different forms of quartering. It is very easy to work with Dekton® and the result is perfection”.

The large format of the Dekton® pieces allowed the creation of beautiful pavements and applications of quality and beauty in almost all environments encompassed by the project. From a functional point of view, its hardness, resistance to abrasion and its easy daily maintenance, make it the perfect product for this type of use, both indoor and outdoor. What is more, the use of anti-slip grip technology gives the material a greater level of safety, preventing possible accidents in areas of regular use, especially in those where water is an added feature, as is the case with the indoor and outdoor pools or the impressive spa that form part of the project.

The stairs form part of the continuous flooring of the building and receive high level of footfall every day. Dekton® is the ideal surface for areas of high transit – it is hard-wearing thanks to its hardness and high resistance to abrasion. Another great advantage offered by Dekton® – and one which has been highly prized for this project – is the fact that the steps may be manufactured in one piece, without having to create joints in between them.

COSENTINO GROUP obtains in 2016 the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for the Life Cycle Analysis of Dekton®. Obtaining it from an external organism, supports the involvement of the company in improving efficiency in the consumption of raw materials and energy, reducing waste generation.

Wall tiling

All the wall coverings, created from large pieces of Dekton®, are important players in the final grand design. The flatness of the product may be appreciated even in its 8 mm format for vertical installation, and the resulting uniformity is striking from both an architectural and an aesthetic point of view. This environment highlights how the large format of Dekton® facilitates its adaptation to the creativity and the versatility of any architectural project.

Shower covering

Dekton® is ideal for any bathroom coverings due to its excellent water resistant qualities. Thanks to its high resistance to hydrolysis, this material does not change if it is in contact with fluid for prolonged periods of time. This fact, which ensures the durability of the material, combined with the ease of its daily maintenance, have made this the perfect choice to cover all the showers of the spa and those located in the changing rooms and the halls of residence.

Customised colours

For this project, two customised shades of Dekton® were created: an intense blue which serves as a hallmark of the academy and its image to the world, thanks to its use in the main façade, and a soft white tone (Alba) that is characterized by its subtlety and which covers a great number of the walls of the building.

Silestone® Kador Suite Shower trays

For the bathrooms of the halls of residence over 130 shower trays with a Silestone® quartz surface have been created. The model chosen, due to its attractive and elegant design, was the Kador Series of the Cosentino Bath Collection. The purity of colour of Blanco Zeus and the sensuality of the Silestone® suede finish provide an effect which is extraordinary both aesthetically and visually. The safety aspect is crucial in this type of use. This aspect is fully met by Silestone® shower trays, which have an established low slipping risk, meeting with the strict German standard DIN 51097: 1992. Its low porosity and minimal maintenance requirements make Silestone® the ideal product for this type of use, where water and other personal hygiene products come into play.

Silestone® bath