With over one hundred years of history, Fannie May chocolate stores are a Chicago institution. Fannie May’s first recipes date back to 1920, and since then they have created more than 100 unique and delicious treats. It is precisely this innovative spirit that is reflected in the design of all their stores, such as this one in La Grange, Illinois.

The team of DXU Architects opted for a façade clad in Dekton Zenith, a pure white against which the Chicago-based chain’s iconic red logo stands out. A subtle black strip in Dekton Domoos further accentuates the overall clean and harmonious image of the store in the building as a whole.

Having used Dekton with great success in previous applications, architects were won over by the endless possibilities of this material in terms of performance and design. The perfect installation of the large panels carried out by the Stone Systems team fully achieved the desired result.

In 2021, the partial restoration of a building situated at 3 Via Paleocapa in Bergamo (Italy) was successfully completed. The job consisted of replacing the existing ventilated façade, which was only 15 years old, with a more lightweight and equally beautiful one.

When the Duesse Hi Tech team took over the management of the project, they were faced with a building at serious risk of collapse due to the weight of the 250 m2 of natural stone - probably Calacatta of national origin - used on its façade. Furthermore, on the ground floor, designed as a portico supported on pillars, they found a 5 cm depression caused by the static load. The risk posed to the building and pedestrians -as it is a busy street in Bergamo- demanded quick action.

In addition to the excess weight of the natural stone, there was a technical problem with the anchoring system of the ventilated façade, which had been incorrectly designed in terms of static load bearing capacity. In the restoration, 12 mm Dekton Entzo slabs were used to replace the natural stone, thus significantly reducing the weight to about 50 kg per unit on each of the building’s walls.

Considering the urgency of replacing the façade, Dekton was the best option. The new design, the installation of the substructure and insulation layer, and the entire cladding were completed in just two weeks with a team of three people.

Lakeside is a well-known commercial bank in the Chicago area, Illinois. As part of the refurbishment process of some of their offices, specifically the Oakbrook Terrace office, they hired the services of the architectural studio Pappageorge Haymes Ltd. From the very beginning, the studio planned a modern, interesting façade that would catch the eye of passers-by, inviting them to look at it.

The execution of a stunning façade required a high quality material. Pappageorge had worked with natural stone in the past, but problems always arose because of its poor UV resistance and technical limitations. The studio had heard about the technical properties of Dekton on exterior façades and was keen to learn more.

The Cosentino team met with Pappageorge architects, provided material samples and designed a mock-up featuring the XL 45 system. In this rainscreen system, aluminum rails are anchored to the back of the Dekton slab by horizontal grooves. In the end, Dekton was the material of choice for the versatility it offered in such a complex project. Stone Systems of Chicago, a certified fitter knowledgeable of the material, was in charge of the execution of the project.

When José Luis Moral takes off, the world lies at his feet. The fervent sports pilot climbs over the meadows and wooded hills north of Lake Zurich and looks out over a breathtaking Alpine panorama. The snow-covered mountains glitter above, as does the lake below. Moral has been installing surfaces for individual construction projects of his customers for around 30 years on its banks and far beyond. With Roandi Immobilien AG he has become one of the developers himself.

His down-to-earth attitude also benefits him here. This way Moral was able to find optimally located logistical locations in a very attractive region, both scenically and commercially, not only for Pizrog Natursteine AG, which he is the head of, but also for an important business partner. The main user in Neuhaus became the “Cosentino Center Zurich” with 375 sq m of exhibition and office space and 2,325 sq m of storage space. The specialist for individual processing and the laying of stone surfaces moved with his company to Bubikon, which is 15 km away.

The substructure for the outer cladding consists of thermally separated aluminum brackets, which are fastened with bolt anchors to the concrete wall, otherwise insulated with 19 cm stone wool. Vertical L-profiles are attached to the supporting brackets with horizontal double T-rails. The top and bottom slotted Dekton plates were inserted into these and securely fixed on site by the Pizrog Natursteine AG installers. “With this system you work very quickly and at the same time with high precision”, says Moral.

Since Dekton only has a negligibly low thermal expansion coefficient the spaces between the individual plates can be very small. “While large window areas allow plenty of daylight inside the opaque part of the building envelope has a softly shimmering monolithic character this way”, says a satisfied José Luis Moral. He will soon be building again with Roandi. Another large commercial building is being built right next to the “Cosentino Center Zürich” - naturally again in the proven combination with Dekton Danae.

The Innovation Technological Center (ITC) is a newly built building located within the AEC Illuminazione headquarters, where research and development work is carried out. The building has a surface area of 26,500 m2 and was designed by the Milanese architectural studio SBGA Blengini Ghirardelli, who based their design on pure, simple geometric lines. The heart of the project, known as “The Lab”, is formed by the intersection of two parallelepipeds in which, over an area of 3,000 m2, technicians and researchers work together in a space designed to encourage collaboration.

One of the most eye-catching features of this project is its northern façade. This façade, made of large-format Dekton Domoos slabs and with a surface area of 1,100 m2, is one of the largest Dekton façades in Europe. The cladding was installed on the ventilated façade using a Keil fixed anchoring system. The choice of material was based on the company’s sustainability criteria and the purpose of insulating the building from high temperatures.

Dekton Domoos is a finish from the Solid Collection. It is a dark, almost black shade, available in large format slabs (320cm x 144cm), which is ideal for outdoors and large surfaces and perfect for a ventilated façade.

The Ette hotel is a newly built hotel in Kissimmee, Florida, USA. There are several Disney parks in the same city. As a result, the hotel welcomes thousands of tourists every year. This 126-room hotel attracts mainly families who, after their visits to the parks, make the pool area the center of the hotel’s social life.

Both the architect and the project developer were clear about the properties of the material to be used in the construction and the façade of the pool area. They wanted a finish with the texture of natural wood which, at the same time, would blend in with the façade. Furthermore, the material needed to withstand the wear and tear of a busy area, sudden changes in temperature and even possible damage in a hurricane-prone state like Florida. In addition to the technical specifications, design played a key role: both the architect and the developer wanted the look and feel of wood for its beauty and warmth.

Dekton Odin stood out from the start as a very interesting option: firstly, because of its extraordinary strength and hardness which, together with its hazelnut colour, perfect for the modern and functional style of the hotel, provided the desired combination of strength and design; and secondly, because it also met the necessary requirements for installation with the Elemex Ceramitex® Facade system.

The RS Arquitectura studio is the mastermind behind this impressive single family home located in Sant Julià de Vilatorta, in the province of Barcelona (Spain). The creators of this project, which was successfully completed in August 2020, explain the creative concept and the challenges they faced.

The house is located in a prestigious area of natural beauty that RS Arquitectura wanted to highlight from the beginning of the project. For this purpose, the studio planned an L-shaped volume with pure and simple lines, which opens onto the garden and views, maintaining the necessary privacy and intimacy. The house has three levels, perfectly connected with each other, creating a seamless connection between the interior and exterior spaces.

The façade features three different claddings: Dekton is used as the main cladding, bringing elegance and subtlety to the space; then there is aluminium on the lower parts of the façade; finally, glass makes it possible to achieve this connection between the interior and exterior.

The finish chosen was Dekton Blanc Concrete. It is a material from the Tech Collection, reminiscent of concrete, which features small grey and beige veins on a white background. Its availability in large format slabs of 320 cm make it a perfect choice for a façade.

Westfield Newmarket shopping centre in central Auckland, New Zealand, reopened in August 2019. After 18 months of construction work, this shopping centre, which dates back to the 1980s, reopened its doors with a new look, 230 shops and 2,800 parking spaces.

The project involved the renovation and extension of the existing building, doubling its previous size and quadrupling the number of shops. After many months of work and an investment of 790 million dollars, the updated Newmarket rises majestically between 277 and 309 Broadway Street.

It was clear to the team of architects from the Scentre Group, the project developer, that the façade would play a key role in the renovation process. In addition to becoming the most eye-catching design feature, it had to incorporate the latest technology in terms of energy efficiency. A ventilated façade therefore appeared to be the most suitable choice. And for this ventilated façade, there was no better partner than Dekton.

The installation was carried out by the Eurotherm Facades NZ team. Two anchoring systems were used in the process: the Etem Alum Systemand the Keil Anchor. The technical support from Cosentino's headquarters in Spain was key to the successful execution, providing a prompt and professional advisory service whenever requested.