How Dekton by Cosentino is staying at the forefront of sustainable facades

As the façade business booms, so do Cosentino’s façade options. Brendan Mercier, Regional Façade Manager shares what makes Dekton stand out against other facade surfaces.

Studies show that the façade market is projected to reach $270.91 billion by 2028 as compared to $195.42 billion in 2021. With Dekton, Cosentino is able to bring a unique surfacing offering unlike anything on the market.

Brendan Mercier, Regional Façade Manager at Cosentino has witnessed firsthand how Cosentino’s facade offering has grown through the years. In this exclusive interview, he talks about the future of Dekton, the importance of sustainability in construction, Cosentino’s collaboration with some of the world’s top facade systems partners, and more.

Brendan, give us an inside look into your role at Cosentino.

"As a Regional Façade Manager for Cosentino, I’m responsible for the South, East, and Atlantic regions of North America. I travel to different areas to assist our local sales team with technical questions and product knowledge presentations while also supporting the development of the façade business in each territory. From helping architects with their designs and technical questions, to assisting developers and installers, I love the variety of work that I participate in on the daily basis."

How has Cosentino’s facade offering evolved through the years?

"I sold one of Cosentino’s first façades in North America and at that time we only had one system in our offering. When I became part of the façade department we still only had one system partner and only two system offerings (DKT1 and DKT2). As a company, we have truly prioritized growing this business and in 2019 brought additional partners on board. Today, we have a very robust and complete offer. Cosentino has a system and a partner for every budget and every design intent! To see what we’ve accomplished since joining Cosentino Facades has been incredible and I can’t wait to see where we will be in another three years!"

How does Dekton differ and compare to other façade materials on the market,  such as natural stone?  

"Dekton is a unique and universal surfacing material that has extremely high durability, low maintenance, no need for sealing or other upkeep, as is the case with natural stone. It can be installed down to ground level, unlike many products that lack durability. Unlike metal panels or fiber cement, it can be easily cleaned with a power washer without affecting the warranty.

Dekton’s unique technical properties truly make it the go-to material for applications such as facades, where the surface is under constant exposure to the elements."

In your experience, how has sustainability evolved when it comes to material specification? 

"Sustainability in building design and the continued reduction of carbon emissions is becoming ever more important within the building industry. Dekton by Cosentino is the only surfacing product in the world that is Carbon Neutral from the extraction of raw materials (cradle), through its manufacturing process all the way to the end of it’s life cycle (grave). This even includes all carbon created during shipping and transportation. Cosentino offsets all of these carbon emissions through qualified projects around the globe. Outside of Dekton, other carbon-neutral products only offset a fraction of their emissions through the entire life cycle."

You’ve worked on many amazing projects, but tell us, do you have a favorite one? 

"There are many great projects that we have completed in the past several years, but a couple of recent favorites come to mind. One of which is currently under construction: The Aston Martin Residences in Miami and one that was just completed Southern First Bank in Greenville, South Carolina."

Where do you see the industry moving towards in the next five to ten years? What’s next for Cosentino? 

"As we move towards more and more efficient buildings, I think we will start to see less glass and more opaque panels. The rainscreen industry in the US is still in the early stages compared to Europe. As the rainscreen industry grows, so will Cosentino. I think in the next five to ten years Dekton will have a much larger market share within the industry. As Cosentino continues to innovate, Dekton will continue to grow and improve.

As one of the inaugural members of the Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA) Cosentino is a leader in the exterior envelope industry. I would like to invite more Architects, Installers, Engineers, and product manufacturers to join the journey, as we look to expand this industry exponentially! Please visit the RAiNA website for more information!"

Learn more about Cosentino’s personalized facade offering here.