Protecting the environment, reducing pollution, and supporting a clean energy transition are fundamental goals for Iris Ceramica Group to achieve its ambitious targets in the field of sustainable architecture and development.
With over 60 years of experience and being a worldwide leader in the design and development of high-end natural ceramic surfaces, Iris Ceramica Group has succeeded in re-engineering ceramics to make people’s lives easier, healthier and more sustainable.
The eco-active ceramic materials is concrete proof of the Group’s commitment to innovation and sustainability. These are antibacterial and antiviral, anti-pollution, anti-odour and self-cleaning surfaces. Thanks to exposure to light and the humidity in the air, these materials are able to degrade microbial agents and to transform polluting particles like NOx and VOCs into harmless substances. In the same way, they also eliminate bad odours and prevent dirt from sticking, making spaces more hygienic, safe and comfortable while meeting every need also in terms of style and design. Due to the above, they can also be used in direct contact with food in full safety.
Active Surfaces® are produced in VOC zero emissions plants using 40% of recycled materials and are fully recyclable. Their use represents a conscious and sustainable choice for architects and designers as they improve the quality of projects, also facilitating the obtaining of green certifications on buildings such as LEED Certification, BREEAM Certification, Gold Standard, WELL Building Standard.
The building De Castillia 23 is an example of sustainable architecture using Active Surfaces® for facades and outdoor areas in order to improve people’s well-being while respecting the environment. According to the Department of Chemistry of the University of Milan, the 16,088 sq.m. of Active Surfaces® slabs installed on the project counteract 59 kg/year of nitrogen oxide, equivalent to over 200,000 sq.m. of green space, bringing huge benefits for those who live in the neighborhood. Based on these estimates, De Castillia 23 can be called a “smog-eating” building.
Active Surfaces® have also been chosen for many other important projects, among them the Cybernet Systems headquarters in Tokyo.
Since 2009, from the residential to the corporate and commercial fields, these surfaces have helped shape unique projects and renovate existing buildings in terms of green architecture. They are combining design, science and creativity to bring life to surfaces marked not only by innovation, sustainability and beauty, but which also embody a very profound value: to improve the interaction between humans and the environment, a motto that is part of our Italian Group’s DNA.