The Progressive Extension of the Field of Individual Development and Experience by FAT Architecture
V&A Project
14 — 22 Sept 2013
Urban Design, Materials
Victoria & Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London
SW7 2RL
The 2013 project by FAT Architecture comprised of a natural cork floor occupying the existing bridge over the V&A’s Medieval Galleries. Visitors were immersed in a world of cork, encountering its visual and tactile properties in a bold effort to challenge existing connotations with the material.
The project was a collaboration between FAT Architecture, the London-based practice renowned for its conceptual approach to architecture, and Amorim, the world’s largest producer of cork. The floor was made up of a series of tiles laid in a repeating trompe l’oeil geometric pattern, which is based on a scientific diagram of the cellular structure of cork as a material. “Amorim’s partnership with London Design Festival is a unique opportunity to showcase CorkTECH, our innovative, design-driven natural cork flooring. Combining FAT’s cutting-edge creativity with cork’s unmatched technical capabilities will deliver an exciting, contemporary perspective on Nature’s most sustainable flooring solution.” explained António Amorim, Chairman and CEO of Corticeira Amorim. The pattern also accidentally recalled certain architectural characteristics of the Douro region of Portugal, a world-class wine region associated with cork, where geometric tile patterns can be found in a number of vernacular buildings and pieces of signature architecture such as the Casa da Musica in Porto. Supported by Amorim.
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