Cosentino's long-living, ultra-compacted surfaces

Brand story by Emma Moore
Cantoria (Almería), Spain
06.02.24

Whatever the project, whether inside or out, Spanish surface specialist Cosentino's versatile Dekton surfaces are guaranteed to keep working hard for 25 years.

Dekton’s strength is put to the ultimate test on the facade of 444 N Orleans in Chicago, where temperatures in both winter and summer are extreme

When the team renovating 444 N Orleans in Chicago was looking to create an impactful facade that would stand firm against the Windy City’s environmental onslaughts, they turned to Cosentino’s hardy material invention, Dekton. Not wishing the wintertime arctic blasts of -30C and summertime extremes of 30C to compromise the vision, they found both their need and want in large-format slabs of Dekton’s Aura 15, an ultracompact surface with a marble-like finish.

Dekton is the smartly engineered material that is tooling up architects with an endlessly flexible cladding; one that offers good looks alongside a technical prowess that ensures a building’s long-term physical health. It’s what is attracting the attention of esteemed architects across the globe, among them Ron Arad, Wiel Arets and François Pienaar.

Dekton’s Aura 15 is an ultracompact surface with the appearance of a richly veined marble. On the Chicago facade, it is applied in large format slabs, with seamless patterning across the joins

Formed from a mix of mineral particles that have been sintered, ultra-compacted and dried to form a unique composition, Dekton has many technical attributes to boast. It doesn’t, for example, expand or degrade in UV rays, but equally resists extreme cold. It’s mechanically tough and dimensionally stable. It absorbs sound and heat – but is non-combustible. It is impermeable, making it easy to clean (graffiti is easily shifted), stain-free and the colours remain stable.

Dekton Uyuni is integral to the sculptural design of the Edíficio Copenhagen in Brazil. It forms a striking multi-faceted facade

All this performance comes in slabs of multiple thicknesses allowing for different styles of application, and it comes with carbon-neutral credentials that give LEED and BREEAM benefits. Cosentino’s confidence in the material’s performance is so solid, in fact, that it is now backed by a 25-year commercial warranty. Dekton may draw you in with its visual allure, but it is guaranteed to be more than just a pretty face.

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