marmocode
Sustainable research
After several years of working in tandem with the architect and marble entrepreneur Guido Ariotti of Vercelli, Delrosso’s focus on finding new and practical outlets for design in different areas of research led to a wholly original material dubbed Marmocode. The idea comes from the barcode itself, and entails combining cut-offs from marble production or material rejected for blemishes in tone or weak veins and therefore of little commercial value. The final product endorses layered marble’s side-view. Following a codified colour scheme, the marble plates are glued together with resin and special processes to form blocks that are subsequently cut into plates of different thicknesses to suit requirements. This composite material offers infinite variety, and has the same range of applications and performance specifications as the marble proper.
The process represents an innovative means for retrieving material that has sparked many interesting developments for interiors, but also for object design.
Marmocode has led to some special applications within Delrosso’s architectural projects. Preceded by an all-purpose container, in the spring of 2013, to mark the Dining Tank installation at the DIFFA Dining by Design expo in New York, this material gave rise to a sushi plate and a small container for soya sauce dip. Based on the Japanese tradition, the gentle scoop in the material hints at more recent technology, such as an MP3 player. The installation envisages the creation of “prepared tables” by diverse designers and architects, but also musicians and artists. Delrosso set his own up in a water-tower created for the purpose of the event. This prompted him to accoutre his Moebius table with an “ecological set”, created from offcuts of quality marble production. After their appearance in New York, the items made their way into the HENRYTIMI catalogue.