FORMED IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN,
EXPRESSED
TO
THE WORLD.
Creations formed by humble geological materials, become expressions of the land and culture of the Mediterranean. Urbi et Orbi is shared territory, a millenary matter, familiar and meant for all. It is an essential mixture resulting from the layering of people and cultures. The resulting objects utilise the plasticity of concrete in a multitude of expressions, reflecting the origins of the material and the people involved.
At first glance solid and immutable, concrete is actually a fluid material, which carries the traces of human effort and ingenuity. Limited only by imagination, concrete can take any form.
A unique way of life, the Mediterranean spirit is a result of a multitude of cultural expressions, stemming from its warm climate and varied geographical morphology. A past, rich in historical, symbolic and traditional references, reinterpreted into a contemporary innovative language.
Composed of simple materials that come from the ground -rock, sand & water- the mixture is created through the cohesion of cement (constituting only 1/10 of the mixture) making it an inert mass that can be assimilated back to the environment. Build for longevity, but with the capacity to turn back to its initial materials, directly to the ground.
URBI ET ORBI creations are the result of an expert craftmanship that not only contributes to make each piece unique, but also pushes the boundaries of what concrete can express using its organic nature. The company strives to nurture a close collaboration between designers and the artisans, creating more sincere and sustainable pieces, blending traditional methods with contemporary thinking. All the raw materials used are internationally acknowledged, and respect the environment and the humans using them. Concrete normally consists of 42% crushed rock, 26% sand, 16% water, 10% cement, and 6% entrained air. Cement is the binding material required to homogenise the concrete mixture. Although cement releases CO2 emissions during its production, it ultimately constitutes a very small percentage of the mass created, composed only of natural materials, free from fossil fuels or harsh chemicals. Because it is an inert mass, it can be gradually assimilated into the environment, especially for objects with such a small volume.
Concrete can be recycled infinitely and we make it a natural part of our process to do so, because we want our ecological footprint to be as small as possible. We use raw materials that we find nearby, preferring sand collected from processing in our workshop rather than sand gathered directly in nature. As a matter of fact, we have achieved the recycling of 100% of our internal production waste. To emphasise this, we launched in 2020 a dedicated initiative, called “Zero Waste Project” using and repurposing our industrial waste in more than one ways:
-The leftover concrete rubble pieces replace a large portion of other gracels and aggregates used in mixing new concrete.
– During the treatment of our products (sawing, grinding etc.) a heavy-duty dust collector is employed to collect the concrete dust waste, which is then used as a filler material in a new concrete mixture, giving it a new life and purpose inside a new product.
As a result the products which are included in the ‘Zero Waste Project’, contain between 20 to 80% of recycled excess raw materials in their mixture, creating each time a unique contemporary ‘terrazzo’ finish. To find out more about the products related to the Zero Waste Project, look for the recycling banner with the unique percentage of zero waste materials included in each piece. Those products contribute toward satisfying the ‘Recycling Content’ credit under the LEED® certification.
