MONOLIT TERRAZZO PLUS
A new "renaissance"
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: BEATRIX TORMA
Monolit Terrazzo Plus is an innovative reinterpretation of the flooring known as "Venetian terrazzo," which is once again enjoying great popularity in contemporary architecture. Classic elegance and solidity characterize this decorative surface, which is poured on site. Its versatility makes it an ideal covering for any residential or historic setting.
HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
MONOLIT TERRAZZO PLUS
From the very beginning, Iamart has offered small-element terrazzo flooring cast in its own factory. It was only a matter of time and development before the company felt confident enough to offer its own on-site poured, continuous terrazzo technique. The technology known as "Venetian" terrazzo flooring originated in the 13th century and remains the iconic flooring of Venetian palazzos to this day.
Andrea Palladio, a Venetian architect who left a long line of masterpieces to posterity and had a decisive influence on mature Renaissance architecture, himself commemorates the flooring in his theoretical work"I Quattro Libri dell'Archiettura" (The Four Books of Architecture), which is still considered definitive literature on the subject and has been translated into many languages.
Terrazzo, which was poured on site and contained various marble chips, often enriched with chiseled patterns, was perfectly suited for decorative flooring in large, interconnected spaces, and the use of patterns and raw materials gave an accurate picture of the customer's social and financial status. Even then, an important feature of terrazzo cast on site was the water resistance of the covering.
Monolit Terrazzo Plus, produced on site by Iamart
and cast in thicknesses of 20-50 mm, is a modern and innovative reinterpretation of Venetian terrazzo, adapting the old tradition to the demands of contemporary architecture. The newly developed application technique allows for greater floor thickness, resulting in a high-performance, high-quality, environmentally friendly solution.
The flooring and stair elements made for the Hungarian Academy of Sciences contain green and black marble chips, in accordance with the customer's demand.
Through aggregates choice, Monolit Terrazzo Plus offers endless combinations that make it a completely individual product, based not only on the designer or client’s own taste and style, but also makes the covering suitable for matching locally available and previously used aggregates, which can be decisive in the case of historic and monumental properties. This allows Monolit Terrazzo Plus to become a worthy and timeless architectural element of the building.
