What’s the future of marble? Once the key selling point of Italy, it is now viewed in a sustainability angle, a scarce resource that neither grows fast nor can be recycled well.
Talking to Bufalini Marmi, who exhibit with ‘Talking in Marble’ at the Design Variations exhibition by Mosca Partners at Circolo Filologico Milanese, in Palazzo Visconti, they are very well aware of the issues. Their way of dealing with it: respect and responsibility. Instead of cutting the precious material into thick slabs like in the past and not care about the left overs, they work with precise technology to create ultra-thin panels and shapes, and exact cuts. So thin, that light shines through as you can see from the lamp shades.
Waterjet cutting allows for 3d-print-like structures for vessels and shelving systems, so precise that wooden shelves can be fitted. The actual marble panel is quite slim.
