Truly ancient yet fully modern, ceramics continue to provide incredible durability, beauty, and creative possibilities, even though the basic chemistries haven’t changed in thousands of years (a mixture of quartz, feldspar, and kaolin in different proportions). In terms of sustainability, ceramics tend to fare relatively well compared with other surfaces in architectural applications. As floor tiles, these materials are more environmentally friendly than carpet, linoleum, or composite marble tile, but worse than some of the natural materials like cork, wood, and bamboo. This rating may change, however, if specific concerns like end-of-life strategies or safety during production are prioritized over other factors.
Source: Andrew Dent, Metropolis
Image Credit: Metropolis, Courtesy WASP