Architect Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez is masterminding ‘Hotel Cevisama’, a design installation set to include bedrooms, multi-purpose spaces and an area that will host talks focused on the potential the products on show at Cevisama offer the contract market.
‘Hotel Cevisama’ will be “a stunning architectural icon, combining organic and geometrical shapes in an innovative way” to show European ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings “as symbols of respect for our roots”.
Valencia, 9 December 2024.- Cevisama is forging ahead with preparations for its upcoming edition, which takes place from 24th to 28th February at Feria Valencia. One of the most outstanding of the many new features of next year’s show is ‘Hotel Cevisama’, a project that is the brainchild of Porto-Rican architect Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez, geared to creating excitement about and a sense of the value ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings offer as key elements of the contract and hotel furnishing businesses.
The project was conceived with a clear aim in mind: to inspire the trade and show the industry’s full potential, in one of the biggest installations ever created within a trade fair such as Cevisama. The huge space will comprise around 800 square metres and will recreate different types of hotel environment, from bedrooms, public spaces and exterior areas to multi-purpose rooms and a large lecture area.
The initiative comes on the back of Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez’s recent great success at Feria Hábitat València, where he created an installation that boasted similar features. This time round he has improved and enlarged the installation so that its major features are ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings.
The installation will in fact be built using Cevisama 2025 exhibitors’ most innovative materials and collections, making these companies more visible, by orders of magnitude, to the thousands of industry professionals who are expected to flock to the Feria Valencia show.
Sustainability and respect for materials
“Hotel Cevisama will be a stunning architectural icon, combining organic and geometrical shapes in an innovative way”, explainsHéctor Ruiz-Velázquez, underscoring that “its impressive central tower will be outstandingly light and diaphanous, with huge openings that cast light into the interior spaces whilst creating a connection with the surroundings. It is a design that promises to be symbolic of the fair, blending aesthetics and functionality in a unique experience”.
The project aims to highlight the importance of sustainability, thereby linking with one of the cornerstones of both Cevisama’s and the industry’s current messaging.
“Hotel Cevisama celebrates European ceramic tiles as symbolic of our respect for our roots, our surroundings and our people”, says the Puerto Rico-born architect, sharing some details of the design in which ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings play a key part, through these three natural elements: earth, water and fire.
“The hotel bedrooms have been designed to feature natural materials such as ceramic and detailing in wood, which reflects the solidity and warmth of the earthly surroundings. The hanging gardens and green spaces add a touch of tranquillity and provide a connection with nature. The hotel will also have a spa, where the sound of cascading water invites the user to rest and relax, whilst fountains and ponds in the garden add serenity. Lastly, at the heart of the hotel, an elegant, stunning reception area featuring a back-lit ceramic disc will provide a welcoming place for people to meet and pause for thought”, explainsHéctor Ruiz-Velázquez.
The hotel is set to be the major themed area at the upcoming edition of Cevisama and is sure to attract the attention of all the professionals visiting the Feria Valencia event. It is not, however, the last in the pipeline as Cevisama is setting up an innovative networking and business space, also being designed by Héctor Ruiz-Velázquez, that will be in a special part of the venue. More details will be revealed shortly.
What is Cevisama?
Cevisama is the foremost international trade fair for the ceramic wall and floor tile, bathroom equipment, natural stone, machinery, glazes, frits, tints and colours for ceramic tiles industries and one of Spain’s major trade events. The last edition of the fair brought together more than 70,000 visitors, 28% of whom came from 156 different countries, representing major buying groups, distributors, retailers, wholesalers, specifiers (architects, interior designers, decorators and designers) and construction professionals.
