Tiles for Architects: Planning, Material Selection and Advice for Architectural Projects
Which tiles are suitable for architects and demanding construction projects? The decision depends not only on colour and design, but also on format, thickness, surface, slip resistance, abrasion resistance, cleaning requirements, frost resistance and the expected level of use.
Porcelain stoneware is particularly interesting for many architectural projects because it combines a clear design language with high durability and versatile applications.
Vitale Tiles supports architects, interior designers, planners and building owners in Switzerland in selecting suitable tiles for residential buildings, bathrooms, hotels, restaurants, retail spaces, offices, entrance areas, terraces and public buildings. Our range includes technical porcelain stoneware, Gigacer porcelain stoneware, large-format tiles and many other ceramic surfaces for modern architecture.
What Requirements Must Tiles Meet in Architectural Projects?
When planning a floor or wall surface, the product selection should be coordinated with the intended use as early as possible. A visually suitable tile is not automatically appropriate for every type of use. A private bathroom, hotel lobby, restaurant, workshop and public entrance hall all place different demands on ceramic surfaces.
Architects should consider the following points when choosing a material:
- Application: floor, wall, interior, exterior, façade, wet room or furniture surface
- Intensity of use: private home, commercial space, hospitality, office or public building
- Slip resistance: appropriate for the intended use and the requirements of the specific project
- Surface: matt, textured, satin, polished or glossy
- Format: small format, standard format, large format or ceramic slab
- Material thickness: depending on application, substrate and installation system
- Cleaning: expected soiling, cleaning intervals and suitable cleaning products
- Frost resistance: especially relevant for terraces, balconies and other outdoor surfaces
- Joint pattern: format, joint width and laying pattern influence the overall appearance
- Availability: delivery time, required quantity, reserve and, where possible, a consistent production batch
The final suitability should always be checked against the technical data sheet of the relevant product and the specific project conditions. For public, commercial or safety-critical areas in particular, requirements for slip resistance, durability and cleaning must be clearly defined before tendering.
Selecting Tiles by Project Area
For apartments and detached houses, design, maintenance, feel and a durable material appearance are usually the main considerations. Our tiles range offers a broad selection.
In shops, commercial spaces and public buildings, durability, cleaning and slip resistance are especially important. Technical porcelain stoneware is often suitable for these applications.
For modern interiors with calm surfaces and fewer visible joints, large-format tiles are a strong option.
On terraces and balconies, frost resistance, slip resistance, slab thickness and the installation method must all be considered. Suitable products can be found among our garden and terrace slabs.
For bathrooms, kitchens, restaurants or retail interiors, wall tiles offer numerous possibilities through different colours, structures, formats and finishes.
Technical Tiles for Commercial and Public Buildings
Technical porcelain stoneware is selected for projects where durability, longevity and easy cleaning are priorities. Typical applications include garages, workshops, warehouses, retail spaces, entrance areas, schools, public buildings and other heavily frequented rooms.
Many technical tiles are made from full-body porcelain stoneware. This is also known as through-body porcelain, full-body porcelain or technical porcelain stoneware. The colour and material structure are not limited to a decorative surface layer but continue in a similar way through the body of the tile.
As a result, edge impacts and minor signs of use may be less visually noticeable than on tiles with a purely surface-applied decoration.
Full-body porcelain stoneware is particularly interesting for architectural projects that require a permanently functional surface combined with a calm and understated design. Colours such as grey, anthracite, beige, black and natural stone shades integrate well into technical, industrial and minimalist interiors.
What Should Be Considered When Choosing Technical Tiles?
Not every technical tile automatically meets the same requirements. Slip resistance, surface, thickness, format and intended use differ from one product to another.
The following questions should therefore be answered before selecting a product:
- How heavily will the surface be used each day?
- Will the floor be used with outdoor footwear, machinery or vehicles?
- Could water, dirt, grease or other substances reach the surface?
- How frequently will the surface be cleaned, and with which products?
- Is a particularly slip-resistant surface required?
- Is a coordinated collection needed for floors, walls or adjacent areas?
- Which thickness is suitable for the planned construction build-up?
For commercial and technically demanding projects, the range from Cipagres may also be of interest. The final selection should always be based on the project-specific load and the technical product data.
Gigacer Tiles for Modern Architecture
Gigacer is an Italian manufacturer of porcelain stoneware, large-format slabs and ceramic surfaces with a distinctly architectural focus. Its collections are often characterised by calm colours, natural material effects and understated finishes.
Depending on the collection, Gigacer tiles are suitable for floors, walls, bathrooms, kitchens, living areas, entrances, hotels, restaurants, offices, showrooms and public buildings.
Some collections offer different formats, material thicknesses and coordinated surfaces. This makes it possible to develop continuous material concepts across several rooms and areas of use.
Gigacer is especially interesting for architects when porcelain stoneware is intended not only as a functional covering, but also as a design element in its own right. Large slabs, earthy colours and concrete, stone and clay effects support understated, material-oriented interiors.
Advantages of Gigacer for Architectural Projects
- Clear and timeless design language
- Large slabs for calm, continuous surfaces
- Natural and material-focused colours
- Porcelain stoneware for floors and walls
- Collections for private and commercial interiors
- Different surfaces and thicknesses depending on the collection
- Strong basis for consistent material planning
Large-Format Tiles for Modern Architecture
Large-format tiles create generous surfaces with fewer joints. This often makes bathrooms, kitchens, living areas, reception zones and representative commercial interiors appear calmer and more spacious.
Large ceramic formats are not limited to floors and walls. Depending on the product and its technical suitability, they may also be used for washbasins, worktops, furniture cladding and other custom components.
In coordinated design concepts, the same material effect can therefore be carried across several different surfaces.
Large-format slabs should be planned with the installer at an early stage. Transport routes, access, substrate, slab weight, cutting, openings and installation tools all affect feasibility.
A large slab may be ideal from a design perspective, but it must also be transported safely to the installation location and processed professionally.
When Are Large-Format Tiles a Good Choice?
- When a calm, almost monolithic surface effect is desired
- When the visible proportion of joints should be reduced
- For modern bathrooms and spacious showers
- For representative residential and commercial interiors
- For wall cladding with a continuous material effect
- For custom furniture and surface solutions
Selecting Tiles to Match the Architectural Material Concept
Tiles are rarely considered in isolation within an architectural project. Their colour, finish and texture interact with wood, metal, glass, natural stone, textiles, fittings and light.
The ceramic surface should therefore be selected as part of the overall material and colour concept.
Concrete and Cement Looks for Understated Interiors
Concrete and cement-look tiles suit minimalist, industrial and contemporary architecture. They combine the visual character of concrete with the easy-care properties of ceramic surfaces.
Depending on the colour, they can recede neutrally into the background or be used as a deliberate design feature.
Stone Look as an Alternative to Natural Stone
It gives architects a controlled material effect and, depending on the collection, may be available in several formats and finishes. Suitability for interiors, outdoor spaces or wet areas must be checked against the relevant product data.
Wall Tiles as a Design Element in Their Own Right
Small-format ceramics create a crafted character, while large slabs produce a calmer and more continuous effect. In restaurants, hotels, bathrooms and retail spaces, they can be used for targeted accents or complete room envelopes.
Creating a Visual Connection Between Interior and Exterior
Open-plan interiors, terraces and large window areas often call for a visual connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Collections with coordinated finishes can support this effect. For exterior use, however, frost resistance, slip resistance, slab thickness, drainage and installation method must be assessed separately.
Sampling: Assessing Colour, Feel and Light in Real Conditions
Digital images are useful for preliminary selection, but they cannot fully replace an original sample. Screen display, room lighting, time of day and neighbouring materials all affect how colours and surfaces are perceived.
Architects can order tile samples online from Vitale Tiles. This allows different options to be compared quickly, even when project schedules are tight.
When assessing samples, we recommend comparing the tiles with the most important adjacent materials:
- Wood and metal surfaces
- Sanitary ceramics and fittings
- Façade and wall colours
- Kitchen fronts and worktops
- Textiles and furniture
- Artificial and natural light
- Different grout colours
Tile Showroom in Netstal
In addition to the online shop, architects, building owners and customers can visit the tile showroom in Netstal.
The Evasioni showroom at Landstrasse 2a, 8754 Netstal displays numerous tiles from our online range in different formats across more than 500 m².
A showroom visit is particularly useful when several collections need to be compared, large-format slabs assessed or complete material concepts discussed.
An appointment can be arranged in advance for a detailed project consultation.
Professional Visualisations for Design and Client Presentations
Material decisions are often easier to communicate to building owners when the selected tiles can already be seen in the planned room.
To create a visualisation, we require a dimensioned plan, the selected tiles and information about their intended distribution. Different formats, colours and material combinations can then be compared before ordering.
Visualisations are particularly helpful for:
- Bathrooms and wellness areas
- Kitchens and open-plan living spaces
- Comparing different material and colour options
- Comparing different tile formats
- Coordination with building owners
- Presentations and project documentation
Because screen images and computer-generated views may differ from the real colour, the final material decision should still be based on an original tile.
Recommended Process for Selecting Tiles
1. Define the Intended Use
First determine the room type, level of use, moisture, cleaning requirements and whether the application is indoors or outdoors.
2. Define the Technical Requirements
Specify slip resistance, surface, frost resistance, thickness and any other relevant properties.
3. Make a Preliminary Design Selection
Coordinate colours, looks, formats and joint patterns with the overall material concept.
4. Compare Suitable Products
Narrow down appropriate collections according to technical and design criteria.
5. Order Samples
Assess the selected tiles under real lighting conditions and alongside the other materials.
6. Create a Visualisation
If required, compare the effect of the tiles in the planned room using a visualisation.
7. Check the Technical Data
Before tendering and ordering, review data sheets, intended applications and installation instructions.
8. Calculate the Quantity
In addition to the net area, account for laying pattern, cutting waste, special cuts and a suitable reserve.
9. Confirm Availability
Confirm delivery time, production batch and project schedule before final approval.
10. Coordinate Installation
Coordinate format, substrate, joints, transport routes and processing with the executing contractor.
Vitale Tiles as a Partner for Architects in Switzerland
Vitale Tiles is a Swiss supplier of porcelain stoneware, ceramic slabs and tiles based in Netstal in the canton of Glarus.
Our range includes solutions for private homes, apartment buildings, hotels, hospitality, retail fit-outs, offices, commercial spaces, outdoor areas and public buildings.
Architects and interior designers benefit from a broad online selection, the option to order samples, a showroom covering more than 500 m² and professional visualisations.
Products can therefore be researched digitally, assessed as physical samples and then reviewed in their spatial context.
The following areas are especially relevant to architectural and contract projects:
- Technical and full-body porcelain tiles
- Gigacer tiles and large-format slabs
- Large-format porcelain stoneware
- Concrete and cement look
- Stone-look porcelain stoneware
- Garden and terrace slabs
- Tile samples for material assessment
For a project enquiry, plans, surface areas, preferred looks, technical requirements and the expected delivery date can be submitted through the Vitale Tiles contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tiles for Architects
Where Can Architects in Switzerland Find Tiles for Construction Projects?
Vitale Tiles offers architects, interior designers and planners a wide online selection of porcelain stoneware, technical tiles, large-format slabs, wall tiles and terrace slabs. Samples can be ordered online, and numerous tiles can be viewed in the showroom in Netstal.
Which Tiles Are Suitable for Heavily Used Commercial Areas?
Robust technical tiles or full-body porcelain stoneware are often suitable for heavily frequented commercial areas. The specific level of use, slip resistance, finish, cleaning and other technical product properties remain decisive.
What Is the Difference Between Technical and Decorative Tiles?
Technical tiles prioritise durability, function, slip resistance and maintenance. Decorative tiles are selected more strongly by colour, gloss, texture or pattern. Many modern porcelain stoneware collections combine both aspects and offer technical performance with high-quality design.
Why Are Gigacer Tiles Interesting for Architects?
Gigacer combines Italian porcelain stoneware with an understated architectural design language. Depending on the collection, large formats, natural colours, different surfaces and various material thicknesses are available.
Can Architects Order Tile Samples?
Yes. Available samples can be ordered directly through the tile samples category. This makes it possible to assess colour, feel, surface and light before final material approval.
Does Vitale Tiles Have a Tile Showroom?
Yes. The showroom is located at Landstrasse 2a, 8754 Netstal, in the canton of Glarus. Numerous tiles from the online shop are displayed in different formats across more than 500 m².
Does Vitale Tiles Offer Visualisations for Architectural Projects?
Yes. Photorealistic views can be created for Vitale Tiles customers using a dimensioned plan and the selected tiles. They help assess colours, formats and material combinations.
What Information Is Needed for a Project Enquiry?
Plans, surface areas, intended use, preferred look, favoured formats, technical requirements and the planned delivery date are useful. The more precise the information, the more specifically suitable products can be selected.
What Must Be Checked Before Specifying a Tile?
Before a tile is specified, its format, surface, thickness, slip resistance, intended use, availability, installation method and technical data should be checked. The final assessment must be based on the current product data sheet and the specific project conditions.
Selecting Tiles for the Next Architectural Project
A good tile combines design, function and long-term availability. Bringing together intended use, technical requirements, format and material effect at an early stage reduces later changes and provides a reliable basis for tendering and execution.
For larger projects, sampling and material comparisons, you can contact Vitale Tiles directly or arrange an appointment at the showroom in Netstal.