At the end of a major international fair many people usually make a quick reflection by asking themselves (and others): How was the fair? How is the industry doing? What was new? For the exhibitor, who has usually spent a lot of money, the most important question is obviously- “How many orders did we get? How many enquiries did we get?
How many middle class homes exist on the planet? Perhaps difficult to calculate, since the definition of middle class varies from person to person, country to country. An approximate number, with ' middle class' being defined in the western sense, would perhaps lead to number somewhere between 300 to 500 million. Assuming every such home has a dining table, this would also be the number of dining tables in the world.
One of the most photographed exhibits in the Stona fair in Bangalore, held early February 2016, was the giant sculpture of a lion in granite, made by the Indian company, GTP Granites. How it was made is an interesting story.
Natural stone is more than slabs and tiles, claddings and flooring and countertops. Just have a look at the images below of some of the spectacular and original designs seen in the Xiamen (China) Stone fair held on 6 to 9 March, 2016.
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ARAB WORLD. With the ARAB world in turmoil, one of the most important region for demand for natural stone (and of production), many stone companies from all over the world with presence there, have been seriously affected. Libya and Iraq markets almost collapsed, and Saudi Arabia is showing all the signs of a saturated and over supplied market.
1.- The construction industry in China is slowing down and demand for imported stone is declining after 12 years of consistent growth. But this should not be mistaken for an imminent crash in demand for natural stone. The Chinese government has recently announced plans for building infrastructure for a further 100 million people moving from the rural areas to the cities by 2020 and this should mean a lot of demand for all kinds of stones.
Rogerio Moutinho, MGLW (United Kingdom)
What do architects and designers really look for, when they want to use natural stone?
Without trying to be too simplistic, what one really wants when choosing natural stone for a project is:
1.- A stone with the right colour and pattern
2.- A stone that is suitable or adequate for the purpose, i.e., it is hard enough,not too absorbent, etc.
3.- That the natural stone is fairly easily available, i.e., in the quantity that one requires, and is so within the time frame of the project.
