Designers Marco Merendi and Diego Vencato have collaborated with Italian firm Gypsum to develop a dirt-resistant concrete, which they used to create a collection of bathroom furniture suitable for outdoor use.
Milan-based architect Merendi and Veronese industrial designer Vencato used the new material to create the Petra collection of bathroom furniture for Italian brand Agape.

The collection comprises a washbasin available in a countertop or freestanding version, along with a separate countertop surface for the sink to sit on and a shower tray. The freestanding sink is fixed to a column incorporating the accompanying brassware.
Petra features on the longlist for the Dezeen Awards 2019 in the Furniture design category, alongside a range of furniture and homeware made from marble and volcanic stone, and a flat-pack furniture collection produced using recycled plastic bottles.
Vencato and Merendi had proposed a range of concrete products to Agape back in 2014 but the company had yet to identify a type of cement with appropriate characteristics for this application.
The designers worked with Emanuele Perego of plaster and stone specialist Gypsum to develop a high-performance concrete called Cementoskin that is resistant to any sort of dirt and can be moulded to create delicate forms.

"It is a new material, a mixture of cement enriched with carefully selected aggregates," the designers explained.

"The new form of concrete is a conglomerate with high-performin...