In 2012, the storage room of Italian marble company Budri was hit by earthquake Emilia, shattering hundreds of beautiful slabs of marble into shards, in a matter of seconds. In 2013, designer Patricia Urquiola created a collection of stunning geometric creations from the broken pieces.
The Floor and Wall Inlay artworks for the collection named Earthquake 5.9, combined precious marbles and onyxes with tangerine orange resin, laid out to form decorative installations, designed to merge with the floor. Urquiola’s vases and trays were formed of asymmetric shapes and linear layouts of Fior di Pesco, Rosa Portogallo, Bianco Lasa and light Giallo Siena marble. Bookcases in the Budri Earthquake 5.9 collection were characterised by an irregular hexagon shape and the Origami Tables and Desk were designed as if the marble were paper.
Origami Table
Damaged marble
Origami Table
Table detail made from precious marble, onyxes and resin
Bookcase made from Verde Laguna marble and Noce Canaletto wood
Floor and Wall Inlay
Detail from Floor and Wall Inlay
Vases
Origami Table
Images via Budri Diario Design and Archiportale