Rafael Nadal easily beat Casper Ruud of Norway to win a historic 14th French Open title. Rafa extended his incredible tally of victories in Paris to 14 and set another record with his 22nd Grand Slam title. In a match that lasted only 2 hours and 18 minutes, Nadal offed Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 and cemented his legacy as the “King of Clay”.
Back in 2014, Cosentino (parent company of Silestone) entered into a collaboration agreement with tennis player Rafael Nadal – the greatest tennis player of all time. Rafa became the face of Dekton, an ultracompact surface for countertops similar to Silestone that is unique by its resistance, advanced technology, durability, and versatility. At the same time, the Cosentino Group became the official sponsor of the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, the tennis academy in Majorca, Spain, to promote the values of sport among youngsters.
About The Rafa Nadal Academy in Spain
Having opened in 2016, the academy is a benchmark in the world of international tennis because it combines tennis and education with the goal of ensuring that students follow a career in tennis without neglecting their academic studies.
The academy is a comprehensive educational and sports project dedicated to teaching, shaping values, promoting tennis among children, and searching for new talent.
The 258,333-square ft. campus includes a supervised residency and an ultra-modern training school including: 26 tennis courts, 10 paddle tennis courts, 2 squash courts, 3 swimming pools, a regulation soccer field, athletics track, 3 sports halls and a spa and fitness center.
The complex consists of various spaces, such as a school, the International Tennis Centre, and a fitness center. It also houses the headquarters of the Rafa Nadal Foundation and a Museum dedicated to Rafa Nadal’s career.
These days the academy is now an important fixture of the Majorca community. There are designated areas that are open for the whole community to enjoy. It has also provided a positive economic impact by creating over 140 jobs in the Majorca region.
The Building and Architecture
The Cosentino Group supported the high-performance educational and sports complex through Silestone (world leader of quartz surfaces) and Dekton (the new ultra-compact surface). Dekton is used on façades, flooring and other cladding while Silestone is used in kitchens and bathrooms of the complex. The academy is a supreme example of all the architectural and design possibilities Dekton and Silestone offer.
Cosentino fitted over 430,556-square ft. of Dekton in applications including wall cladding, flooring, countertops, stairs, exterior walkways and façades for the two main buildings of the complex. Even wet areas including swimming pools and a spa were also built using the surface. Dekton was the ideal option because of its incredibly innovative technical properties. It is non-porous, scratch and fade resistant, completely stain proof and has a high resistance to heat and cold allowing it not to burn, scorch or crack under extreme temperature changes.
Twelve unique surface colours were used throughout the project, including two customized colours which Cosentino created specifically for the academy. An intense blue serves as a hallmark of the academy thanks to its use in the main façade of the building. A soft white, that is characterized by its subtlety, covers most of the walls throughout the facility creating a contemporary visually appealing design. The spa is truly one of a kind, comprised of Dekton’s Trilium which captures a visual texture and colour variation of aged and oxidized stainless steel.
In addition to Cosentino’s donation of Dekton ultra-compact surfaces, the Silestone quartz “Bath Collection” was also used in the project. Approximately 130 Silestone White Zeus Extreme shower trays in “Blanco Zeus” and “Suede” finish and over 100 bathroom integrated sinks and countertops are featured.
Dekton shows all its potential, versatility and infinite architectural and design possibilities in a project that has become an emblematic and broad-reaching project, for this revolutionary product, fruit of the innovative capacity of the multinational from Almeria. The Academy is conceived as high performance centre with the most advanced technology, maximum comfort and spectacular facilities in which Dekton is a key constructive and unifying element through the centre.
Cosentino Group has fitted over 40,000 square meters of this innovative material in all available thicknesses and applications. Dekton can be found inside the Academy for panelling, flooring, worktops, stairs and skirting, especially emphasizing its use on the façades of the two main buildings of the complex, the swimming pools and the spa area.
This project has become a real showcase of the wide range of colours of Dekton, using up to twelve different colours of the material, such as “Domoos”, “Keon”, “Korus”, “Trilium”, “Ventus” or “Zenith”, among others. Furthermore, as proof of the company’s involvement in the project, and the close relationship established between Cosentino and the project managers, led by the Catalan architect, David Iglesias, two colours were developed especially for the project, one in a blue tone and the other in white.
The campus boasts more than 24,000 square meters of built up areas, mainly distributed between the residence, training school and different sports facilities: 26 tennis courts, 10 padel tennis courts, 2 squash courts, 3 swimming pools, regulation football pitch, athletics track, 3 sports halls and a fitness centre.
The common areas of the complex are also of note, such as changing rooms, cafeterias, clinic, spa and green areas. All areas have been fitted with Dekton ultra compact surfacing as it is a versatile material that can meet different requirements in terms of format, thickness, color, finishes and its high resistance and durability.
About Dekton
Its excellent properties, such as high mechanical resistance; good thermal shock resistance; very good color stability; high resistance to scratching, staining, abrasion, UV rays and hydrolysis; and reduced water absorption means that Dekton can be used on kitchen worktops and bathroom vanities, wall and floor treatments, furniture, façades and any other exterior surface. The ultracompact Dekton material is excellent for designers and architects from all over the world to use in either an interior or exterior project with the high reliability.