Application Description

Gedy SpA of Origgio (Varese) has introduced in the market "Puzzle", a highly practical and attractive innovative system designed by Paolo Pedrizzetti allowing to create non-slip platforms of any size for use in showers and baths and on all kinds of slippery floors or surfaces. DuPontT Elvaloy® copolymer plays an important functional and aesthetic role in Gedy's new "Puzzle" system.

"Puzzle" system is made of white injection-molded polypropylene blocks with a slightly convex surface that facilitates water run off. The blocks are shaped at the four corners in order to enable the connecting parts to be pressed together and create a stable "floor".

Pedrizzetti and Gedy selected Elvaloy® copolymer as the material for manufacturing these joints, which resemble colored "bubbles". This DuPont material is technically defined as an ethylene copolymer. According to the manufacturer and designer, Elvaloy® was the only material capable of offering both the appropriate aesthetic and tactile qualities and the right balance of stiffness and softness required for this application.

Elvaloy® is sufficiently soft to produce the necessary suction effect required to keep the platform perfectly anchored to the surface upon which it rests, whilst being stiff enough to prevent it from being crushed by the weight of the person using it, thus countering the suction effect.

The bubbles are hollow inside in order to maximise their grip when they are under pressure. They are also slightly photo-engraved on the upper side, thus ensuring non-slip foothold even when wet and soapy. Single bubbles are featured for joining the corners of the platform, double ones for connecting the blocks along the outer edges, and groups of four for linking the internal blocks of the system.

The use of Elvaloy® made it easier to obtain the transparency and color required. The soft tactile quality of this DuPont material also makes it very pleasant underfoot.
Thanks to the combination of Elvaloy® and polypropylene the modular floor is resistant to sudden temperature changes, detergents and mechanical stress. Both materials incorporate Sanitized®1 special additive from Clariant that prevents the formation of molds and fungi, thus improving the hygienic characteristics of the modular floor.

"Puzzle" is supplied in an attractive transparent packaging with the blocks piled on top of each other and the colored connecting parts loose.

Gedy SpA was founded in 1953 and has represented an important point of reference in the field of bathroom accessories ever since, due to the functionality, high quality and innovative design of its products. The detailed stylistic research carried out by the company over the years is underpinned by a creative conception of the bathroom, rediscovered as a pleasant environment in which everyone may express their personality and taste. With the collaboration of leading Italian and foreign designers, Gedy has carried out constant in-depth research, development and innovation both in raw materials and in production and technological processes. That's why, in Gedy's products, form has taken on a role of synthesis between the demands of elegance, cost-effectiveness and functionality. This is exemplified by the Cucciolo toilet brush stand by Makio Hasuike, one of Gedy's most original creations, on display at New York's Museum of Modern Art. This recognition confirms once again the importance of continuing on the path that Gedy has always followed: that of designing creative, high quality, and functional products so that the customer's needs, despite changing fashions, requirements and expectations, may truly represent the essential reference for the company's prosperity and continuity.

Paolo Pedrizzetti (www.pedrizzetti.it) was born in 1947 and, following secondary school, obtained a degree in architecture from Milan Polytechnic. He started work as a product designer in 1978 with Davide Mercatali. In 1988 he opened a studio in partnership with his wife, Raffaella Mattia, and continued his work as a product designer. In 1993 he was one of the founding partners of the "ABC Incontri sul Progetto" Cultural Association. Between 1988 and 1994 he was chief editor of the "Blu&Rosso" and "Bagno&Bagni" magazines. He has been an editorial consultant for the "Il Bagno Oggi e Domani" magazine, published by the Elsevier group, since 1995. In 1997 his son David, an architect too, started working for his studio. Various products are featured in permanent museum collections in Chicago-Ill. (USA), Munich (Germany), San Diego-Cal. (USA), Prato Museum of Modern Art (FI), and others have been selected for the "Compasso d' Oro" award, in 1979, 1981, 1987, 1991, the "ADI Design Index" 1998/1999, 2002, 2003, the Ljubljana BIO award in 1981, 1984, 1992, 1996 and the "ADI Tecnhotel" award in 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991. In 2002 he won the "Comfort & Design-ADI" award and the "Red Dot Award 2002" of the North Rhine-Westphalia Design Centre. In 1993 one of his products was featured in the merchandising of New York Museum of Modern Art.