Collection by Diana Budds
Behind the Scenes at Cosentino's Factory
Beginning in the 1950s, photographers Bernd and Hilla Becher traveled Europe documenting the architecture of industry. Inspired by their perspective, we captured a few images of Cosentino's sprawling headquarters in Almeria, Spain, which produces engineered and natural-stone surfaces—it's a place where high-tech processes and very traditional techniques come together. Click through this slideshow for a look at shots that didn't make it into our step-by-step look at the marble manufacturing process.
Cosentino invested $167.5 million in a warehouse and factory to produce their new ultra-compact, hard-wearing, indoor-outdoor surface, dubbed Dekton. (Expect more specifics about the product this autumn.)
The company designed and built machinery from scratch to produce the product. For example, its ovens bake the quartzite-based material at a temperature of 2,282 degrees Fahrenheit—that's about one quarter of the temperature of the sun's photosphere.
A bit of heavy machinery.
Climbing on the racks is strictly prohibited.
Outside, marble awaits processing and shipping.
We especially liked the graphics instructing people to protect their eyes.
This is what the exterior of the Silestone-producting portion of the factory looks like set against the ever-sunny Spanish sky.
Outside of the Dekton facility.
Another safety graphic.
This crane transports cut slabs of marble right before it goes in for the polishing process.
A close-up of a conveyor.
Follow @dwellmagazine on Instagram to spy more of what the Dwell team sees day-to-day.