Architects, interior designers and designers can now enter the contractworld.award, the international architecture award for the most innovative solutions for managing space that each year sets higher standards for the interior design sector.
Next year, the eleventh edition of contractworld.award will be presented at Domotex (15th - 18th January 2011), during Contractworld: a fixed appointment for architects and interior designers wanting to discover the latest trends and find new inspiration.
As well as recognising projects of excellence, the 2011 competition (regarding projects completed since 31st December 2007) has a total prize fund of Euro 60,000. All entries to be received by 2nd July 2010.

Further info, forms and documents available from: www.contractworld.com/award_d

A positive balance for Domotex Middle East and for R+T Middle East, two successful events recently held in Dubai. 225 exhibitors from 34 different nations gave an extra boost to the constant growth of this region seen in the sectors of the building industry, hotels and catering and industry.
Domotex Middle East is the only international fair to specialise in Carpets and Flooring held within the MENA area (Middle East/North Africa). This year, for the first time, it was held concurrently with R+T Middle East 2010, the world’s number one fair for roller blinds, doors, gates and sun-protection systems for buildings.
About 5,000 experts from the MENA area visited the fair (10th - 12th May), staged in the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC). They included wholesalers, retailers, buying managers from construction firms, architects, interior designers and project planners.

1910-2010: a lot has happened over the past hundred years and Gazzotti can tell many a fine tale. The story of a great passion - for wood - originating at the foot of the Basilica di San Luca in Bologna (Italy). The story of technological evolution, meaning constant improvements and enrichment in the production of parquet: new wood species, new formats, compositions, colours and styles. The story of a culture of innovation and research, leading to greater safety for man and more respect for the environment.
Gazzotti’s first century tells the story of a father and his sons, the workers, technicians and researchers, designers and dealers, fitters and consumers.
Thanks to all of these, Gazzotti is today an international concern and a market leader in the field of wooden flooring with a sincere passion for Italian quality.
And the adventure continues.

On 25th March the European Federation of Parquet Importers (EFPI) published its statistics concerning the sales of wooden flooring in Europe. The data show a fall of 22.27% in overall sales of imported parquet between 2008 and 2009, which translates into a drop in volume from 9,099,723 m2 to 7,072,838 m2.
While imports of solid parquet rose by 1.11% (representing just 8% of the import market), imports of laminate parquet in 2009 fell by 23.86% compared to the previous year.
“These figures reflect the current economic crisis affecting the building industry throughout Europe,” said the EFPI President Jürgen Früchtenicht (photo). “2009 proved to be a very difficult year for us, characterised by poor demand and a corresponding drop in sales. Nevertheless, the import sector continues to play a key role in the European wooden flooring market. We view 2010 with cautious optimism: we’ve already seen more orders than last year, but it’s still too early to make any serious predictions”.