Launch of Hydrocork, by Wicanders, a floating floor that, due to its combination of reduced thickness, water resistance and incorporation of cork, is a differentiated flooring solution with high added value. Amorim Cork Flooring's new product also stands out because of its ease of installation, thanks to the PressFit system - a revolutionary vertical fitting technique.
Launch of the footwear brand ASPORTUGUESAS: the world's first brand of cork flip-flops, a project developed by the company Ecochic, by Pedro Abrantes, in the Amorim Cork Ventures business incubator, which was the ideal partner for development of this project.
The Helix packaging system wins Best Green Launch award in the Drink Business Green Awards.
Jasper Morrison designs a cork cabin, entitled ”a weekend away”. It is inspired by the simple life of the countryside and uses layers of dark cork on its outer walls which, in addition to its sustainability characteristics, offers excellent thermal and acoustic insulation. The project highlighted cork’s versatility during Tokyo Design Week. Jasper Morrison was accompanied by the designers Naoto Fukasawa and Konstantin Grcic, under the theme “A rich life through Minimalism.
Amorim Cork Ventures, Corticeira Amorim’s business incubator is set up. The purpose is to encourage the development of new products and businesses using cork, primarily targeted at foreign markets, providing entrepreneurs with access to financing, and also to management skills, expertise and networks in different sectors and countries.
Creation of an experimental cork oak plantation, with irrigation, in the Herdade do Corunheiro, in Coruche. The basic objective is to advance the moment when the first virgin cork may be harvested, without ever neglecting the sustainability factor.
The Istanbul Design Biennial puts the spotlight on Portuguese cork. Organised by the Istanbul Art and Culture Foundation (IKSV), the Biennial’s second edition presents a set design made from cork, sponsored by Corticeira Amorim, and designed by the architectural studio Superpool.
Creation of the WAVE system - a technology that makes it possible to create cork-based insulation with unique design / patterns. Demand for this new technology derives primarily from architects who are attracted by its creative applications.
The intention is to work with the cork oak tree and its biotechnology so that the production of cork can keep up with the growth rate of the market, in particular, by increasing the resistance of the species, reducing the first cycle of cork extraction and better land use, with increased density of trees per hectare.
Corticeira Amorim presents METAMORPHOSIS, the result of a research and development project into the potential of cork. The METAMORPHOSIS project aims to motivate innovative, creative and cutting edge uses of cork, as a unique raw material. The curatorial concept was based on the motto of expanding the boundaries of this historic Portuguese material. The Pritzker Prize winning architects, Álvaro Siza Vieira, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Alejandro Aravena and Herzog & de Meuron were invited to join the project, together with renowned architects Amanda Levete, João Luís Carrilho da Graça and Manuel Aires Mateus, as well as three notable product designers, James Irvine, Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa. Curated by Experimentadesign, METAMORPHOSIS was one of the core exhibitions in the EXD'13 Biennale, whose theme was "No Borders".
Launch of the innovative Helix system, the cork stopper that does not require a corkscrew.
Amorim Isolamentos' expanded cork agglomerate is one of the “BuildingGreen Top-10 Products for 2013”, organised by Building Green, a publication by GreenSpec and Environmental Building News (EBN). The award means that it is recognised in the USA as one of the 10 most ecological and sustainable products for the building industry.
Amorim Top Series® designs a luxury cork stopper for the exclusive edition to mark Glenfiddich's 125th anniversary.
Students of the Master's degree course in Design at the prestigious educational institution, based in London, have the option to study a new module dedicated to cork. The initiative is part of a concerted strategy to make cork a material of choice for design and architecture projects.
Various cork products from the group's units are used in the transformation of the Lisbon Ferry, "Trafaria Praia”, a project by Joana Vasconcelos that marks Portugal's participation in the 55th edition of the Venice Biennale. An authentic Portuguese project, cork is used in the transformation of Trafaria Praia, which stands out both due to its strong decorative component and the numerous advantages it offers in terms of technical performance and aesthetic versatility.
Corticeira Amorim and the design and architecture studio, FAT - Fashion Architecture Taste, work together for the first time in the London Design Festival, which means that Portuguese cork is once again present in a leading international event. The innovative design project resulted in a natural cork floor that can be seen on the bridge of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. The floor consists of a series of cork tiles, which are arranged to create a repetitive visual geometric pattern, based on cork's own cellular structure. Coincidentally, the pattern also refers to certain architectural features of the Douro region, where geometric tile patterns are often found.
Cork is used as one of the main materials in the Quiet Motion structure, conceived by renowned French designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for the BMWi exhibition at the Salone Internacional del Mobile 2013 in Milan. Interpreting a visionary concept of sustainable mobility, Quiet Motion uses agglomerated cork supplied by Corticeira Amorim, combined with a series of blue textiles.
Over 80 m3 of Cork is used to build the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei. It was open to the public between June and October 2012, and from then housed the private collection of the renowned international collectors Usha and Lakshmi N. Mittal.
Cork is used in the Vegja - ESA rocket. The ability to resist high temperatures makes cork an ideal material for thermal protection.
Cork is used on the floors of Siemens - Inspiro’s state-of-the art metro system, in Warsaw, Poland. The core of the flooring system includes a cork solution, which makes the carriage about 30% lighter, delivering significant gains in terms of energy efficiency. In 2015, the same system was implemented in Riyadh.
Amorim Cork Flooring creates ArtComfort flooring (this range is currently called Wicanders Wood Essence), thus introducing digital printing technology to the company.
Vitra Design Museum and Domaine de Boisbuchet, in partnership with Amorim, launch the “Cork Competition”, which challenges the international community of designers and architects to create new and innovative uses for cork. A group of 20 international designers take part in a specialised workshop at the Domaine de Boisbuchet, selected from a total of 367 proposals. The goal is to develop 20 different prototypes. Anna Loskiewicz's Cork Beehive is considered to be the best project. The well-known Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto also takes part in the competition and receives an honourable mention for his Cork Chair project.
Corticeira Amorim acquires Trefinos, a major company for the production and sales of cork stoppers for champagne and sparkling wines, based in Catalonia.
The Assembly of the Republic declares that the cork oak tree is the National Tree of Portugal.
Wicanders flooring solutions, supplied by Amorim Revestimentos, are used in Gaudí’s legendary project - the Sagrada Família cathedral, in Barcelona.
The architect Álvaro Siza Vieira designs the wine cellar at the Quinta do Portal, where he uses cork in the upper section of the façade. For this purpose, he used MDFachada expanded agglomerated cork supplied by Amorim Isolamentos. The project won the «Best of Wine Tourism 2011» award in the Architecture and Landscapes category, attributed by the Great Wine Capitals Global Network, and the Douro Architecture Award 2010/2011, which aims to encourage good architecture practices in this unique landscape that has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Portuguese designers Pedrita (Pedro Ferreira and Rita João) are invited to coordinate a cork workshop at the prestigious Domaine de Boisbuchet, considered to be one of the world’s most important centres of experimentation in design and architecture. The workshop follows the designers' first contact with cork and the development of Rufo, one of the items included within the MATERIA collection, CORK BY AMORIM. Participation includes support from Corticeira Amorim. The aim is to present cork and its potential for application and promote its use among the creative community.
Corticeira Amorim presents MATERIA, a collection of cork design objects at the prestigious Fuori Salone, in Milan. At the time awareness of the role and relevance of cork as an excellent interior design material was still at an incipient stage. In the MATERIA collection it is used in 25 objects designed by world-renowned designers and creatives.