The Intreccio sink designed by Paolo Ulian has gained stone company Antoniolupi a coveted Menzione d'Onore at this year's Compasso d'Oro ADI in Milan. 

The award was presented today (9 September) at a ceremony in Milan.

At just 55kg, Intreccio is surprisingly lightweight for a marble sink. It was created from a block of marble just 11cm thick, with the cuts creating the pattern optimised to obtain the concentric rings that give life to the finished three-dimensional piece.

The CNC processing technology used in the production of the sink has made it possible to create particularly thin, staggered concentric light layers. These determine a play of light and shade on the concave and convex shapes.

Intreccio is a sustainable sink as the technology used for its manufacturing means there is very little raw material waste involved in the production process.

The Compasso d'Oro Award, established in 1954, is one of the oldest and most authoritative world design awards, stemming from an idea of Gio Ponti and organised originally by the Rinascente department stores in order to highlight the value and quality of Italian design.

In 1958 the Prize was donated to ADI (Association for Industrial Design), which has been organizing it ever since.

Winning products become part of the historical collection of the Compasso d'Oro, enriching a cultural heritage of recognised international interest.

“We are very honored to receive this important recognition and to be ambassadors of products Made in Italy," says Andrea Lupi, the third generation of his family to head the company that specialises in bathroom furnishings. "It is a mission that we have always had and this award gratifies our work."

Designer Paolo Ulian says: "This recognition makes me particularly happy because it indirectly rewards an important part of my design research focused on the optimisation of materials and obsessive attention to sustainability.”