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India gave the world the word: a jali is the perforated stone screen — geometric or floral — that has filtered light, air and privacy in the subcontinent's architecture for centuries. Mutina says it plainly in the collection's own presentation, and Patricia Urquiola returns the compliment: her Jali is a 3D object inspired by that element, «versatile but rigorous, simple and poetic», redrawn as a single extruded terracotta block of 24x24x12 cm, made artisanally in Fiorano Modenese.
For Indian projects the pleasure is double: a familiar architectural device returns with Italian craft and complete papers. Five declared laying schemes — 17.36 or 34.72 pieces per square metre — run vertical or horizontal, aligned or staggered; three colours mix the natural clay with glazed white and black; painted timber profiles frame the compositions. The collection took Interior Design's Best of Year Award 2023 for Architectural Products.
Screens rise to 4 metres on declared anchoring schemes, and the 2025 outdoor version is rated F2 for severe exposure — verandahs, courtyards and rooftop breaks included. La Mercanti supports Indian fit-outs with samples, piece counts per scheme and the technical file consultants ask for, then phases delivery to site.
Collection: Jali, Mutina (Jali outdoor since 2025)
Design: Patricia Urquiola, 2023
Material: extruded terracotta, artisanal production
Format: single element 24x24x12 cm (9"x4"x9")
Tolerance: declared 3 mm; alternate the laying direction
Colours: Neutro (natural), Bianco and Nero (glazed finish)
Laying: vertical or horizontal, aligned or staggered; 5 declared schemes — 17.36 or 34.72 pcs/m²
Wall height: up to 4 m — anchoring on 2 sides max h400, 3 sides max h400x300, 2 sides max h250x100 cm; Fisher SXR 8x80 fixings
Trims: painted timber linear and end profiles (outdoor-rated version)
Adhesive: Mutina organic solvent-free sealant; EC 1 plus sealant with the profile
Dimensions: T2-R2 (UNI EN 772-16)
Water absorption: 12.5% (UNI EN 772-21)
Soluble salts: S2 (UNI EN 772-5)
Frost: F1 indoor; outdoor F2 severe exposure (UNI EN 772-22)
Horizontal loads: C2 (D.M. 1401/2008)
Category: UNI 11128/2004
Environment: 10% recycled content (LEED 4.1 declaration); VOC, HPD, SDS on request
Weight: 8.20 kg per piece
Awards: Interior Design Best of Year 2023, Architectural Products
Directly and declaredly: Mutina's own presentation describes the jali as a typical decorative form of Indian architecture — perforated stone with ornamental motifs, translatable as «grid» — and Patricia Urquiola designed her block as a 3D object inspired by it. The tradition returns as one modular terracotta element, made artisanally in Italy, that builds screens, walls and furniture.
Use the outdoor version, drawn in 2025 and marked F2 for severe exposure under UNI EN 772-22, with outdoor-rated timber profiles. The classification covers weather the way consultants expect — by test, not assumption. Indoors, the standard version carries the same module, so inside and outside speak one language. La Mercanti specifies the right version per zone.
Declared values under UNI EN 772: dimensions T2-R2, water absorption 12.5 percent, soluble salts S2, frost F1 or F2 by version, plus horizontal-load class C2 under D.M. 1401/2008 and the 10 percent recycled-content declaration for LEED 4.1. VOC, HPD and SDS papers come on request. La Mercanti compiles the file with the quotation.
One block, many walls: vertical or horizontal orientation, aligned or staggered courses, five declared schemes at 17.36 or 34.72 pieces per square metre, colours mixed at will. The same element also stacks into benches and low furniture. Mutina's rule of thumb — alternate the laying direction — keeps the artisanal tolerances even across large fields.
La Mercanti ships physical blocks in all three colours, calculates piece counts per scheme and phases deliveries to match site readiness — each piece weighs 8.20 kg, so freight planning matters at scale. Quotations are built zone by zone, from reception screens to rooftop claustra, with the technical file attached.
Five checkpoints for architects and PMOs: from cultural brief to anchored, documented screens across large floor plates.
Name the tradition and the twist: the jali device, returned in Italian artisanal terracotta with declared data. Clients recognise the idea; consultants get the numbers.
Reception backdrops, cabin filters, breakout edges, verandah walls: mark every line where light and air must pass. Choose indoor F1 or outdoor F2 per zone.
17.36 or 34.72 pieces per square metre decide transparency and budget together; write the scheme into the BOQ so tenders compare like for like.
Up to 4 metres with two- or three-side anchoring per Mutina's schemes and Fisher SXR 8x80 fixings; local codes and the structural consultant govern the final sign-off.
Samples first, then phased deliveries with piece counts, weights, UNI EN 772 values and the recycled declaration: La Mercanti hands over one folder per phase, ready for the client's records.
