From ancient Rome in the 3rd century BC, to the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, to the green building materials revolution in contemporary China — inorganic stone is not a new material, but the crystallization of architectural wisdom refined over time.

Origin: ancient Rome’s “inorganic magic”

In the 3rd century BC, Romans used lime, volcanic ash and crushed aggregate to create the earliest inorganic polymer artificial stone. With high strength, water resistance and durability, this material achieved millennium-spanning architectural wonders such as the dome of the Pantheon — the oldest form of inorganic stone.

Foundation: the birth of modern artificial stone

In 1824, English builder Joseph Aspdin mixed limestone and clay in specific proportions, calcined the mixture into clinker in a lime-kiln-like shaft kiln, and ground it into cement. Because the hardened cement resembled stone quarried in the Portland region of England, it was named Portland cement. It offered excellent building performance and was a landmark in cement history. Aspdin patented his invention — from this moment on, the world had true cement. This laid the technical foundation for modern terrazzo and artificial stone, pushing artificial stone into industrial production.

West to East: terrazzo in China

  • 16th century: terrazzo traces its origins to 16th-century Venice, where craftsmen took leftover marble offcuts from luxury homes, inlaid them casually into courtyards, and achieved unexpected results.
  • Qing dynasty: terrazzo technology crossed the seas to China.
  • 1960s: Beijing’s Line 1 — China’s first metro — made extensive use of terrazzo flooring.
  • 1980s: premium rooms began laying terrazzo floors, visually more attractive and stable than plain concrete.
  • Late 1980s: terrazzo became widely popular; grey-white or brightly coloured floors became standard in schools and hospital corridors, nearly ubiquitous in daily life.

Innovation: TRANS HILL’s new-generation eco-inorganic stone

Building on the characteristics of cement-based and resin-based artificial stone, the TRANS HILL R&D team deeply simulated the diagenetic mechanism of natural sandstone, and leveraged nano-ion-activated inorganic macromolecular polymer technology to create a new generation of fully inorganic, high-performance eco-inorganic stone with the texture of natural stone.

TRANS HILL: inheritance and innovation

  • Inheritance: a tribute to ancient craftsmanship. TRANS HILL continues the eco-friendly philosophy of terrazzo, upholding the essence and durability of inorganic materials.
  • Innovation: giving inorganic stone new vitality for a new era. It abandons the drawbacks of traditional materials, using frontier technology to solve material stability issues and enhance compressive performance — achieving environmental breakthroughs, ensuring safe and healthy building spaces, breaking aesthetic limitations, precisely simulating the textures of multiple stone types, supporting bespoke customization, and fitting every architectural style.

TRANS HILL inherits the essence of historical wisdom while achieving a comprehensive upgrade through modern technology — making products more eco-friendly, more stable, more beautiful and more durable.