In the first two parts of the interview Andreas Dornbracht has talked about demographic and architectonical solutions in the bathroom. The third and last part deals with ecology.
The new landmark of Frankfurt airport, The Squaire, is deemed to be a masterpiece of contemporary architecture and aesthetic design. Its concept creates a unique experience of urbane sophistication by fusing offices, shopping facilities, restaurants and bars as well as hotels under one roof. This international business hotel not only benefits from its pre-eminent location at one of Europe’s most important air travel hubs but also treats its guests to a first-rate experience which blends all-round comfort with modern style. In the guest bathrooms, the design character of the house is accentuated by selected premium fittings from Grohe.
The work of architect Andrea Wirges-Klein (born in 1963) stands for what springs to mind when you think of holistic architecture: she plans and supervises new buildings that are progressive yet liveable, modernises context-sensitive existing buildings, refurbishes and redesigns listed buildings and provides advice and support for both private clients and public projects.
What should a bathroom look like? The standard array of shower or tub, toilet and basin, a mirror above it and maybe a little cupboard over there... all in a nice straight line up against the wall? That’s all in the past. But the bathroom’s shift in meaning, away from pure practicality and towards more ambience and cosiness, still has to find suitable forms of expression.
Obviously not everybody has a castle at their disposal where the various generations of the family can get together; but that isn’t actually that important anyway. The main thing is that both young and old feel at ease in the room which, for a growing number of people, is becoming the basic prerequisite for a self-determined life – the bathroom.
On the occasion of the ISH in Frankfurt, the world’s leading fair for the entire sanitation, heating and air-conditioning sector, Jens J. Wischmann, managing director of the VDS, explains the revolutionary ideas behind the pictures and headings of the new “Pop up my Bathroom” campaign.
When it comes to form, there are many ways to interpret water: it can flow in a purist surge from a fitting that has been reduced to nothing but a surface, gush thickly or vivaciously out of arching taps into water troughs, filigree bowls or flat, minimalist basins. Design trends in the bathroom will be the focal point of interest at the ISH. Perhaps more than any other room, the bathroom is proving to be a place that reflects an abundance of external influences from society, design and ecology.
Life in the city, right in the thick of it. Different people and cultures live side by side, with different daily rhythms, different music, different family structures. Even the architecture itself is a reflection of this diversity: closely spaced rows of houses and obstructed views alternate with open squares and expansive vistas, stone rubs shoulders with greenery, little terraced houses stand shoulder to shoulder with tower buildings. A place for individualists.
In the first Part of the interview, Andreas Dornbracht, president of the German Sanitary Industry Association (Vereinigung Deutsche Sanitärwirtschaft e.V., VDS), has talked about demographic issues of the bathroom. The second part is devoted to architectural solutions and room concepts.
The ISH 2011 is coming up trumps with innovations that are sparking consumer demand for the sex appeal of electronic fittings which permit touch-free operation or convenient adjustment of showers and other equipment features at the push of a button. Rarely has the sanitary sector seen the kind of innovation wave that is now helping electronic products conquer the private sector.