“The vortex phenomenon has occupied my father Klaus Grohe for several years”, explains Philippe Grohe, Head of Axor. “His intuition that water could visibly be brought to the foreground through the vortex, was the starting point in the development of Axor Starck V. In our long-time friend Philippe Starck, we not only found the perfect design partner to create a shape around the vortex, but also a valuable sparring partner in the developmental process.” The V in the name of the tap stands for vortex, for vitality and for the Roman number five, because it is the fifth generation of taps Axor developed together with Philippe Starck. 

 

The result according to Philippe Starck “is a mixer that represents the absolute minimum: totally transparent, almost invisible, and enclosing a miracle that is the vortex. I am very happy if someone thinks that it looks like nothing, because it is what we wanted.” The V stands for vortex, for vitality and for the Roman number five, because it is the fifth generation of mixer, Axor developed together with Philippe Starck. 

 

Besides serving the technical function of making water visible, transparency aesthetically fuses the mixer body with its surroundings, thus, in essence dematerializing it. The openly designed spout contributes to the natural water experience: before the eyes of the user, the upward, swirling motion of water through the mixer’s body and its “free-fall” into the washbasin trigger a feeling of joy and happiness.  

 

True to the Hansgrohe principle of producing highly aesthetic, functional and sustainable bathroom products, Axor Starck V shines with a multitude of innovations that together are certain to define a whole new category of washbasin mixers. For example, the rotatable and open spout is detachable. So it allows a flexible installation of the mixer body in combination with the washbasin and an easy cleaning in the dishwasher. Furthermore the mixer is produced out of the organic material crystal glass, which is sustainable and durable. But it took four long years of development. 

 

There were some big challenges to win, before the new mixer was ready. “We need a minimum height for the vortex to build up and we need a minimum reach for the water to go where we want.” In addition, the choice of the material was not that easy. “It is a warm pressed glass. We had to bring it through temperature cycles 5 minutes at 70°C and then we put it into cold water. And I swear we had lots of broken pieces before we came up with the right thickness and the right particles in order to have a product and not a dream.”