Five digital bathroom ideas winners of the Hansgrohe Design Prize 2016

SCHILTACH, Germany, 06-Jul-2016 — /EuropaWire/ — Five visionary bathroom ideas have been chosen as winners of the new talent competition held in conjunction with the iF Concept Design Award 2016

This year’s competition for the Hansgrohe Prize for design ideas related to the sustainable use of water has been successfully concluded. Students and young designers from 24 countries submitted 364 creative ideas for “Efficient Water Design: Digitalizing the Modern Bathroom”. This is the sixth time young designers have been invited to compete for the Hansgrohe Prize held in conjunction with the international iF Concept Design Award competition.

Digital Bathroom Ideas: Inspired by Nature

The expert jury, composed of Philippe Grohe and Jan Heisterhagen (both of Hansgrohe SE, Schiltach), as well as Andreas Haug (Phoenix Design, Stuttgart), awarded the seal of design on 17 June 2016 in Hamburg to five exciting, digital bathroom ideas from Finland, Sweden, Slovenia, Romania and Germany, and distributed EUR 5,000 in prize money. The first and second place winners were notable in their use of nature as a source of inspiration for their creative and innovative ideas.

Philippe Grohe expressed enthusiasm for the achievements of the young talents who participated: “I always find it refreshing to see the natural openness with which young, international students approach this competition. Hansgrohe prioritises the promotion of young talent – and design, which we at Hansgrohe have paid very close attention to for nearly 50 years. With the Hansgrohe Design Prize by iF we offer young design talent an international platform to present ideas and concepts relating to water.”

First place went to Rok Kostanjšek from Slovenia who was thrilled to receive prize money amounting to EUR 2,000 for his “Stingray” design inspired by the eponymous ocean ray. Second place and EUR 1,500 in prize money went to the “Lumen” shower concept from Sweden inspired by the sun. The “Voda” water consumption app from Finland, the “Mono” shower unit from Germany and the digital “eH2O” water tap from Romania each received EUR 500 in prize money.

EUR 2,000 prize
Idea: Stingray | Mixer
Design: Rok Kostanjšek
University: Academy of Fine Arts and Design Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Stingray mixer, inspired by the stingray, a saltwater fish that can adapt to any surface, combines futuristic design and digital technology for convenience. The underside of the water tap is equipped with hexagonal sensors that users can control by moving their hands below the tap. The large display on the mixer head shows which sensors are being used. Stingray follows hand gestures in real time and only lets water flow where needed. In the manual display mode, water settings can be adjusted and controlled by a simple movement of hand.

Jury statement: “A conventional water tap – totally redesigned. In this case, a completely new kind of motion control has been developed. Hand movements control the flow of water, creating an exciting new user experience. A very ingenious idea that really impressed us.”

EUR 1,500 prize
Idea: Lumen | Shower concept
Design: Rik Oudenhoven
University: Umeå Institute of Design, Umeå, Sweden

Lumen is a shower concept inspired by the sun. Sunlight is vital for our wellbeing. The shower is equipped with an integrated daylight lamp that emits rays of light, triggering our body’s own vitamin D production. This automatically provides us with the daily dose of natural light we need to help us stay fit, healthy and energised – even on dark, overcast days. And thanks to its integrated boiler, Lumen helps reduce water consumption by about 30 percent.

Jury statement: “A wonderful shower that combines water and light. Beautifully designed and very well thought out – down to the last detail. Lumen is an integrative design solution and a perfect combination of physical and digital design. A great overall concept!”

EUR 500 prize:
Idea: Voda | Water consumption app
Design: Kai Klemett
University: Lahti Institute Of Design, Lahti, Finland

The Voda app tells people how much water they use. Users wear the ringshaped sensor around their necks when taking a shower, and enter the maximum amount of water they wish to use on a daily basis in the app (in litres or minutes). Users can then check the display to see whether they succeeded in staying within this limit. The app can also be used to monitor the amount of water used by family members and to check whether friends have achieved their water consumption goals. Sensors in the shower register every drop of water used. Voda can be used anywhere – in hotels, at home, at the gym and many other places.

Jury statement: “Voda is a digitally operated personal sensor – intuitive and easy to use. The app used to individually program the ring is clearly designed, easy to understand and convincing. Nice job!”

EUR 500 prize:
Idea: MONO Shower Unit | Digital shower concept
Design: Philipp Emmert
University: Muthesius University in Kiel, Germany

The aim of the Mono shower unit is to raise awareness of water consumption. A digital interface enables precise real time feedback, which makes users more aware of the amount of water they use and allows them to adjust water temperature and volume in a completely new way. Mono provides users with two options: they can use the handheld shower, which is activated by movement, or – when the handheld shower is placed in its magnetic holder – the overhead shower. Both showerheads are controlled by the same interface, providing a completely new interaction in the shower.

Jury statement: “Mono is not a central mixer unit in the traditional sense; the handheld shower is both a flexible operating and functional unit – similar to a remote control unit. The clarity of the design won us over!“

EUR 500 prize:
Idea: eH2O | Digital water tap
Design: Eric Kerti
University: Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara, Faculty of Arts
and Design, Satu Mare, Romania

Water pollution and waste are global problems that affect us all. eH2O enables us to save and purify water, and control the amount of water used. This digital water tap is equipped with two displays and buttons for various settings. It purifies water by filtering it and removing any contaminants. Water use can be pre-set with a clock timer. The smaller display indicates the exact water temperature and can be adjusted manually. It also displays the time, water quality before and after filtering, as well as temperature and air humidity.

Jury statement: “eH2O is a complete washbasin concept in which the electronic control unit is integrated into a new kind of washbasin mixer. It combines electronic operation with the natural flow of water. Its lightness and the innovative quality of this novel, stand-alone water tap make it especially appealing.”

About Hansgrohe – the Original from the Black Forest
Hansgrohe SE is based in Schiltach, in Germany’s Black Forest. In its 115-year history, it has acquired a reputation as a leading innovator in technology, design and sustainability in the sanitation industry. The mixers, showerheads and shower systems created by Hansgrohe SE are original products that make bathrooms more functional, more comfortable and more aesthetically pleasing. These quality products can be found in such prestigious venues as the luxury ocean liner Queen Mary II, London Heathrow Airport Terminal 5, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (the world’s tallest building), the German Chancellery in Berlin, New York’s Yoo luxury residences and the Masdar City Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi. The company and its products have been honoured with numerous awards, most recently the iF Award Gold 2015, the Wallpaper* Design Award 2015 in the Category “Best Domestic Product Design” and the Elle Decoration International Design Award 2015. In 2015, the company’s brands Axor and Hansgrohe generated more than EUR 964 million in sales. Today the Hansgrohe Group employs more than 3,800 people worldwide, about 40 percent of whom work outside Germany. The company, which has a zero tolerance policy on counterfeit products and design infringements, manufactures its products in Germany, in France, the Netherlands, the USA and China.

Find out more about Hansgrohe on: www.facebook.com/hansgrohe www.twitter.com/hansgrohe_pr

Design Leader in the Sanitation Industry In the current ranking of the International Forum Design (iF), Hansgrohe SE ranks in 10th position among 2,000 listed companies. With 860 points, the Schiltachbased bathroom mixers and shower specialist outperforms brands such as Apple, Daimler and Nike and leads the design hit list in the sanitation industry. www.hansgrohe.com/design

Further information: Hansgrohe SE
– Public Relations –
Franziska Seitz
Phone: +49 7836 51 – 1452
Fax: +49 7836 51 – 1170
E-Mail: public.relations@hansgrohe.com
www.hansgrohe.com

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Copyright: iF