Combining all the practical benefits of quartz with all the beauty of marble, CRL Quartz Siena has a dark and sophisticated character that makes it the perfect choice for the contemporary kitchen or bathroom.
The dark grey base of the surface, coupled with its chalky white lines gives the material its authentic stone-like appearance, so that it effortlessly carries off a minimalist look in the modern home.
Non-porous, stain, scratch, heat and shock resistant, CRL Quartz is also very strong and simple to care for, making it ideal for kitchens and bathrooms. Available in thicknesses of 20mm and 30mm and in an extra-large slab format, CRL Quartz Siena boasts a beautiful polished finish that gives this surface its glamourous edge.
For more information, brochures and free samples call CRL Stone on 01706 863 600 or visit www.crlstone.co.uk
The BMA has confirmed that business speaker John Hotowka will speak at the 2021 conference. The event, which was due to take place next month, has been moved to June 2021 following the recent ongoing pandemic.
John Hotowka is a business mogul, humourist and magician who has the first-hand experience of the highs and lows running a business solo. Starting his career in 1989, he built a very successful international business. He has studied high achievers, and neuroscience, as well as gaining extensive industry knowledge and insight working with numerous blue-chip organisations and small businesses. He distilled his findings and developed ‘Achievement Thinking’. He now equips his audiences with the tools they need to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
BMA CEO Tom Reynolds said, “John is a great addition to next years’ event. The conference will focus on current topics that have a real impact on business, providing valuable information around ‘Sustainability for the Sector.’ We are taking bookings now with delegates having the option to pay nothing until January 2021.” Marketing Manager, Amy Kirk added “The pandemic has meant we needed to move the event to 2021. However, we have been able to take some positives from the situation, with the launch of our new website and our new online booking system for Conference. The system is now live, and delegates can book by visiting our website.”
The BMA is offering a limited number of sponsorship opportunities for the 2021 Conference.
BBC News has reported that Thomas Dudley Ltd, one of the UK’s largest plumbing manufacturers, has a testing station that puts any new mechanism through its paces with 200,000 constantly repeated flushes, taking four months.
Managing director Jason Parker says: “A siphon will not leak whereas an outlet valve – if we look at the figures we’ve got – they could leak within a week of installation. It could be two years but they will leak.”
Siphons are now being made dual flush, so he wants drop valves outlawed despite the fact they are his biggest seller and such a move could harm his business.
“If we’re serious about wasting water and we want to stop it, the only way to do that is put a siphon back in,” he says.
Acquabella is among the latest global design talent to have become a finalist in the SBID Product Design Awards 2020, for its entry into the Bathroom Product category.
Considered as one of the most prestigious accolades in interior design and respected by the industry at large, success in SBID’s GOLD-rated awards programme is achieved purely for design, innovation and functionality of the entries. The finalists in each category therefore demonstrate the highest standards of design excellence for interior products within their field, spanning the commercial and residential design sectors.
Consistent in its quest to recognise, reward and celebrate global interior design, this year’s SBID Awards has been the most globally represented edition to date; receiving entries from 49 countries around the world. Entries from the Bathroom Product category showcases talent from countries such as The Netherlands, United States, France and Spain.
Each entry undergoes an exhaustive two-tier judging process, where leading industry professionals evaluate essential elements such as compliance with the brief, budget, health & safety and fit-for-purpose design. Acquabella ‘s project Smart Quiz was shortlisted by this year’s revered international jury for both its technical standards and creative delivery.
The Judges decisions are finalised by the third and final stage of judging, where the public are now invited to vote for their favourite projects at www.sbidawards.com. Accounting for an influential 30% of the results, the public and ultimate end-users of design have the final say in which products have what it takes to take home a prestigious SBID Award. With previous years seeing an astounding 225,000 unique voters, the voting will close on Wednesday 30th September at 5pm (BST).
You can show your support and vote for Acquabella‘s project by visiting the SBID Awards website.
Ambient
The Bathroom Product category focuses on any products suitable for use within a bathroom ranging from bathroom cabinets, mirrors and towel rails to shower doors and screens.
“We are honored to be finalists in this prestigious international recognition. Each award makes us infinitely proud and gives us an impulse to be better every day. There is nothing better than being rewarded for doing what we are passionate about”, says the company.
Founder and CEO of SBID, Dr Vanessa Brady OBE says: “Business has been disrupted for many during the pandemic, but I’m pleased to confirm that the interior design practice has remained relatively steady. The SBID Awards received submissions from more countries this year than in any other year, demonstrating the strength of SBID and the industry as a whole. We are thrilled to be the award that industry professionals want to win and for that, we are particularly proud and honoured, as an interior design body for trading standards, to continue showcasing the world’s best interior and product designs during these difficult days.”
The winning entry in each category will be announced on Friday 23rd October and be awarded with a bespoke trophy as this year’s prestigious SBID Awards Winners. An Overall Winner will also be awarded for the product that scored highest overall from both the judges shortlists and public votes combined.
As a member of the European Networking Architecture, German bathroom manufacturer, Bette, has created a panel of leading design and hotel industry professionals, which will discuss whether there are ‘new guidelines for hotel design, enforced by pandemic experiences.’ The discussion will take place in English as part of the hotelforum event on October 7 and can be accessed online.
Sebastian Noack from Bette comments: “As a result of the pandemic, the demands on hygiene safety measures in hotels have increased massively. The panel discussion will consider whether this is an opportunity to plan, design and build crisis-proof hotels to help achieve a competitive advantage through hygiene-oriented design. We hope it will also be a useful opportunity to consider whether the increased expectations on hygiene standards will also have an impact on the choice of materials, as has been the case in the health sector.”
The panel discussion will explore the positions of developers/owners, operators and designers on investment in high hygiene standards and if and how such investment can be refinanced.
The panelists in alphabetic order will be
Claus Dieter Jandel, Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer Deutsche Hospitality
Emma King, head of design InterContinental Hotels Group
Federico Toresi, Global Vice President Design – Luxury & Premium Brands, Accor
Kirstin King, design director Bergman Interiors
Marcel Wanders, founder Marcel Wanders studio
Monika Moser, regional managing director Wilson Associates
Rogier Hurkmans, Regional Director of Operations, NH / Minor Hotels
The panel will be part of hotelforum and will be held on October 7th, with the discussion starting at 3.55 CET. Hotelforum is well known for awarding the annual winner of the Hospitality Property Award.
In addition Bette invites you to its digital booth and presentation during the whole conference.
For further information on Bette see www.my-bette.com/en or telephone 0844 800 0547.
About Bette
Bette is a specialist in bathroom products that are made of a special metal in a unique manufacturing process: titanium steel sheets are shaped under high pressure and then finished with a thin coating that is related to glass – hence the name “glazed titanium steel”. This composite material is perfect for the bathroom (it is skin-friendly, hygienic, durable and robust), and Bette uses it to make its baths, shower areas, shower trays and washbasins.
The Bette family company was founded in Delbrück in North-Rhine Westphalia in 1952, and specialises exclusively in this manufacturing process, because it allows the products to be shaped smoothly with the maximum skilled precision. The manufacturing and administrative headquarters employs around 385 people. The CEO, Thilo C. Pahl, is a member of the owner family.
The range includes baths, shower areas, shower trays, washbasins and bathroom furniture, all made in Germany. Unique items that can be made in various colours and dimensions and open up inspiring interior design ideas for the bathroom. Bette’s assembly processes combine high-tech industrial production techniques with tailor-made manufacturing where it benefits the customer. More than half its products are customised to customer preferences. The company offers over 600 different baths, shower trays and washbasin models in a tremendous range of colours.
The natural raw materials glass, water and steel are used to manufacture high-quality products that are completely recyclable. They are verified to the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) as per ISO 14025 and to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Acquabella’s new Acquawhite collection stars the Levi, Vars, Venet, Lech and Zermatt series. The collection was conceived thanks to Dolotek®, Acquabella’s new material that allows highly precise, sculptural designs without compromising on its characteristic quality. In addition, this new catalogue contains the added novelty of adding bathtubs and totems to the range of products on offer.
Mineral charges and resin are combined to create Dolotek®, leading to a synergy that favours resistance to impact and thermal shock, creating a highly durable material that is also resistant to UV rays. Thus, the purest white is guaranteed, even if the product is at the mercy of the sun.
According to Acquabella another striking property of this new material is that it allows for high-precision design, tracing thin thicknesses without compromising on quality. This creates unique shapes that give the Acquawhite collection great versatility, with products that, although they follow the same lines, have a marked difference between them.
It is also worth noting the softness that features throughout the series, similar to that of natural stone. Presented by Acquabella, this new antibacterial surface is not only a delight to the touch, but also ensures easy and thorough cleaning with minimal effort as it is non-porous.
The Levi, Vars and Venet series include bathtubs, totems and sinks. Levi, inspired by the movement of the ocean, is a series whose products widen at the top, culminating in an extremely slim and captivating profile that is particularly comfortable in bathtubs. By contrast, the Vars range presents more robust shapes and takes risks with the thickness of its profiles, creating a visual game that will draw everyone’s gaze. Venet, meanwhile, is a series reminiscent of Arctic glaciers: pieces of great purity, which transmit serenity and melt at their base, giving rise to a totally groundbreaking design.
Lech is a bathtub that manages to capture the purest softness in its oval shapes. It’s a piece that blends seamlessly into any environment.
Zermatt offers a series of single and double-breasted worktops that will be the perfect complement to any bathroom, thanks to the collection’s characteristic white. These are characterised by their angular and robust shapes.
Serie Lech
Serie Zermatt
Serie Vars
With the new collection, Acquabella opens the door onto a timeless, attractively simple new design, which conceals a great variety capable of seducing all audiences, turning the bathroom into a room full of design, comfort and relaxation.
According to organiser Messe Frankfurt, the decision to cancel the live event (planned to take place next March) was due to governments tightening travel restrictions and the fact the latest pandemic developments are causing growing uncertainty among trade fair customers.
Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt: “It is important for our customers that we make a decision at an early date, as it would otherwise be time for them to begin investing in their trade fair presentations. Messe Frankfurt will continue working closely with its customers to ensure that its decisions serve the interests of the exhibiting industries.”
“That is why Messe Frankfurt has reacted to tightened travel restrictions by revamping its spring 2021 trade fair calendar for Frankfurt.
Messe Frankfurt has already organised 13 large trade fairs at various locations in China since the crisis began. Unfortunately, however, it is not possible to hold such events in Germany at present. This is in spite of the fact that exhibition halls are amongst the safest enclosed buildings in which people can spend time without being subjected to an increased risk of infection. The halls can be continuously resupplied with fresh air, and in conjunction with the measures included in our extensive hygiene concept, people could safely do business in person here on the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.”
The online only version of ISH 2021 will include exhibitor presentations (products, information, videos, contact persons, chat functions and one-to-one video calls), intelligent matchmaking that delivers suitable business partners for AI-supported lead generation, live streams and on-demand broadcasts of the supporting programme, and appointments for online meetings with exhibitors.
GROHE has announced that its ground-breaking tap innovation for the bathroom, Icon 3D, has been shortlisted for Product of the Year 2020 in the FX Awards. Heralded as a desirable accolade within the architect and design community, the prestigious FX Awards invite both British and international design talent from all over the world to shine a spotlight on the very best interior products and projects worldwide. This year, in light of Covid-19 restrictions, the FX International Awards will replace its annual ceremony with a digital presentation on Wednesday 25th November, when the winners will be announced.
Raj Mistry, Marketing Director for GROHE UK comments: “With ICON 3D, we have achieved a truly remarkable piece of product design using a new and innovative manufacturing process rarely seen in the industry. The FX Awards is a coveted ceremony and a respected voice in the design industry that is known for celebrating the best of the best. To be shortlisted for an award is therefore always a great honour.”
Paul Flowers, Chief Design Officer LIXIL also responsible for the GROHE brand said: “With GROHE Icon 3D, we are entering the future of product design as we are now able to create designs that at first appear impossible. By embracing the still-emerging technology of 3D metal-printing, we are pushing the boundaries of design and truly shaping the future of water.”
With ultra-thin structures and hollow interiors being key features in what is the first 3D metalprinted taps by a leading European sanitaryware brand, GROHE explores how visual illusion and spectacle could influence the changing landscape of sanitaryware design in the future. Icon 3D has been created to start new conversations and ways of thinking when it comes to bathroom product design. GROHE’s vision to refine the design to its bare minimum also helps cut back as much as 50% of precious material resources whilst providing a new, unprecedented experience with water and tap design.
The components for GROHE Icon 3D are produced by printing metal, using a powder bed laser melting process, a material unique to GROHE, developed by its R&D team. Consisting of more than 4,000 applied layers of powder are each only a few micrometres thick, the form of each tap is formidably strong. Following the printing, each component is mechanically treated on a CNC milling machine, followed by a manual grinding and fine brushing procedure.
The Iconic Awards 2020 from the “German Design Council” is regarded as an independent, international seal of quality for contemporary developments and design achievements. Every year, the jury awards prizes to designers, planners, project developers and companies that stand out for their pioneering achievements – including HEWI.
According to Hewi, the dispenser system sets new standards in design and functionality.The system was awarded this year’s Iconic Award 2020 in the “Product” category.
In an interview, Ann-Sophie Bergmann, the team leader of Hewi’s product management team reveals what they believe makes HEWI’s innovation so unique.
HEWI Team Leader Product Management Ann-Sophie Bergmann supervised the project
LISA MEYER-FLOREN: Ms Bergmann, what is special about the new HEWI dispenser systems and what distinguishes them from current models?
ANN-SOPHIE BERGMANN: The System 900 dispenser products offer a wide range of options which optimally match the HEWI System 900 and thus enable the design of the sanitary room from a single source. In addition, the range offers many variants so that there is the right solution for every requirement. There is a choice of models with powder coating in black, grey tones and white as well as stainless steel variants. Of course, the design is particularly noteworthy, with its reduced design language and unique surfaces. Especially our high-quality powder coating in combination with stainless steel elements make the products unique.
LISA MEYER-FLOREN: The new dispenser systems hit the nerve of the times. How do HEWI dispenser systems support hygiene in sanitary rooms and where can they be used?
ANN-SOPHIE BERGMANN: The HEWI dispenser systems can be used in all areas – from hotels to stadiums. The dispensers are characterised by their robustness and are therefore perfectly suited for use in heavily frequented sanitary rooms. The majority of the dispensers are not only available as manually operated variants but also as a Sensoric version.
From soap and disinfectant dispensers, paper towel dispensers and waste bins through to hygiene combinations in various sizes, HEWI offers a consistent, functional range. Thanks to their straight lines, the products also create a particularly easy-to-clean surface. A new addition is the disinfectant dispenser column, which is intended to ensure additional hygiene in public areas , particularly in the current situation but also in future. A free-standing column has the advantage that it can be repositioned without having to be mounted on the wall.
LISA MEYER-FLOREN: What does the Iconic Awards 2020 mean to you?
ANN-SOPHIE BERGMANN: In my opinion the Iconic Award is a special recognition of the design performance and innovation of the new dispenser systems. At HEWI, design is always at the centre of product development and we also have the claim of incorporating innovative solutions in our new products. The award of the Iconic Award now shows that our efforts have paid off and that we have brought an architecturally and creatively excellent product onto the market.
LISA MEYER-FLOREN: Thank you very much for the interview.
The Jury 2020
An independent and expert jury decides on theawarding of the Iconic Awards. It is made up of representatives from the fields of architecture, interior design, design and brand communication.
Michal Casertano, Atelier Brückner GmbH, Stuttgart
Asif Khan, Asif Khan Ltd, London
Silvia Olp, aed e.V., Association for the Promotion of Architecture, Engineering & Design, Stuttgart
Dr. Werner Sobek, Werner Sobek AG
Linda Stannieder, CXO Huawei Research&Development, Berlin
Song Zhaoqing, Lacime Architects, Shanghai
Lutz Dietzold, German Design Council , Frankfurt am Main
Leading Austrian Architecturalfirm uses natural materials for a family home. Surrounded by wine terraces, they created a bathing experience with fabulous panoramic view.
Sustainability meets design in Austria’s Winzendorf-Muthmannsdorf municipality: Surrounded by grapevines and set on a sloping plot of around 1,600 square metres, is a detached house in harmony with nature. The distinctive and nature-loving architecture is in evidence outside, in the form of the charred larch cladding used on the façade. Sustainable building methods are demonstrated throughout the light-filled, open-plan house all the way through to the bathroom: This is where, in keeping with the overall eco-friendly concept; architect Oliver Steinbauer, owner of the firm STEINBAUER architektur+design, in Vienna’s Neustadt, installed a Kaldewei Conoduo bathtub, made from sustainable steel enamel. Thanks to its natural raw materials, steel enamel is 100 % recyclable and exceptionally long-lasting. A home as a stylishly designed sustainable building The lower levels inside the new-build family home are dominated by sandblasted concrete ceilings, steel, exposed screed and large windows. The private rooms feature white Corian, naturally oiled oak and discreet east-facing light slits. All of the built-in furnishings have been crafted from brushed wild oak, these are combined with individual pieces made of Engelsberg marble from the nearby quarry. The wine-cellar is another design highlight, sunk deep into the earth for optimum temperature control.
“Because the plot is a vineyard that has been family-owned for generations, creating a building that was timeless and in harmony with nature was paramount right from the start,” says architect Oliver Steinbauer.
The client wanted elegance and eco-friendliness everywhere, including the bathroom The bathroom is located on a mezzanine floor. At its heart is the sunken Conoduo bathtub from Kaldewei which has a framed view towards the Engelsberg mountain to the northwest. Here too, the focus on eco-friendly building methods is evident from the material used for the bathtub. The Conoduo is made of Kaldewei steel enamel, an exquisite symbiosis of steel and glass. Steel enamel is manufactured by Kaldewei from natural raw materials. At the end of its useful life it can be fully recycled. The glazed surface of the bathtub is extremely robust, hygienic and easy to clean. Kaldewei backs up its exceptional longevity with a 30-year guarantee.
“The steel enamel bathtub goes perfectly with the open but varied spatial layout and the property’s reduced natural materiality,” says Oliver Steinbauer.
The design of the bathtub fits seamlessly into this home. Conoduo’s hallmarks are its minimalist design and timeless elegance – rounded off by a flat waste outlet and a discreet overflow, both enamelled in the same colour as the bathtub. This allows the bathtub, in keeping with the property overall, to meet the highest standards of design and aesthetic. The home’s owners can thus enjoy a relaxing bath while feeling that they are sitting in the middle of a wine terrace. This superbly soothing setting make this the perfect spot for them to savour a fine wine made from their own grapes.
Thanks to the natural building method and the choice of materials, the house is integrated perfectly into its wine-terrace surroundings.
At night-time too, with the right lighting the open-plan design of this detached house can be discerned in the living area.
Kaldewei’s Conoduo bathtub is ideal for sustainably-designed building projects. It is made of long-lasting steel enamel and is 100 per cent recyclable.
In keeping with the property as a whole, the bathtub meets the highest standards of design and aesthetic. Its hallmarks are minimalist design and timeless elegance – rounded off by a flat waste outlet and a discreet overflow, both enamelled in the same colour as the bathtub.
Kaldewei’s Conoduo bathtub
A relaxing bath surrounded by wine slopes: this superbly soothing setting makes this the perfect spot to savour a fine wine made from one’s own grapes.
