Axor Citterio M ... award-winning line.
Hansgrohe’s haute with red dot award
01 October 2008
Hansgrohe recently launched its “haute couture” Axor Starck shower collection on the market.
The collection consists of an actual design system, similar to a mosaic or a puzzle made up of many small, square-shaped objects, that can be combined to form an infinite range of totally flexible solutions.
“This is what we mean by haute couture for the shower,” says French designer Philippe Starck, describing the aesthetic value of the shower collection, where a small, perfect square ushers in a great and flexible design concept.
The collection is a fallout of Axor’s new holistic approach, where the initial focus was on bathroom design and bathroom collections, and has now moved to the shower.
“Once we developed new, holistic approaches to bathroom design with our Axor Starck, Axor Citterio and Axor Massaud bathroom collections, shifted our focus on to the shower,” says Axor brand manager Philippe Grohe. “For this reason, the Axor Starck shower collection is a comprehensive system of modular structures that provide a solution for each and every requirement – it is, if you like, a construction kit consisting of the most diverse range of elements that can be combined to create an infinite number of solutions thanks to its design philosophy. Like all our other collections, it therefore provides the ultimate in freedom for creative design.”
The basic element of the Axor Starck shower collection is a 12 by 12 cm square that can perform a range of different functions: shower, thermostat, lighting or speaker modules. Also, the shelve units conform to the same square shape and the same austere design, as do the control elements such as faucets and mixers. Their minimalist clear lines and geometrical precision, according to a company spokesperson, creates an air of tranquility in the shower and focuses attention on what matters: the enjoyment of the water, says Hansgrohe.
All the modules can be combined freely in any arrangement, and in any number. For example, the shower module can be used not only to create a range of different overhead showers, but by allowing the jet to be adjusted horizontally or vertically, it also performs outstandingly as a variable lateral shower module for the neck and shoulder regions, the company adds.
Earlier, in July this year Hansgrohe won the red dot “best of the best” award for outstanding design washbasin mixer in its Axor Citterio M bathroom collection.
Prior to this award, this bathroom collection - developed in collaboration with the Milan-based star architect Antonio Citterio (with Toan Nguyen) – won two iF Gold Awards in the spring of this year.
The North Rhine Westphalia Design Center in Germany, the organiser of the internationally-renowned red dot competition, only gave 50 of the “best of the best” awards again in 2008.
Some 1,253 businesses from 51 countries competed for this prestigious prize with a total of 3,203 submissions.
“This award is something very special for Hansgrohe as one of the design pioneers in the sanitary industry,” says Philippe. “It recognises our achievements in terms of the design of our products and of the bathroom as a whole as part of our living space. It endorses our strategy of emphasising formal and emotional qualities as well as providing our customers with the highest standard in terms of functionality.”
As well as the award-winning washbasin mixer, the overhead shower and shower pipe in the Axor Citterio M collection, the Pharo SkyLine shower panel and the Hansgrohe Talis Classic fixtures each collected a red dot 2008 prize.
