Tap For More: Architects talk futuristic design with Andreas Diefenbach

Architects and designers are meant to create spaces that are efficient, experiential, and aesthetic. Yet they are restricted by what is on offer, what sits in a catalogue, and what the shelves hold.

Where bathroom spaces are concerned, there is often a dichotomy between the experience that the client wants, how the designer intends to achieve it, and what is feasible to be executed on ground.

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STIR, in partnership with Intersekt and Hansgrohe, curated Tap for More – a stimulating session with award-winning design innovator Andreas Diefenbach – to address the greatest challenges pertaining to the current available selection of sanitary fittings and how these can be conquered by design interventions. Select Indian architects were invited to elaborate on concepts illustrating the design requirements they seek in these products, suggesting trends that they would like to see shaping up, and how they would like technology to frame the future for a more sustainable and smarter bath lifestyle. Five most pertinent entries were chosen by a panel comprising leadership from Hansgrohe, Intersekt and STIR, and discussed as key subjects during the event held at the Intersekt studio in New Delhi.

The highlight was that each of the five participants articulated their proposals with Diefenbach, the Managing Partner at Stuttgart-based Phoenix Design. The designer, who has created Hansgrohe’s expert range of sanitary fittings, discussed the many challenges and ideas at the session, moderated by Mrinalini Ghadiok (Editor, STIR) in the presence of Hansgrohe leadership Gregory Crouzeix (Managing Director, Hansgrohe Singapore and Head of Sales, Asia Pacific) and Gaurav Malhotra (Managing Director, Hansgrohe India), as well as Amit Gupta (Founder, Curator, Content Director, STIR) and Ridhi and Vidur Arora (Co-founders, Intersekt).

The line-up of selected architects included Deepanjali Chawla (Visarg Design Studio), Aparna Kaushik, Aanchal Chaudhary (Ankay Design), Anil Singh (We Design) and Dinesh Panwar (Urbanscape Architects), each sharing a refreshing perspective on the limitations at hand and their vision for the future.

Tap for luxury without guilt

Chawla floated an idea titled Guilt! of a sustainable kind, connecting the common association of showers with luxurious long baths. "Maybe a fitting that allows separate settings for a short and crisp workday bath, or a lingering, luxurious weekend one,” she suggested.

Tap for sustainability

Chaudhary said that users today are environmentally conscious and ask for facilities that go beyond the aesthetic and functional purpose of the bathroom fittings, from water saving and hard-water scaling prevention to built-in temperature control and many more. “It is a big challenge now that the fittings and the fixtures that we choose for the clients have to be environmentally conscious,” she pointed out.

Tap for localised solutions

Meanwhile, Kaushik highlighted the limitations of using these fittings, which are often designed as per the European market needs. “The total dissolved solids in Indian water are typically higher than the regulated standards in Europe and several other nations,” she said while proposing the need for these products to consider local factors.

Tap for an exceptional experience

With experience being a critical aspect in informing the way bathrooms are designed across the world, Panwar mused about the childlike joy of being bathed and groomed. He proposed a facility where contemporary bath fittings could cater to a personalised moment for the user with a fully automated experience.

Tap for a seamless design

Shefali Gupta, who represented We Design on behalf of Anil Singh, reflected on the norm that construction materials often dictate how a tap and basin end up looking in a bath space. Contrary to the individual aesthetics and functions of the two, she proposed to integrate them as a single element for a more refined experience.

Tap for a better future

Considering the water scarcity in India, the audience participated whole-heartedly with their suggestions on exploring a system of bathing which could use part-mist part-spray, as well as thoughts on developing a local solution where water recycling could take place right after one stepped out of the shower.

As the brainstorming session concluded with some fresh and fabulous ideas to define the changing bath design landscape, Diefenbach along with the leadership at Hansgrohe shed light on their approach to creating futuristic, eco-friendly technology that promises to change the game ahead.