Now in its eighth year, the 2013 Bathroom Innovation Award (BIA) challenged design professionals and students to look to the future and develop an original bathroom product that incorporates technology in one of three categories – Destination Space, Sustainable Space and Independent Space.
Professional Award Winner – “Wind Rain Fire” by Chris Connell
Wind Rain Fire is an integrated shower product suite comprising a combined overhead shower and extractor fan, touch sensitive illuminated shower mixer panel, heated towel rack with in-built fan, and a floor shower drain. Carefully designed to balance the practical with the aesthetic, Wind Rain Fire creates visual unity in the shower space while simplifying the overall shower experience. The combined shower head and extractor fan addresses the common problem of bathroom fogging while also reducing the number of ceiling fixtures – an important consideration in small bathroom spaces.
This year’s judges praised Connell’s clever approach to creating a more streamlined bathroom by
removing the need for separate exhaust fans and the careful balance of aesthetic, function and technology in the Wind Rain Fire product suite.
“The bathroom has become such an important aspect of design in our homes. There’s a growing focus on streamlining design, make less with more, and making products easier to use, all of which contributed to the development of Wind Rain Fire,” Chris says.
Chris Connell is Principal at Chris Connell Design, an interior design and architecture firm based in Melbourne.
Student Award Winner – “At The Touch” by Amanda Paukner
For University of South Australia final year Industrial Design student Amanda Paukner, a desire to use technology help the environment inspired her 2013 BIA-winning design, the At The Touch shower touch screen. Surprised to learn how much water is used in the average shower each minute, Paukner looked for ways to prompt users to change their showering behaviour.
At The Touch is an in-shower touch screen that allows users to control shower operation and shows real-time water usage in litres or dollar figures, colour coded to highlight undesirable levels of water use. As well as giving complete control of water temperature and pressure, At The Touch also allows users to set alarms or shower cut offs to reinforce water-conscious showering.
“We all like to stand under the warm water of the shower, often without realising how long we’re there or how much water we’re using,” Amanda says. “But would we stay there as long if we could see the litres adding up before our eyes or how many dollars were being added to our water bill?”
The judging panel admired the simplicity of Paukner’s design and her clever approach to encouraging water saving behaviour through an in-shower display and touch screen control panel.
For more information visit www.bathroominnovation.com.au
