Hansgrohe Design Prize 2016 awarded to young international designers
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 Design Prize 2016 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: Digitalising the Modern Bathroom”.
The jury, which consisted of three experts, 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.
First Place – Rok Kostanjšek from Slovenia (EUR 2,000 prize)
Idea: Stingray | Mixer
Design: Rok Kostanjšek
University: Academy of Fine Arts and Design Ljubljana, Slovenia
The Stingray mixer 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.
Second Place – Rik Oudenhoven from Sweden (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. 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.
Third Place – Kai Klemet from Finland (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 ring-shaped 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.
Third Place – Philipp Emmert from Germany (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.
Third Place – Eric Kerti from Romania (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.
For more information visit hansgrohe.com.au
