News Release
Immediate Release – 1st June 2010
Ideal Standard hosts roundtable on future of bathroom design
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Last week, Ideal Standard International, a leading provider of innovative and design-driven bathroom solutions, hosted a roundtable event attended by industry experts at its new bathroom design studio in Clerkenwell. The roundtable which took place on 25 May examined challenges affecting today's bathroom design and explored ideas to help address them.
Chaired by leading bathroom designer Robin LevienRobin Levien RDI is one of Britain’s
most consistently succClick and Clean. The lower wheels and panels can be released to expose the for thorough cleaning. Panel then easily clicks back into position to ensure a water tight seal.essful product
designers of the last 25 years. In 1999
Robin set up Studio Levien with his
wife Tricia Stainton to design domestic
products for leading companies all over
the world. He was made non executive
Design Director of Ideal Standard in
the UK in 2003., experts including Dr Ron Cutler, Director of Biomedical Science at Queen Mary, University of London, Jacob Tompkins, Managing Director, Waterwise, Tony Rheinberg, Marketing Manager, Armitage Shanks, Edward Goodwin and Richard Hartshorn, the designers behind the HygenIQ and Annette Main, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, discussed three main areas shaping bathroom design – hygiene, water saving and bathroom safety.
Dr Ron Cutler kicked off the discussion around hygiene by making the point that while urine is sterile when it leaves the body, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria once it settles on a surface. He said: "Reducing the number of surfaces and using the right materials in bathrooms is key to reducing the possible spread of bacteria. Treating the problem however is preferential to treating the symptom and that's where the design of sanitaryware can really help". But he insists that hand-washing persists in being a real problem and that educating consumers needs to happen. "Compliance remains a challenge as a high percentage of people still don't wash their hands after using the toilet. One of the key roles that bathroom manufacturers can play is to make the sanitaryware as appealing to users as possible so that they desire to wash their hands".
Attendees of the roundtable discussion agreed that there is a need for widespread consumer education on sustainable use of water. Jacob Tompkins, Managing Director at Waterwise said: "Bathroom manufacturers like Ideal Standard have the power of changing people's behavior by designing good water saving products which people will want to use in their homes. Nobody wants to compromise on comfort; therefore it is about eliminating water waste rather than use. This is where big bathroom manufacturers like Ideal Standard come into their own right."
Industry experts also concurred that regulations around Part G don't go far enough. Tony Rheinberg, Marketing Manager at Armitage Shanks said: "The Part G legislation primarily focuses on new homes but it's just not wide reaching enough. As a result, only a very small number of houses are affected by the new legislation - in the UK around 210,000 houses are forecasted to be built in 2010. To make a real difference to the amount of water wasted in the UK on a daily basis, government incentives are needed to encourage households to change their old water guzzling WC's. Old WC's can still use anything from 7.5 litres to 11 litres of water per flush."
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For more information or imagery please contact:
The Ideal Standard Press Office
Hill & Knowlton Tel: 0207 413 3242
Email:
idealstandard@hillandknowlton.com
About Ideal Standard:
As Europe's leading bathroom brand, Ideal Standard's goal is to create a life space that reflects personalised well-being. The brand follows three main philosophies: design, functionality and innovation. Ideal Standard is the flagship brand of Ideal Standard International.
About Ideal Standard International:
Ideal Standard International is a privately-owned company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, operating independently in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. With bathroom solutions as its core business, the company provides bathroom furnishings, fixtures and shower enclosures for residential, commercial and institutional buildings. Its products are sold under its strong international brands Ideal Standard, Jado and American Standard (Asia/Pacific and Incesa), as well as leading local brands including Incesa Standard (Incesa), Armitage Shanks and Sottini (UK), Ceramica Dolomite (Italy), Porcher (France and Incesa) and Vidima (Eastern Europe). The company employs over 17,000 people and is operating in over 30 countries.