Beirut, 6 November 2019. GROHE Icon 3D has been announced as winner of the Best Product Design at the Blueprint Awards 2019. The Blueprint Awards are revered for recognising those at the very forefront of innovation in design and architecture. GROHE was in excellent company in the competitive category, up against fellow industry heavyweights such as Gensler, Minarc and Zaha Hadid Design. The winners were announced in a ceremony at Fabric, London on 17th October.
“To have been named the winner of such a prestigious award with 14 strong contenders, all trailblazers in their respective fields, is a special achievement” said Raj Mistry, Marketing Director for GROHE UK. “Our global design team continually strives to set the bar for what is achievable in product design and to be recognised by Blueprint in this category is a clear demonstration that we are leading the way. GROHE has made considerable R&D investment in 3D printing to really push the industry forwards. We are humbled to be recognised by such a respected editorial voice of the industry.”
Blueprint Awards 2019 judge Sir Nicholas Grimshaw called Icon 3D “simple but beautiful and finely detailed products achieved by 3D metal printing.”
ICON 3D – Blueprint Best Product Design Winner 2019
With ultra-thin structures and hollow interiors being key features in what is the first 3D metal-printed taps by a leading European sanitaryware brand, GROHE explores how visual illusion and spectacle could influence the changing landscape of sanitaryware design in the future. Icon 3D has been created to start new conversations and ways of thinking when it comes to bathroom product design. GROHE’s vision to refine the design to its bare minimum also helps cut back as much as 50% of precious material resources whilst providing a new, unprecedented experience with water and tap design.
The components for GROHE Icon 3D are produced by printing metal, using a powder bed laser melting process, a material unique to GROHE, developed by its R&D team. Consisting of more than 4,000 applied layers of powder that are each only a few micrometres thick, the form of each tap is formidably strong. Following the printing, each component is mechanically treated on a CNC milling machine, followed by a manual grinding and fine brushing procedure.
About GROHE
GROHE is a leading global brand for full bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings and has a total of over 6,000 employees, 2,400 of which are based in Germany. GROHE has been part of the LIXIL Group Corporation since 2014. As an international brand, GROHE pursues the brand values of technology, quality, design and sustainability, seeking to offer the “Pure Freude an Wasser”. GROHE has been developing new product categories since its inception. This includes the GROHE Blue and Red water systems and the recently-introduced GROHE Sense water security system, which is an innovative component in the growth market of smart home technology. Innovation, design and development are closely aligned with one another and are enshrined in the German site as an integrated process. As a result, GROHE products carry the seal of quality “Made in Germany”. In the past ten years alone, more than 300 design and innovation awards as well as several top rankings at the German Sustainability Award have confirmed GROHE’s success. GROHE was the first in its industry to win the German government’s CSR prize and was also featured in the renowned Fortune® magazine’s ranking of Top 50 that are “Changing the World”.
About LIXIL
LIXIL makes pioneering water and housing products that solve every day, real-life challenges, making better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. Drawing on our Japanese heritage, we create world-leading technology and innovate to make high quality products that transform homes. But the LIXIL difference is how we do this; through meaningful design, an entrepreneurial spirit, a dedication to improving accessibility for all and responsible business growth. Our approach comes to life through industry leading brands, including INAX, GROHE, American Standard and TOSTEM. With approximately 75,000 colleagues operating in more than 150 countries are proud to make products that touch the lives of more than a billion people every day. Learn more at www.lixil.com