‘Bathroom blockbuster’: SUPERPLAN ZERO shower surface by Kaldewei

Superplan Zero has a story behind its development: Kaldewei has always paid attention to customer requirements in terms of shower surfaces and as such have translated these needs into this new product. Installed at floor level, the shower surface becomes part of the bathroom floor and because of the very narrow edges it is possible to tile directly up to the shower edge with almost invisible joints. The waste is placed close to the wall so that standing comfortably and moving safely on the Superplan Zero is guaranteed. The new shower surface is characterised by its elegant and precise lines and is easily accessed from three sides, without having to step up or into the surface.

The base is sustainable, extremely long-lasting and 100 percent recyclable steel enamel. The exquisite glass surface is applied to the steel using a special process and this is what gives it such a luxurious finish. Kaldewei is the only steel enamel manufacturer that produces the enamel, i.e. the basic substance for the glass coating, in-house and using a secret formulation. The quality and durability of these surfaces are legendary.

There are more than 50 different dimensions from 70 to 180 centimetres, diverse surface variations and a wide range of colours, all of which make the Superplan Zero even more attractive. Whether in large or small bathrooms, building owners, planners and installers have full flexibility. The shower surface is available with the almost invisible, anti-slip surface finish Secure Plus, upon request. The Superplan Zero is 100 percent compatible with all the sealing sets, assembly systems and waste fittings from Kaldewei.

Hamish Kilburn: What makes this shower floor different from anything else on the market?

Werner Aisslinger: For starters, it’s super flat and elegant. The maximum body of water is absorbed by the Superplan drainage system even though it looks level, even and flat. Other shower floors have the drain system either in the corner or in the middle of a huge rectangle. Superplan Zero, however, comes in a great many sizes –far more than many others?

Image credit: Kaldewei/Bryan Adams

HK: Can you tell us more about the development of this product – where did the idea come from?

WA: Superplan was part of a product range developed in 2005 – it was a best-selling range for Kaldewei, and 16 years later they wanted to update it. Kaldewei wanted to update the whole range; they wanted to take it to another level to develop Superplan Zero, creating an extremely flat shower floor. The problem with the development was we needed to make it possible to get rid of the water, we needed to take into account facts such as power showers and the amount of water they use per minute or per second and how many litres of water this is and how to dispose of the water. We wanted to go to the limits of what is possible and what is necessary. To make what is possible with a shower floor and to show the world – it was a complex design job. Working together with the engineers from Kaldewei we needed to arrive at a design language that would at the same time keep a feeling and reference to the original Superplan. Matching all the worldwide norms and demands then going to the limit of an extremely flat shape involved a lot of computer work so it was not easy. None of the work was done by hand – we needed to do a lot research and carry out a lot of computer assimilations.

HK: What challenges did you face developing products during lockdown?

WA: I would say the lockdown situation didn’t change so much; although it’s always nice to meet in person it was ok because we were meeting on line. In this case it was all about the data, we produced data, the engineers produced data and then we compared all this on line and with on line calls, so it was easy to switch from a pre corona time to lockdown.

It was not a drama for the evolution of the product to work like this. The challenge was more to compare all the world wide regulations and bathroom floors and the technology of Kaldewei with the moulded metal material, trying to create a design that had a long lifecycle in terms of product and design language to still be a long runner and long term seller within the market.

> Since you’re here, why not read about Kaldewei’s new washbasins that bring sensuality to the bathroom?

Main image credit: Kaldewei/Bryan Adams