Bathroom goals: when sustainability meets design

730 565 Hamish Kilburn
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Bathroom goals: when sustainability meets design

Leading Austrian Architectural firm STEINBAUER architektur+design used natural materials to design a family home, and specified Kaldewei products to create a bathing experience unlike any other…

Sustainability meets design in Austria’s Winzendorf-Muthmannsdorf municipality. Surrounded by grapevines, and set on a sloping plot of around 1,600 square metres, is a detached house in harmony with nature. The distinctive and nature-loving architecture is in evidence outside, in the form of the charred larch cladding used on the façade. The client requested elegance and eco-conscious design everywhere, including the bathroom.

Image credit: Kaldewei

Sustainable building methods are demonstrated throughout the light-filled, open-plan house all the way through to the bathroom: this is where, in keeping with the overall eco-friendly concept; architect Oliver Steinbauer, owner of the firm STEINBAUER architektur+design, in Vienna’s Neustadt, installed a Kaldewei Conoduo bathtub, made from sustainable steel enamel. Thanks to its natural raw materials, steel enamel is 100 per cent recyclable and exceptionally long-lasting.

The lower levels inside the new-build family home are dominated by sandblasted concrete ceilings, steel, exposed screed and large windows. The private rooms feature white Corian, naturally oiled oak and discreet east-facing light slits. All of the built-in furnishings have been crafted from brushed wild oak, these are combined with individual pieces made of Engelsberg marble from the nearby quarry. The wine-cellar is another design highlight, sunk deep into the earth for optimum temperature control.

“Because the plot is a vineyard that has been family-owned for generations, creating a building that was timeless and in harmony with nature was paramount right from the start,” says architect Oliver Steinbauer.

 

The bathroom is located on a mezzanine floor. At its heart is the sunken Conoduo bathtub from Kaldewei which has a framed view towards the Engelsberg mountain to the northwest. Here too, the focus on eco-friendly building methods is evident from the material used for the bathtub. The Conoduo is made of Kaldewei steel enamel, an exquisite symbiosis of steel and glass. Steel enamel is manufactured by Kaldewei from natural raw materials. At the end of its useful life it can be fully recycled. The glazed surface of the bathtub is extremely robust, hygienic and easy to clean. Kaldewei backs up its exceptional longevity with a 30-year guarantee. “The steel enamel bathtub goes perfectly with the open but varied spatial layout and the property’s reduced natural materiality,” added Steinbauer.

The design of the bathtub fits seamlessly into this home. Conoduo’s hallmarks are its minimalist design and timeless elegance – rounded off by a flat waste outlet and a discreet overflow, both enamelled in the same colour as the bathtub. This allows the bathtub, in keeping with the property overall, to meet the highest standards of design and aesthetic. The home’s owners can thus enjoy a relaxing bath while feeling that they are sitting in the middle of a wine terrace. This superbly soothing setting make this the perfect spot for them to savour a fine wine made from their own grapes.

Kaldewei is one of our recommended suppliers. To keep up to date with supplier news, click here. And, if you are interested in becoming one of our recommended suppliers, please email  Katy Phillips by clicking here.

Main image credit: Kaldewei

Hamish Kilburn / 23.09.2020

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