Design | Dornbracht

Bringing harmony to the bathroom

The Symetrics bathroom concept takes silver at Germany’s top design awards

The Symetrics modular range of sanitary fittings, which was launched in 2007, won a silver award in the product design category of the Designpreis der Bundesrepublik Deutschland 2010 (German Design Award). The award was presented to sieger design and the bathroom fittings manufacturer Aloys F. Dornbracht GmbH & Co. KG, with the ceremony marking the beginning of this year’s Ambiente trade fair in Frankfurt am Main.

Thomas Richter of Dornbracht and Michael Sieger were honoured to accept the certificate recognising their “outstanding concept and design”, signed by Federal Minister of Economics and Technology Rainer Brüderle. The two companies were already excited at having been nominated for the Design Award, which is considered to be the most prestigious in Germany as products can only be nominated by state trade and industry ministries and senators and/or the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. This also applied to sieger design’s Symetrics concept, which through the layout of the individual elements alone creates a sense of harmony and freedom in the bathroom. The jury were impressed enough to pick the range of sanitary fittings from more than 1,200 entries as one of the best products in 2010.

The agency's award-winning range is distinguished from rival products by its core design concept. Whereas any new development previously tended to begin with a formative design, nowadays the development of the concept is the very first stage of any project. “The blurring of boundaries between living space and kitchen and the transformation of the bathroom from a place for washing to a place for enjoying life mean that concepts need to be thoroughly developed and checked before being put into practice,” explains Benedikt Sauerland, member of the management at sieger design. That is precisely how Symetrics works: the modular system follows a precise pattern but, thanks to the comprehensive range of individual components, enables complete freedom in bathroom design. The clearly defined basic dimensions (60 x 60 mm) of the individual elements make it easy for planners, property developers, and buyers to set appropriate distances between them.

Among the organisations to whom both companies owe this award is the German Design Council, who are responsible for organisation and selecting the winners. The jury includes members drawn from the worlds of industry, academia, design and the media, and awards the prize for outstanding achievement in the fields of product and communication design. 2010 saw 5 gold and 18 silver awards conferred. Selection criteria include functionality, product aesthetics, innovation and the overall concept.

Picture Copyright: Dornbracht, Rat für Formgebung
Product Photography: Thomas Popinger, Rat für Formgebung
Communication Concept, Creation and Architecture for Dornbracht: Meiré und Meiré

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