In the Brillux guest house, apartment bathrooms and semi-public WC facilities are becoming havens of well-being
A “shared temporary home” – this was what varnish and paint manufacturer Brillux was looking to offer its employees and training guests with B-Wohnen at its main site in Münster. As a seasoned expert in the sanitary area, sieger design developed the bathroom concept for 60 new residential apartments on the one hand, and on the other, the semi-public WC facilities in the communal spaces accessible to all users. At the start of 2020, it opened its doors for the first guests.
The new B-Wohnen guest house consists of three interlinked atrium buildings. The residential apartments are located on the upper floors and on the ground floor can be found the communal spaces, which are used in a similar way to those in a shared apartment.
The bathrooms in the residential apartments
The sieger design team was responsible for designing the bathrooms from the first draft sketches to the detailed implementation drawings to the product fittings. While the semi-public spaces were intended to promote open communication between the residents, the residential apartments required a design that offered a retreat. The bathrooms had to be pure, clear and practical in their styling. “We wanted a durable, timeless design with real materials and a very high degree of functionality. For example, it was important to us that easy-care materials be used,” says Michael Sieger. Stoneware tiles with natural-stone characteristics and light wood surfaces appear inviting, bright and friendly while also being resilient and robust. The full-surface mirrors and the half-height partition wall to the shower area make the space, at just less than 5sqm, appear bigger. Sufficient storage space, pleasant lighting and the extraordinary ventilation system offer additional crucial advantages for residents.
The basis for implementation – which took place in close collaboration with the architectural firm Vervoorts & Schindler, architect Carole Asfour-Lin and the König family, who own Brillux – was initially a mock-up at sieger design’s in-house workshop. A functional 1 : 1 model room followed, which facilitated key insights for implementation – for example, concerning the optimal preparation of maintenance for the technical elements such as lighting or the ventilation system.
The WC facilities in the communal spaces
For the WC facilities on the ground floor, sieger design suggested a concept that was developed alongside the implementation of the guest house and was later published as the architectural study “Personal Sensory Spaces”. Key approaches in this study can be found in the WC facilities in the communal spaces. A sensory experience therefore took centre stage. Wall-high woodland and water images, evenly backlit by LED displays, bring nature to the space and give the impression of looking out of the window. A newly developed towel dispenser for removing paper towels was employed at the open washstand for the first time; because of its particular functionality, sieger design applied for a patent for this. The bin for used towels integrated into the washstand and the refill units tucked away behind the facings keep the area clear and tidy.
And the aesthetic of the open wash area continues into the individual soundproofed WC cubicles with full-surface LED wall elements. WC accessories such as replacement toilet rolls, toilet brushes and hygiene bags are tucked away in a functional rear wall and cannot be seen when entering the cubicle. Fresh air flows in through the rear floor area and is extracted separately from each cubicle via the all-round shadow gap in the ceiling.
It was very important to all those involved that the accessible bathroom be planned with the same functional and aesthetic standards as the men’s and ladies’ WC facilities, while of course meeting all DIN specifications.
Product information
Alongside Meta 02 bathroom fittings by Dornbracht in the shower, on the washstand and for the accessories, Brillux chose an undercounter basin by Alape, the Moon Dance vanity mirror by Aliseo, and the wall-mounted toilet Happy D.2 by Duravit, among other things.
In the semi-public WC facilities, Brillux selected the touch-free Tara bathroom fitting and Meta 02 bathroom accessories by Dornbracht, a mirror by Alape, as well as an undercounter basin, wall-mounted toilet Happy D.2 and urinal by Duravit.
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