WATER ENJOYMENT Special Luxury Residential Edition

Editorial Michael Rauterkus LUXURY RESIDENTIAL Interview with Michael Seum Finest Homes House of the Infinite Cádiz, Spain Topo House Wisconsin, USA Limassol Marina Port Grimaud, France EUROPE Barceló Milan Milan, Italy MGallery Cures Trouville-sur-Mer, France Marriott Park Lane London, UK Scheunen Trio Berlin, Germany City Life Milan, Italy Inselloft Norderney, Germany Davos Congress Centre Davos, Switzerland Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, UK German Pavilion Expo Milano 2015 Milan, Italy Mont Yard Sochi, Russia The Edge Amsterdam, Netherlands Excelsior Hotel Gallia Milan, Italy Hotel Dubrovnik Palace...

MY VISION IS TO REVOLUTIONISE THE WAY WE CONNECT WITH WATER Michael Rauterkus CEO GROHE AG ICONIC, INSPIRING AND DRIVEN BY DESIGN, OUR INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS MAKE GROHE THE BRAND OF CHOICE FOR PROMINENT ARCHITECTS AND CLIENTS AROUND THE WORLD.

Dear Reader It gives me great pleasure to introduce the sixth edition of this annual publication “Water Enjoyment”, celebrating iconic architecture from around the world. The projects featured within the book are testament to the exciting era of change we’re experiencing, where great design has created a truly global language, but also where the incredible diversity of culture and aesthetics across our planet is being explored and celebrated. GROHE SmartControl At GROHE we are proud to be at the heart of this changing global landscape, where the future of technology is already transforming our...

LUXURY RESIDENTIAL Defining how the luxury residential market is changing and showcasing some spectacular homes that embody some of these shifts in values Interview with Michael Seum, GROHE’s Vice President Design 12 Finest Home - trends in luxury living 16 House of the Infinite 20 Topo House 26 Limassol Marina 32

CREATING AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION IN THE HEARTS OF OUR CUSTOMERS Interview with Michael Seum, Vice President Design at GROHE, discussing how the luxury residential market is changing and the exciting impact this has on product design. Industrial designer Michael Seum is GROHE’s Vice President of Design taking over from Paul Flowers in June 2015. Born in America, he is an award winning designer whose international design career spans large corporations; acclaimed design studios and entrepreneurial start-up brands such as Procter and Gamble, Whirlpool (USA & Italy), PepsiCo Sports and Nutrition,...

products are going well beyond the rational expectations of consumers – they also have to embody the emotional needs we have in our homes, needs like calming, relaxation, privacy and personal wellbeing. And speaking of emotional needs, our ever-expanding range of luxury F-series customisable shower systems is the ultimate in home luxury wellbeing experiences. The F-series really allows a consumer to create their own personalised experience by incorporating steam, chromatherapy and sound therapy, creating the ultimate luxurious escape from our hyper-connected lives! And going beyond great design...

FINEST HOMES WATER ENJOYMENT DEFINING THE SHIFT IN VALUES What will define individual perceptions of luxury in future bathrooms? How will the needs of people in different regions of the world differ when it comes to furnishing their luxurious residential homes? What will define long-term luxurious living trends and how can GROHE strike a strong emotional chord in the hearts of its customers, bringing luxury water enjoyment to all types of exquisite homes? The following compendium of globally relevant studies outlines insights that suggest people’s values are changing. The sense of luxury in different...

significantly altered the understanding of luxury in Europe and the US. Quality of life and selfdetermined time as immaterial values have increasingly gained importance compared to the luxury provided by material values. Today, people want things to be more understated, more discreet, more comprehensive and hence ‘quieter’ (source: Brand Trust study “New Luxury and Brands Reloaded”). A different picture emerges if we have a look at China, where luxury is still something new. In China, there is a ‘fast and extroverted’ lifestyle, and distinction plays a greater role. The growing disparity in perceptions...

CÁDIZ HOUSE OF THE INFINITE

The villa in its minimalist setup is made from travertine, a nod by the Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza to the material used by the Roman settlers who were responsible for the expansion of the city of Cadiz almost two thousand years ago. Baeza imagined the house as “an acropolis, where the gods descend to converse with humans.” The house, indeed, resembles an archeological site, since half of the building is sunk deep in the desert and the accessible flat roof features detached walls which look like ruins. Inside, the design of the house remains austere yet modern, and the mainly open floor...

Architect Alberto Campo Baeza Estudio Arquitectura Campo Baeza Madrid, Spain Address Cádiz, Spain Date of completion 2014 Area used 900m² Floor-to-ceiling windows cover nearly all of the 20-metre length of the building’s seaside façade. Sparse design and concessions to comfort for moments of rest and contemplation. The house resembles an archeological dig, as it is nestled deep in the desert. The roof platform with pool ensures an infinite view to the endless ocean. Freestanding walls on top of the roof platform evoke the impression of ancient ruin

WISCONSIN TOPO HOUSE

The Topo House, completed in 2013, perfectly fits into the surrounding natural setting, as it more or less directly blends in with the rolling hills of Wisconsin. The house rises into five interconnected open levels with an “observatory” at the top, providing a panoramic view of the surroundings. This unique building clearly shows how a house can merge with its context so that the boundaries between landscape and architecture are blurred. The exterior skin of the house features 190 aluminium fins that appear to change colour depending on light and shadow. Moreover, the fins also serve as a kind...