SaphirKeramik
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Swiss manufacturer Laufen is the only company in the world to produce SaphirKeramik, a new patent pending ceramic­ material. Laufen revolutionised bathrooms in 2013 with this unique material perfected after five years’ intensive research and development. Strong and malleable, SaphirKeramik permits the creation of wafer-thin yet robust 3– 5mm walls and tight-edge radii of just 1–2mm. Its slender profile not only allows for a more pre­ cise design language but also has functional and ecological a ­ dvantages. For example, its slim walls create more functional space. This revolutionary,...

KARTELL BY LAUFEN DESIGN BY L + R PALOMBA Kartell by Laufen 815334 (tap bank right) 460 × 280 × 120 mm Kartell by Laufen 815335 (tap bank left) 460 × 280 × 120 mm Kartell by Laufen 810334 (shelf right) 600 × 460 × 120 mm Kartell by Laufen 810335 (shelf left) 600 × 460 × 120 mm The unique material SaphirKeramik opens up new opportunities of design with much more creative freedom and greater finesse while the traditional production process is maintained. With arbitrary non-linear shrinkage in the drying and firing process, vitreous china is the oldest and also the most difficult to control...

VAL BY KONSTANTIN GRCIC KONSTANTIN GRCIC: The prospect of working with SaphirKeramik, a very innovative and new material, certainly gave the project an extra edge. I always enjoy technology! Bath­room ceramics are a very classic project in industrial design. The opportunity to explore a new material in such a traditional domain is ­ unique. Laufen appealed to me because of its culture, its quality, but in the end it’s the people who make the difference for me. To achieve an immaculate surface fine dust is blown away from the washbasin before glazing. Munich-born Konstantin Grcic has created...

VAL DESIGN BY KONSTANTIN GRCIC INO DESIGN BY TOAN NGUYEN

INO BY TOAN NGUYEN TOAN NGUYEN: It was a great opportunity to work with a new material, which hardly ever happens. SaphirKeramik is dense and ­ strong yet very fine, its lines very precise. It’s like ­ raditional ceramic in that it’s hygienic t and shares the same production processes. But, while it’s made of ceramic, it’s also modern, very high-performance. The material is like a fruit with a thin skin: when you unpeel it there’s a lot of fruit inside. The washbasin with an edge radius of 1– 2 mm is still soft and delicate while being demoulded. Continuing the path of collaboration already...

Left: SaphirKeramik derives its strength from its component corundum, a colourless mineral found in saphires. Top: For the first time, Laufen’s groundbreaking rapid prototyping has created an exploratory model made of SaphirKeramik. AT THE VANGUARD OF DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY Journalist Dominic Lutyens in discussion with the Laufen team. WHY DID YOU CREATE SAPHIRKERAMIK? AND WHAT ADVANTAGES DO YOU THINK IT HAS? The materials used to make ceramic sanitary­ ware have remained the same for years yet have changed in all other disciplines of product develop­ ment. This is why we created...

PROTOTYPES MADE OF SAPHIRKERAMIK AT FAIRS AND DESIGN EVENTS IN MILAN, LONDON, MIAMI AND BELGRADE LASTYEAR? The prototypes look like the finished products and enable us to assess how successful the designs were. They have all the qualities you appreciate in ceramic products from their tactile, sensual surfaces to the way they reflect light and their impeccable but robust, long-lasting finish ... Our prototypes allow us to explore the material and create finished pieces in a short space of time. They were also a useful research tool for us to find out what our clients and opinion-formers from...

Founded in 1892, Swiss company Laufen has been at the vanguard of innovation in industrially manufac­ tured bathroom design. Laufen invented the wall-hung WC, the floor-standing ceramic washbasin and, in 1981, the most efficient high-pressure casting tech­ nology. Sustainability is a key concern for Laufen, which has won the European Environment Prize for Outstanding Achievements and several Green Good Design Awards in recognition of its environmentally friendly manufacturing. HEAD OFFICE LAUFEN Bathrooms AG, Wahlenstrasse 46 CH-4242 Laufen, Schweiz Tel. +41 61 765 71 11, Fax +41 61 761 36...