Designed to make installing wall-hung and back-to-wall WCs simple, VitrA has introduced its new range of versatile frames and concealed cisterns, including models for floor fixing, floor and wall fixing, reduced height and back-to-wall installations, with 3/6 litre and 2.5/4 litre cisterns.
The new frames have clever features to make installation easy, quick, and fault-free; these include spring-loaded feet to bear the weight and an adjustable clamp to secure the waste pipe in place – both allowing a one-person installation. Water and electrical connections to allow the installation of shower toilets and electrical flush plates, are included. The conduits can be accessed through the flush plate opening, meaning they can be connected in the future retrospectively without causing damage to the wall.
The new frames include a host of technical USPs. Each comes with a wall connection fixing kit, including fully adjustable fixation brackets and front adjustment mounting bolts. There are three water inlet options – left, top and back – for extra flexibility. Spring-loaded feet for perfect positioning make it easy for one-person installation, as well as the adjustable clamp which holds the waste pipe in position, with 50mm of adjustment. Clean water and wastewater pipes are also fixed together with load-bearing clamps.
The thickness of the frames is 30mm x 40mm for perfect rigidity, and the V stopper and flush plate area have reference points that can leave an imprint on the plasterboard to show where to cut the holes. The frames and cisterns are all subject to rigorous reliability and performance testing, and the 3/6 litre cistern option has WRAS approval.
Margaret Talbot, VitrA marketing manager, explains, “Our new concealed cisterns and frames have been produced to be especially trouble-free and super easy to install in various settings – exactly what installers have been asking for. Ease of installation, quiet in operation and a fast first-fix option.”
VitrA offers a range of mechanical and electronic flush plates for use with the frames. For helpful online advice on installation, VitrA has collaborated with Plumberparts on a series of how-to videos.
The Bathrooms to Love brand, from PJH, has announced the launch of the new LILY ceramic range, a contemporary design perfect for teaming up with fitted bathroom furniture.
Characterised by its soft curves and smooth clean lines, theLILY range is a versatile ceramicware family that enhances further the choice of styles and designs within the Bathrooms to Love collection of suites. The appeal of its simplistic styling and streamlined form make it a welcome addition to PJH’s high quality range of bathroom sanitaryware.
Featuring a semi-recessed basin, measuring in at 555mm (W) x 435mm (D), which is suitable for use with fitted bathroom furniture – such as the Benita Furniture design as pictured – theLILY range also includes a comprehensive collection of WCs. WC options include close-coupled fully shrouded, close-coupled open back, back-to-wall and wall-hung models. All feature luxurious soft-close seats and rimless designs as standard.
Bathrooms to Love also offers coordinated brushed brass and matt black overflow basin rings, dual flush buttons and seat hinge caps, perfect for LILY and which can be merchandised easily across the full Bathrooms to Love suite range.
Complete with a Lifetime Guarantee, the LILY Suite is manufactured to exacting standards, boasting a high-quality fit and finish that will stand the test of time.
Supported with PJH’s usual package of Bathrooms to Love showroom point-of-sale, display deals, consumer brochures, website and of course the PJH Partners Portal for online ordering, account management and next-day delivery, the new LILY Suite looks set to become a popular choice amongst retailers and the consumer.
For many DIY enthusiasts, upgrading their own home is an enjoyable pastime, taking time to create their perfect space. When it comes to designing our homes, the stakes are often high, especially when it comes to our functional rooms such as the bathroom.
Planning a new bathroom is not just about creating your very own oasis of well-being, it’s also about ensuring that the products match, fit and function perfectly. Making a conscious product selection is key for ultimate comfort, design harmony and long-lasting quality. That’s why many tend to hesitate when it comes to the more complex changes – such as installing a new toilet.
New bundle concept
The brand-new, bundle concept GROHE SOLIDO ALL IN ONE is a user-friendly alternative that means consumers no longer have to spend time on choosing individual products, but instead can buy smartly and have peace of mind. Once a GROHE WC design has been chosen, the ideal combination of high-quality products and installation components is pulled together by GROHE in just one box, ready for installation.
Making the ideal look possible
GROHE SOLIDO ALL IN ONE makes it easy for consumers to choose the right WC model to suit all preferences. No matter if it’s a classic or modern look, basic level or luxurious comfort – the ready-to-install packages are available in different design variants to meet the highest of standards.
Consumers can choose from four designs that include best sellers and beloved classics such as Bau, Euro, Start Edge and Essence. Consumers also have freedom of choice with regard to preferred features, for example, a quiet flush and hygienic functions. Multiple product options, including all the important parts of a WC set, will ensure the consumer’s choice is a perfect match for all their style and functional requirements.
The perfect WC is more than just a look…
…it is a big component of people’s everyday lives. Nowadays, aspects such as hygiene and sustainability matter when it comes to choosing the right product for the home. The value of hygiene in the bathroom in particular has never been more important, and wall-hung WCs enhance this further. Thanks to their space-saving positioning they allow easy cleaning, with limited fixtures and streamlined fittings.
On top of this, features such as the strong GROHE Triple Vortex flush supports hygiene by cleansing every corner of the bowl, limiting the chances for bacteria to thrive. As people’s conscious decisions are reflected in their interior design choices, the search for sustainable products does not end with the WC itself. The GROHE dual flush system in GROHE’s air flush plates reduces water consumption by up to 50%, helping to support sustainable lifestyle choices.
Duravit’s contribution includes the expertise of development engineer Franziska Wülker and products such as SensoWash® Starck f.
What might life on Mars look like? How would everyday living be managed? Two artists from Bristol, working with an interdisciplinary team, have taken it upon themselves to answer these questions by building the Martian House. Duravit is also in the mix thanks to the expertise of development engineer Franziska Wülker and products like SensoWash® Starck f – the Martian Toilet.
Visionary project Inspired by the Earth-like planet Mars, the artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent brought the project “Building a Martian House” to life in collaboration with Hugh Broughton Architects and Pearce+. The aim of the public art project is to build a real prototype of a Martian house.
Nicki Kent explained: “Mars is a place where you’d have to live carefully and resourcefully.” Ella Good added: “Imagining how a small community would live there offers a sharp lens on our lives here on Earth today and our fraught relationship with consumerism.”
Standard of living and comfort in an environmentthat is hostile to life Franziska Wülker, head of research & development at Duravit AG, came on to the initiators’ radar. In 2020 she took part in the NASA Lunar Loo Challenge, the aim of which was to develop a toilet that would work both in zero-gravity and on the moon. Wülker’s design ranked among the top three.
The development engineer’s fascination and motivation to be involved in the project arises from the discrepancy between the hostile planetary environment and daily comfort: “Everyday life on Mars is challenging and arduous as a result.
That’s why it’s so important that everyday items in the home are designed to be as simple and comfortable as possible. That applies especially to the things we don’t like talking about, such as using the toilet.”
Different approaches to a Martian toilet Requirements for the Martian Toilet include low water and electricity use, ease of operation and maintenance, prevention of unpleasant odors as well as the ability to use urine and feces as fertilizer.
Franziska Wülker identified various approaches: incinerating toilet, separation & composting toilet, freeze-drying, or a toilet with a water flush. Freeze-drying, for instance, removes any water contained in the matter and enables the dried residue to be disposed of. Mars is subject to cold temperatures and low pressure, both of which are required for freeze-drying. “At the same time, the overall process is complex, and we want to make life comfortable for the astronauts on Mars.”
Water extraction on Mars The total volume of the ice reservoir on Mars is 5,000,000 km³. Franziska Wülker: “On Mars there are ice caps at the north and south poles. Some parts of the planet have subterranean ice layers and glaciers up to 100 meters thick and close to the surface. So it’s best to build the Mars base where there’s lots of ice that’s easy to get at.” Water could be extracted by drilling and melting frozen water.
The Martian toilet: SensoWash ® Starck f Franziska Wülker: “SensoWash® reduces the consumption of toilet paper, which also ensures a high level of comfort and hygiene.” A symbiosis of toilet and bidet, Duravit’s SensoWash® shower toilet offers gentle and comfortable hygiene. Pure water is an ideal way to ensure gentle, highly hygienic cleaning. Significantly gentler and more sustainable than toilet paper, water removes bacteria, boosts circulation, and is gentle on skin.
Expanding on her theoretical ideas, Franziska Wülker said: “Treated grey water from washbasins, showers, etc. can be used for flushing via a circular system. It is also conceivable that an additional urinal could be used to separate urine and turn it into fertilizer.”
Franziska Wülker and the project team ultimately opted for a shower-toilet: “We opted for a toilet with a water flush. We’ve also integrated a shower function, which is comfortable and hygienic – plus there’s a lot more water than toilet paper on Mars.”
Exhibition in Bristol The house at M Shed Square in the English city of Bristol will be open to the public until October It will start off as an empty façade and will come to life thanks to alternating interiors that provide opportunities to collectively explore a new, sustainable culture.
Initiator Nicki Kent: “It is to be a place where people can research, experiment, and discuss: a blank canvas to try things out and imagine new perspectives for today’s lifestyles.”
Ella Good sums up: “Each of us has expertise to offer and a part to play in shaping our shared future.”
