Looking Ahead: Our Bathrooms In 2034
New Study Presents Four Possible Scenarios for the Bathroom of the
Future
NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2014 – Welcome to 2034. What’s your future self
wondering? Perhaps how people live and what lifestyles have become
the norm? What individual rooms in homes look like and what
functions they now serve? Two innovative companies, leading
sanitary fittings manufacturer GROHE, and ceramics maker Villeroy
& Boch along with the cooperation of Zukunftsinstitut, the
influential Frankfurt-based think tank led by futurist Matthias
Horx, conducted a study to determine what the bathroom in
particular might evolve into by 2034.
The result was four futuristic bathrooms scenarios that were
derived from an online survey of a representative group of 1,075
respondents as well as an analysis of current international mega
trends and social developments. Each of the four models brings an
essential aspect of the bathroom into sharp focus.
The Multi-ID Bathroom: Personalized convenience
The new GrohTherm® 2000 is a modern solution for the bathtub
and the shower, combining all advantages of a thermostat with a
perfect water experience.
According to the survey, most people (60 percent) want a bathroom
that meets the needs and expectations of everybody living in the
household. Today, innovations like the new GrohTherm 2000
thermostat with GROHE TurboStat® technology brings users their
desired water temperature in seconds. By 2034, smart home
technology will make this easy to achieve without compromising on
individual convenience.
As soon as a user enters a bathroom, all elements will adjust
automatically to his or her favorite settings – from the room
temperature to music and colored lighting, from the height of the
sink and toilet bowl to their preferred surfaces such as wood,
stone or tiles – all of which will be able to be projected onto
screens with a high degree of realism.
The Healthful Bathroom: The bathroom as a central point of
personalized health management, where users actively check in on
their physical well-being.
The Multi-ID Bathroom will also allow for the variability of
individual fittings and furniture: the bathtub doubling as a
seating area, the sink becoming a makeup studio and the mirror
turning into a news screen. Depending on which user is present in
the room at the time, certain elements can disappear behind the
wall or rise up from the floor. In addition, many fittings will be
multifunctional, with the hand shower dispensing not only water but
also shampoo, or the shower doubling as a full-body drier,
obviating the need for a towel.
The Multi-ID Bathroom will also be available in semi-public
environments like hotels or offices. Everybody will be able to
activate their personal bathroom settings anywhere, immediately
feeling at ease even when stepping into a bathroom away from home.
This will be made possible by cloud-based technologies and the
ability of many products to store select features and settings.
Bathroom products incorporating digital technology are already a
reality. GROHE SPA® F-digital products, for instance, give users
fingertip access to their favorite shower temperature or preset
water delivery programs at the sink. Touching the pause button
suspends the flow of water, perfect for shampooing. Once stored, a
setting can be repeated with the utmost precision time and
time again.
The Healthful Bathroom: A Wholesome Haven
The perfect solution for a personalized bathroom experience
available today, GROHE SPA® F-digital products provide fingertip
access to favorite shower temperatures or preset water delivery
programs at the sink.
Almost half of the people surveyed would like to have a bathroom
with health-oriented features. By 2034, the bathroom will become a
central point of personalized health management, where users
actively check in on their physical well-being. Various elements
installed throughout the bathroom will enable this. They will
measure bodily functions and collect vital data that is then fed
back to the user. The toilet will analyze urine, the toothbrush
will collect information from saliva and even blood readings will
be able to be taken in full comfort using non-invasive
methods.
“The bathroom of the future becomes a perfect place for health
diagnostics – thanks to what I call ‘active digitality’ i.e. the
production of data for further use,” says Paul Flowers, Senior Vice
President Design of Grohe AG, adding “The visualization of health
data in the bathroom will play an important role. The information
can be projected in the form of icons or plain text messages onto
mirrors and other surfaces. Even some kind of audio feedback is
imaginable.”
The bathroom can also assume the function of a fitness center. An
on-screen avatar will motivate us to do certain exercises by
demonstrating the routines and awarding us digital badges when we
accomplish specific goals. Motivational tunes and even cheers will
put a virtual personal trainer in our bathroom.
In addition, the bathroom’s function as a health center will be
complemented by web-based technologies that provide online access
to the nearest pharmacy, live chats with doctors and
recommendations of the best restaurants for healthy and balanced
meals.
The bathroom of the future will assist our personal preventative
healthcare efforts at a professional level, helping us to feel fit
and healthy for longer.
The Zero Emissions Bathroom: 100 percent enjoyment, guilt-free
The Zero Emissions Bathroom where the space has a positive
environmental impact and utilizes natural materials.
Whether it is because of cost considerations or out of concern for
the environment, 75 percent of survey respondents consider energy
efficiency to be an important aspect when it comes to bathroom
remodelling. With environmental awareness continuing to drive
improvements in resource efficiency, bathrooms will have a positive
environmental impact by 2034. This means that they will work
autonomously and in an energy-neutral way. Engineered as
self-contained modules for housing construction, they will no
longer depend on connection to the public water and energy
networks. “Neo ecology” is already one of the most important mega
trends. Sustainability and resource efficiency are a serious topic
in public debate already, as we know, and will be taken for granted
in daily life 20 years from now.
Designed as a small power station in its own right, the Zero
Emissions Bathroom will function as a heat recuperator and water
treatment facility, for example, by converting wastewater into
methane which is then used to generate heat. Actual sewage will be
minimized by vacuum toilet technology.
This sustainable mind-set will also be reflected in bathroom design
and decor. Natural materials such as wood and clay that are not
only hygienic, but also non-toxic and compostable, will make a big
comeback. This trend is already evident today, with 63 percent of
people appreciating stone, wood and bio-textiles in the
bathroom. By the year 2034, these preferences will lead to a design
philosophy that elegantly blends sustainability and luxury, ecology
and innovation.
At GROHE today, sustainability is a core value prevalent in each
stage of product manufacturing and design innovation. For example,
all GROHE EcoJoy™ products are systematically designed to save
water and energy so that precious resources are conserved. EcoJoy
tehcnology reduces water consumption by up to 50 percent and
products equipped with it offer the perfect water experience
without the need to compromise.
The Personal Time Bathroom: Body cleansing meets inner balance
The Personal Time Bathroom fulfils the wish of a large majority, 71
percent of respondents, for a room devoted to relaxation and “me
time.” Designed and equipped as a hyper-modern private spa, the
bathroom of 2034 helps its users replenish their energy levels and
achieve a balance between mind, body and soul. This experience is
akin to seeing a feature film in a modern 3D theatre. Using audio
equipment, mood lighting, aromatherapy and scenic backdrops
projected onto the walls, the bathroom takes users on
a journey to a different world. Whether it is in the steam
bath or in the hydro-massage tub, your body is being pampered and
your mind is free to roam.
Rather than merely providing a place for passive relaxation, the
Personal Time Bathroom places an emphasis on inner growth through
meditative experiences and seeks to leverage the therapeutic
effects of virtual realities. A variety of digital themes can be
selected to convert the room into a yoga studio or a spa lounge and
a whole variety of different functions can be programmed to align
with users’ biorhythms. An en-suite floor plan allows the Personal
Time Bathroom to extend its healing atmosphere into the bedroom,
contributing to restful sleep.
Continues Flowers, “Time has become an increasingly scarce resource
as people tend to work longer hours and have more stressful days at
the office or on the road. This is why the bathrooms in their homes
play such a special role in their lives. More often than not, it’s
the only room in the house with an actively used lock – it is our
last refuge within our own four walls. As such the bathroom
continues to evolve from a rational and utility-oriented place for
hygiene and body care to a more emotional space where we can enjoy
“me time,” lock out the outside world, relax and regenerate.”
Evolution in the bathroom
Just as people’s paths through life are becoming less linear and
more multifaceted, the future of the bathroom cannot simply be
predicted along straight lines extrapolated from a variety of
present-day trends. This means that the actual bathroom of the
future will probably be a hybrid of the bathroom universes outlined
above. Multifunctionality will be key as the bathroom adapts to
users’ evolving lifestyles and tomorrow’s flowing transition
between living and working.
Whatever is to come in the bathroom, GROHE is ready to meet the
challenge.
About GROHE
GROHE faucet and shower products are distributed in more than 180
countries and represent nearly 80 years of excellence in European
design, innovation, engineering and quality.
GROHE America’s headquarters are in the heart of the Flatiron
district and houses the GROHE Live! Center, an interactive showroom
created for inspiration and collaboration.
The GROHE Group is the world’s leading provider of sanitary
fittings, comprises Grohe AG, Hemer; Joyou AG, Hamburg and other
subsidiaries in foreign markets. With its global GROHE brand, the
GROHE Group relies on its brand values quality, technology, design
and responsibility to deliver “Pure Freude an Wasser”. With the
JOYOU brand, the Group covers the fast growing Chinese
market.
The GROHE Group was purchased by the LIXIL Group and the
Development Bank of Japan in January 2014. The LIXIL Group is the
global leader in the building materials and housing equipment
industry. GROHE and Joyou remain independent within the LIXIL
Group. For more information and to find local showooms, please
visit
www.grohe.com/us. or call
1-800-44-GROHE (47643).
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