Now in its eighth year, the Reece Bathroom Innovation Awards (BIA) continue to raise the bar for home-grown design competitions.  With a focus on the unique potential for local design to redefine the look and function of our bathrooms, these annual awards offer one of the nation’s highest prize pools across professional as well as student categories.

Professional Winner: ‘Wind, Rain, Fire’ Shower Head and Extractor by Chris Connell

As with each edition of the BIA, a specific theme is selected that sheds light on a significant trend or issue facing the bathing and bathroom industry – this year’s brief addressed the place of technology in the bathroom. As leading bathroom trade shows, like ISH in Frankfurt, have highlighted already this year, the place for technology in the bathroom is growing and its opportunity to enhance the many uses of “the most important room in the house” were of interest to the team at Reece and the BIA Judges.

Professional Winner: ‘Wind, Rain, Fire’ Towel Rail by Chris Connell

Taking out the Professional Category Winner title in 2013 as well as $20,000 in prize money is respected Melbourne interior designer Chris Connell.  Connell’s entry: “Wind, Rain, Fire”, explored the opportunity for streamlining a bathroom’s integrated services. With a view to minimising materials, merging functionality and reducing installation times, Connell’s design combines a shower head with an air extractor fan. The result is a generously proportioned water dispensing unit that sits flush with the ceiling and an integrated extractor fan that pulls steam out of the room, at the source, minimising condensation on walls and fogging of glass surfaces.

Professional Winner: ‘Wind, Rain, Fire’ Waste Water Trap by Chris Connell

Additional concepts in his submission were a contemporary, hot-air expelling towel rail that more effectively dries towels, a colour-coded digital touch control panel for the shower and a waste water unit for the floor that mirrored the aesthetic of the shower head itself. All creating a comprehensive and visually complementary suite of bathroom fittings.

Professional Winner: ‘Wind, Rain, Fire’ Water Control by Chris Connell

With innovation a key prerequisite for consideration in the awards program, this years BIA tested each entrants technological comprehension and knowledge of the marketplace to produce concepts that took bathroom fittings and accessories in an entirely new direction.

Student Winner – At The Touch by Amanda Paukner

Taking home $10,000 was University of South Australia final year student Amanda Paukner. Paukner’s touch-panel shower control addressed the growing awareness of water wastage and conservation. The digital panel designed to monitor, in real time, the cost per litre of water consumption whilst the user was bathing also offered water flow and temperature controls.

2013 BIA Judge Justin Wagemakers presents Student Winner Amanda Paukner with her prize

Paukner is the third student from the University of South Australia to win the student category in the BIA’s eight year run, a clear indication that the institution’s dedication to student/industry interaction is paramount in their program and successful in its intent.  In recognition of this achievement, Sandy Walker, University of South Australia representative was also on hand to receive a congratulatory $5,000 cheque on the University’s behalf.

Reece Bathroom Innovation Awards

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Reece

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