According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one out of seven people worldwide has a disability and the large baby boomer population is now entering its golden years. Always striving to meet the ever-growing and changing needs of its customers, Hansgrohe/Axor is keeping its commitment to provide a wide range of universal design products, adding more to the lineup each year. The company also places much emphasis on universal design education. An increasing number of Hansgrohe/Axor team members are becoming certified Aging in Place Specialists (CAPS). They, in turn, are educating customers about best practices and about the company’s wide range of products that can be incorporated into a universally designed bathroom. An increasing number of Continuing Education Units will also be offered. Each product category has its own benefits. Some of these include:
• Single-Handle Faucets: Single- handle faucets with lever type handles are ADA approved, allowing a person who has limited mobility of their hands to operate the faucet. Hansgrohe/Axor’s wide range of single-handle faucets feature temperature limit stops that give users the option to set a maximum water temperature. This reduces the risk of scalding when the temperature of the water heater is set at a dangerous level.
• Handshowers: Hansgrohe/Axor offers handshowers in a variety of styles and with a wide array of features. Unlike a fixed showerhead, a handshower can be mounted at various heights through the use of a wallbar. This makes it possible to accommodate multiple people in a home, including users with special needs. Those in wheelchairs or who must rely on a shower seat can easily access the handshower and have full control of their showering experience.
• Fix Fit Wall Outlet: When a fix fit wall outlet is utilized with a handshower, it places control of the water closer to the person bathing, vital for individuals who must rely on a shower seat or chair. By mounting the fix fit near the seating area, or at a height that can be reached by a seated person, the handshower can be easily used by the bather. For aid-givers who must multi-task when assisting during the shower process, the handshower is easily accessible so can be turned on and off in a pinch, further easing the process for both parties.
Thermostatic valves: As in the single-handle lever style faucets, Hansgrohe’s thermostatic valves have a safety feature that prevents the water temperature from exceeding the pre-set limit, making it safer for all bathers in the home.
• Hansgrohe’s RainBrain: With its clear and intuitively operable touch screen panel, the electronic shower control system is incredibly user-friendly. The touch screen is ideal for individuals with limited use of their hands and fingers. They can operate the system by pressing the buttons with their finger, palm of their hand or knuckle. In addition, RainBrain boasts built-in safety features such as the preset temperature limit, as well as a “warm up” function. The latter clears the lines of any cold water that has collected in the plumbing lines. This helps to lower the risk factor in the bath as a blast of very cold water can cause a person to react quickly to get out of the way, potentially causing a slip and fall.
Hansgrohe/Axor plans to continue its commitment to serving those with universal design needs by further expanding its product options and continuing to provide education to its employees and customers.
About Hansgrohe
Founded in 1901, Hansgrohe is the premium brand for bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and a market leader in showers and shower systems, as well as thermostat, pressure balance and ceramic cartridge technology. A winner of numerous awards throughout the world, Hansgrohe is regarded as one of the leading innovators in technology and design, with inventions such as the adjustable wallbar, multiple-spray handshowers and showerheads, the QuickClean™ function and AIR and water-saving EcoRight™ technology. These and other original products have helped reinvent the modern bathroom as a more functional, more comfortable and more beautiful living space. It is no coincidence that Hansgrohe’s offerings can be found in prominent and prestigious projects such as the Aqua Building in Chicago, Terminal 5 in London’s Heathrow Airport, Las Vegas’ City Center, Jean-Marie Massaud’s Chivas Stadium in Mexico, and the Masdar City Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, among others.
Based in Schiltach in the Black Forest region of Germany, Hansgrohe has a global workforce of about 3,200 employees and serves customers in over 130 countries through 37 subsidiaries and branches. Known for taking tough action against product piracy and intellectual property theft, the company currently operates 10 manufacturing facilities, including six in Germany, as well as single plants in France, the Netherlands and China. In addition, the company manufactures and assembles many of its Hansgrohe-branded products for North America at its modern manufacturing facility in Alpharetta, Georgia, in the United States.
About Axor
Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe SE, successfully realizes “Designer Visions for Your Bathroom." In cooperation with Axor, leading product designers, architects and interior designers develop their vision for the bathroom as a living space. The Axor collections offer a great number of unique and sustainable solutions to create personalized bathrooms of the highest aesthetic and technological levels. To date, Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola, as well as Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have created Axor collections. They all contribute towards making life in and around the bathroom a little more meaningful and beautiful. The Axor brand is headed by Philippe Grohe.
