“The feeling of showering in the open air” was the original vision for Dornbracht’s new shower system, Sensory Sky. Combining technological complexity with minimalist design, the result is a system that makes showering a unique experience that touches all the senses, as they would in nature, with complex scenarios that include rain, fog, light and [...]
The “Horizontal Shower” may have been the most bloggable shower in the history of the internet, but for many of us, it will remain just that, a fleeting bit of entertainment never to be experienced beyond that audacious video. No, we’ll have to forge on showering in the same ol’ vertical dimension, just as our parents and (maybe) grandfathers did before us. Don’t fret! Dornbracht has gone ahead and revolutionized the shower once again, this time in good post-modern form–because once you’ve done horizontal, what else is next but to go back to vertical?
The “Vertical Shower” packs all the same kinds of hydro-powered comfort and luxury of its more radical, off-kilter cousin, which is to say, it sports the same Ambience Tuning Technique (ATT) technology that “turns washing up into a digitally programmed water symphony”. Users can curate their own bathing scenarios, choosing from various water pressures and temperatures to construct their personalized shower choreography. With presets such as energizing and de-stressing options, it’s easy to see how the Vertical Shower offers much more than its humble name suggests.
Conceived in part with Sieger Design, the system is part of Dornbracht’s “Transforming Water” shower line that represents a veritable leap in personal spa design. Along with Horizontal Shower, the Vertical Shower harnesses the psychological and emotional powers of water, providing the bather with a new shower experience every time. The system, which includes a built-in electronic thermostat cartridge that can be configured and diagnosed remotely from any computer, is designed to comport not only experimentally with the user’s whims, mood, or level of fatigue/stress, but also visually with Dornbracht’s minimalist fixtures, such as the Balance Modules and Performing Shower.
Hit by Wendy’s water cannon; Photo: Instagram user al_zaidy’
What are the two top reasons you should visit Wendy this summer? For the clean air and the cool jets of water, duh. We covered the former extensively a couple weeks back, and now it’s time to turn our sights to the geyser-like blasts, cooling mists, and wading pools that make Wendy so much fun! All these splashy features were made possible by Dornbracht (with Davis & Warshow), who we’ve called the “magicians of all things water” on more than one occasion.
Dornbracht crafts elegant, strikingly stark water fixtures that are the default for any contemporary house. See the indelibly minimalist “Deque” line that makes use of “severe” polished-steel forms which not only dispense, but frame water as it spills forth. There’s also the incredibly meme-able (and borderline NSFW) “Horizontal Shower“, whose cantilevered forms allow the user to recline while showering, as a series of water jets thunder down on them.
At MoMA PS1, Wendy’s water features have quickly proven indispensable, hosing down and cooling off sun-stricken visitors and party goers alike. Children play beside the pools, while adults scramble for a spot in the eye of the pavilions water cannons. Others retreat by the misting walls of water released from under the spiky blue structure.
Sounds refreshing, doesn’t it? Well, escape both office dread and summer sun and head over to 96 Spring Street on Wednesday, August 1 for fun, food, and drinks. Wendy-creators (and Architizer-founders) Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushner of HWKN will be on hand for the Dornbracht + Davis & Warshow event to talk about what it is that makes the lovable blue skyscrubber so special. They’ll reveal their inspiration and talk in-depth of the many innovations behind the project. So be sure to RSVP (see how below)–we’ll see you there!
