At Milan Design Week LAUFEN presented VOLTA, a new concept created in collaboration with Yves Behar that celebrates water and the solar power of the world's first electric tunnel kiln.
During the Fuorisalone 2025, the LAUFEN space Milano hosted "A new dimension of water", an immersive installation where visitors could discover VOLTA, the outcome of the collaboration with Yves Behar. The designer has created a revolutionary concept in Saphirkeramik inspired by the world's first electric tunnel kiln for sanitary ceramics production. 'New technologies call for new shapes', declares Yves Behar whose new design impressively underlines the performance of the new e-kiln.
After four years of development, the first electric tunnel kiln for sanitaryware has successfully been producing ceramic bathroom products in Gmunden since November 2023, replacing the previous gas kiln. The plant, which already uses electricity from renewable sources and solar panels and hosts the Group's innovation centre, provided ideal conditions for this type of experimentation. LAUFEN has achieved Cradle to Cradle Certified® Circularity at the Bronze level for its ceramic products manufactured in Gmunden, Austria.
Given the kiln is highly efficient, decarbonised and automated, it provides a valuable alternative to conventional production dependent on fossil fuels, making Gmunden the world's first emission-free sanitaryware factory.
In response to this revolutionary technology, LAUFEN invited Yves Behar to imagine the first object created using this groundbreaking process. The result is VOLTA, a sculptural washbasin that reimagines the movement of water through a swirling vortex – a design that combines visual poetry with enhanced flow and self-cleaning efficiency.
The new innovative VOLTA also marks a new chapter in the exploration of Saphirkeramik — LAUFEN's signature ultra-thin ceramic material, which allows for exceptional precision and creative freedom in design.
With Yves Behar's new concept, the company has taken its exploration of the Saphirkeramik to the next level, pushing boundaries to create a design that is both unconventional and highly functional. This achievement demonstrates that technological innovation, aesthetic perfection and maximum functionality can be seamlessly combined.
This is the first time that Yves Behar has worked with sanitary ceramics and the exploration of the Saphirkeramik has allowed him to create a new innovative concept that transforms the experience of water in the bathroom.
The global leader in design and Founder and CEO of Fuseproject drew inspiration from water – an element that has played a significant role in his life and has always captivated him. By observing and studying its fluid, ever-changing motion, Yves Behar has created sleek, sculptural washbasins that beautifully reinterpret its movement.
The innovative aspect lies in the unique shape of the sink's interior, designed with two distinct levels. This not only creates an aesthetic of movement but also generates a swirling motion of the water which ensures the basin is cleaned perfectly.
According to Yves Behar, designers must bring people closer to nature and rethink their relationship with the objects.
'My favourite saying that I use a lot in my work is that design accelerates the adoption of new ideas. The new idea of the electric kiln can be experienced in the way that it takes the force of the sun and turns it into power, while our ceramic designs show us the beauty and motion of water and create an experience of nature', explains Yves Behar.
More information:
LAUFEN
[email protected]
www.laufen.com