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Press Release February 2015 Sense by Oras and Alessi – a kitchen and bathroom faucet designed by Rodrigo Torres In the turn of the millennium Oras Group – leading manufacturer and marketer of sanitary fittings and pioneer in electronic technologies – and Alessi – one of the leading “Factories of Italian design”, capable of applying its expertise and excellence in design management to many different product types – started a collaboration that led to the first bathroom faucet collection IlBagnoAlessi by Oras, followed by a kitchen faucet collection LaCucinaAlessi by Oras. This collaboration led to the realization of projects which feature on one side the strategic design management of Alessi and, on the other one, the advanced faucet technology and high quality manufacturing of Oras.
Sense – Synergy of form and functions In February 2015 Alessi and Oras enriched the existing faucet collections with Sense, a new kitchen and washbasin faucet designed by Rodrigo Torres. With its special touch control system, Sense lets you efficiently regulate water consumption, highlighting the importance of water and environment in everyday life.
LaCucinaAlessi, Sense – kitchen faucet with smart dishwasher valve The new Sense kitchen faucet opens by pressing gently on top of it, after which it remains open for 6 seconds. The faucet can also be opened from the temperature control handle to obtain either hot or cold water. In this case, it closes automatically after five minutes, unless it is manually closed before that. The faucet has also a so-called cleaning mode, during which the faucet remains closed for 20 seconds. The new kitchen faucet has a swivel spout and a smart dishwasher valve, which closes automatically after the set time – three or twelve hours – preventing the possibility of water damage. The dishwasher valve can be connected with either cold or hot water.
IlBagnoAlessi, Sense – press gently to open The new Sense bathroom faucet opens by pressing gently on top of it, after which it remains open for 6 seconds. By pressing on top of the faucet for longer, the led lights turn on and the faucet stays open for one minute unless it is manually closed before that. The temperature control handle operates also as a flow controller. The washbasin faucet can also be equipped with a Smart Bidetta hand shower. Smart Bidetta operates with a control unit that communicates on radio frequencies. When lifting the hand shower from the holder, water starts to flow from the faucet. By pressing the hand shower trigger, the water supply transfers from faucet to hand shower. The faucet closes automatically when the Smart Bidetta hand shower is put back to its holder. Due to the smart functionality, Smart Bidetta can be installed further away from the faucet.
“T
welve years have passed since, fascinated by the potential that the bathroom offers the creative world, I embarked on the IlBagnoAlessi project, one of the most complete bathroom ensambles created on an industrial level and probably the most complete ever. Its operating model was that of a virtual business in which Alessi, responsible for strategic marketing, design management and communications, worked alongside leading European bathroom sanitaryware companies which dealt with the engineering, production and distribution of the various product types. This adventure now enables us to present “SENSE”, an electronic faucet designed by Rodrigo Torres in two versions - bathroom and kitchen- and developed with the help of the cutting-edge technology of Finnish company Oras, industry leader in the development of electronic faucets. “SENSE” has its own unique way of teaching us about the preciousness of water with a technologically advanced and fascinating method that proactively stimulates its correct and aware use. Indeed, the special contact electronic controls provide effective regulation of consumption levels without forgoing the physical relationship with this simple and delicate object.” -ALBERTO ALESSI © Mads Morgensen
Biography – Alberto Alessi Born in Arona (Novara) in 1946, Alberto Alessi is President of Alessi Spa and head of Marketing Strategy, Communication and Design Management. The eldest son of Carlo Alessi, he belongs to the third generation of the Alessi family, and officially joined the company in 1970, the day after he graduated in Law. He initially was in charge of the commercial area, the development of new products and the communication. Since 1970 Alberto has started collaborating with architects and designers from all over the world further enhancing the company’s reputation of working with key names in the field of international design. Alberto Alessi has written several books, including “La Cintura di Orione” (Longanesi, Milano 1987) “Not in Production next to Production”, (Alessi Spa, Crusinallo 1988) and “The Dream Factory”, (Electa, Milano 1998). 2011 he curated the fourth edition at the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, entitled “The Dream Factories: people, ideas and paradoxes of Italian design factories”. During his career he has contributed articles for many international magazines and publications and he is visiting professor at several design colleges. Alongside his role as head of design management, Alberto Alessi is involved in the production of his own high-quality organic wines “La Signora Eugenia e il passero solitario”.
“S
ENSE” is a family of smart faucets where beauty has a holistic meaning that is present in the way they are built and how they behave. The goal of these sculptural objects, is to guide the user into virtuous behaviors that are aimed to save water, generating positive rituals that will benefit the environment. Due to their smart functions that include the automatic stop of the water flow, these faucets allow the user to save lots of water on the daily rituals that involve water consumption. Just think of the water we waste on activities such as washing teeth and hands, or the accidental leaks when our kids forget to close the faucet. In these products form and function are fused in a synergic way, their fluid and essential shapes were thought to achieve beautiful products that were able to contain the highest technology in water saving without sacrificing aesthetics and usability. These objects were designed to invite the user to interact with them. To achieve this we designed a simple and intuitive interface that merges the gesture of the human touch with the water saving technology. This fact allow us to introduce into our domestic environment a family of products with a high symbolic and functional value. In times when caring about our most precious natural resource should be our absolute priority, objects like these represent an archetypal evolution where design, technology and ethics are merged into a family of smart and sleek products.” © Ricardo Pinzon
-RODRIGO TORRES
Biography – Rodrigo Torres Born in Bogotá, Colombia in 1976, Rodrigo Torres obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University in Bogotá and later his Master’s degree in Design from Domus Academy of Milan. Rodrigo Torres has worked for major international companies such as Alessi, Nike and Microsoft. Over the years, he has participated in several international exhibitions and has been rewarded with prestigious design awards. His work has been published in some of the most important design publications in the world. Rodrigo Torres is the designer of IL BAGNO ALESSI Sense by Oras washbasin faucets and LA CUCINA ALESSI Sense by Oras kitchen faucets.
Company information & press enquiries Oras Group is a significant European provider of sanitary fittings: the market leader in the Nordics and a leading company in Continental Europe. The company’s mission is to make the use of water easy and sustainable and its vision is to become the European leader of advanced sanitary fittings. Oras Group is owned by Oras Invest, a family company and an industrial owner. The head office of the Group is located in Rauma, Finland, and the Group has four manufacturing sites: Burglengenfeld (Germany), Kralovice (Czech Republic), Olesno (Poland) and Rauma (Finland). Oras Group employs approximately 1400 people. For more information, please visit www.oras.com or call to Oras Ltd., tel. +358 2 831 61 Alessi, founded in 1921 by Giovanni Alessi, has been able to develop a policy of design excellence which has made it one of the leading internationally renowned Italian Design Factories. It has reconciled its typically industrial needs with its tendency to consider itself as a “research laboratory in the field of applied arts”. Open to change and international development, Alessi at the same time has a strong bond with the traditions and cultural background of its area and continues to be synonymous with handcrafted objects produced with the help of machines. For more information, please visit www.alessi.com or call to ALESSI S.P.A., tel. 0039 0323 868611 For further press enquiries and high resolution press images please contact Trendgruppen PR, tel: +46 823 0021, email:
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