Axor Massaud Fulfills Designer's Original Vision With Addition of Freestanding, Triangular BathtubThe Two-Year-Old Collection Incorporates a Key Fixture to Help Transform the Space into an Oasis of Relaxation and Well-Being

September, 2009 -- Axor®, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, is expanding its successful Axor Massaud bath collection with the addition of a freestanding, triangular tub that is big enough for two adult bathers. The new fixture joins the collection's broad assortment of faucets, showers and accessories to help achieve designer Jean-Marie Massaud's original purpose: to transform the functional bathroom into a special, highly individualized space devoted to relaxation and recreation as well as a sense of well-being.

"We spend time in the modern bath for more reasons than simple hygiene," says Nicolas Grohe, Director of Product Development and Marketing for Hansgrohe in North America. "The need to take better care of ourselves, the need to slow down our hectic lives and achieve better balance, and a desire for closer contact with nature are all drivers behind this changing role of the bath."

Hansgrohe's Axor Massaud Triangular Bathtub

Massaud's vision: Unveiled in North America in 2007, the Axor Massaud bath collection is characterized by the harmonious relationship between its organic and geometrical shapes, which combine the aesthetics of nature and modern design. In this collection, as well as in his other creations, Massaud aims for more than pure functionality or even the pursuit of beauty and a close connection with nature. His work must also strive to appeal at a human level, he explains: "This is because I believe that product design can evoke genuine feelings of physical and emotional well-being in all of us."

Such feelings arise, however, only when a product is in harmony with one's own environment. Thanks to its freestanding form, the new tub helps achieve the perfect balance that Massaud seeks between product and setting. Taking a bath, one becomes immersed in a "sea" that is enclosed by a perfectly tranquil "beach" — an ideal ambience for relaxation and reinvigoration, whether alone or with one's partner.

High-tech construction: At approximately 165 pounds, the new bathtub is relatively lightweight despite its expansive dimensions: 74-1/2 inches wide, 60-1/4 deep and 24-3/8 inches high. The explanation rests with the materials used to construct the tub: rigid polyurethane foam, sandwiched between polyester gel-coated fiberglass mats.

A special manufacturing process, called RTM (Resin Transfer Molding), results in a high degree of rigidity, ensuring durability as well as stability — a key consideration when a bather is getting in or out of the tub. The RTM process and the synthetic materials used permit the tub's large and distinctive shape to be created in a single casting.

Other product highlights:

• the ability to fit the tub through a conventional doorway for easier handling during installation;
• a high level of seating comfort, even for two bathers;
• the pleasant, warm-to-the-touch feel of the gel-coated surface, which is durable, and easy to clean.

About Jean-Marie Massaud
Born in 1966 in Toulouse, France, Jean-Marie Massaud graduated in 1990 from Les Ateliers, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in Paris. His collaboration with Marc Berthier and his work on town planning led him to meld design with architecture professionally. After creating Studio Massaud with Daniel Pouzet in 2000, the pair developed such projects as the Tanabe House in Fukuoka, Japan. His contextual approach focuses on the search for the essential, in which individuals are the focal point. It is work sustained by the quest of meaning, magic and vital feeling. Massaud has explored many different aspects of design: from industrial products to pieces of furniture. Awarded numerous prizes, his creations now belong to the collections of design museums and institutions in Amsterdam, Chicago, London, Paris and Zurich.

About Axor
Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, is regarded as the epitome of supreme quality and innovative design in the modern, luxury bathroom. Axor offers an array of independent and comprehensive collections, developed in cooperation with internationally renowned architects and designers: Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola and Phoenix Design. The objective of these collaborative efforts is always to provide the user with unlimited freedom to create highly individualized bathroom solutions and personalized interior designs.

Axor collections can be found in the Burj Dubai, the Yoo Apartments in Manhattan, and the Bulgari Hotels of Milan and Bali. Axor collections are also featured on the Queen Mary II, in the Lufthansa First Class Lounge in Frankfurt, and in the Else Club in Moscow.

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 showerbar, multiple-spray handshowers and showerheads, the Quiclean® function, 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.

Based in Schiltach in the Black Forest region of Germany, Hansgrohe has a global workforce of more than 3,200 and serves customers in over 80 countries through 28 subsidiaries. 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 most of its Hansgrohe-branded products for North America at its modern manufacturing facility in Alpharetta, Georgia.

For more information on Hansgrohe, visit www.hansgrohe-usa.com. To obtain a list of showroom locations within any locale across the United States, visit http://www.hansgrohe-usa.com/us_en/33541.htm. Or call 1-800-334-0455.

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