THE FREEDOM TO RESHAPE

Swiss manufacturer Laufen is the only company in the world

to produce SaphirKeramik, a new patent pending ceramic­

material. Laufen revolutionised bathrooms in 2013 with this

unique material perfected after five years’ intensive research

and development.

Strong and malleable, SaphirKeramik permits the creation

of wafer­thin yet robust 3 – 5mm walls and tight­edge radii

of just 1–2mm. Its slender profile not only allows for a more pre­

cise design language but also has functional and ecological

advantages. For example, its slim walls create more functional

space. This revolutionary, ceramic material reaches its ex­

ceptional hardness blended with corundum, a colourless miner­

al found in sapphires. Rigorous testing has revealed that its

flexural strength is equal to that of steel.

In 2015 Laufen’s cutting-edge engineering has once again

stretched the innovative material’s limits by increasing its

maximum size – its 120 cm long washbasin in SaphirKeramik

is its largest to date. Laufen has also applied its impressively

efficient, high-pressure casting technology to other, high-

volume pieces in SaphirKeramik. Moreover, as a brand new

ceramic medium, SaphirKeramik gives designers almost

limitless freedom to experiment and innovate.