【PChouse】What about the technical breakthrough? What has Laufen achieved.

　　我们想了解一下劳芬历史上在技术的创新。

　　【劳芬市场与产品总监Marc Viardot】Speaking for Laufen we have quite a few breakthough in our history. In our more than 120 years of history, we have set a lot of milestones, in terms of products and productions. For example Laufen has invented the wall-hanged toilet, now is the standard in Europe today, 95% of the toilets is wall-hanged, has been invented exactly 50 years ago by Laufen. We’ve invented new production technologies like pressure casting, completely efficient and hi-tech production, instead of the old traditional production methods. Then we have continually stretched our competence with producing tremendously complicated pieces in ceramics, like large basins, 1 meter and 80 long floor-standing basins. When at the time when we first launched the floor-standing basin, there was no such basin, but today you see it everywhere. So we’ve set many milestones, and now we’ve set two milestones at one, one is the SaphirKeramik, which is an incredible new material, developed more than 5 years and now we are producing thousands, with a stable quality and industrial processes of Europe. You know SaphirKeramik, with the super slim walls and very sharp radius, that gives a complete new picture to the bathroom, maintaining this fantastic material of ceramic. And this SaphirKeramik we put into the new collection of Kartell by Laufen, have an entire collections all the basins are made of this material. So it was a lucky draw that at the same time when we started the cooperation we were also seeing light at the end of the tunnel for the SaphirKeramik, but it was also one of the things that made us more stressed, because we made a very complicated shape that was only possible with the new ceramic. And everything had to come out at the same time, in march 2013 in the Frankfort. Besides the catalog, the photo shooting, the decoration, the website and everything. But in everything we wanted to make a difference, everything had to be consistent, and the SaphirKeramik was a big breakthrough, and will be changing the bathroom for the future.

　　从劳芬的角度来说，我们在120多年的历史上有很多的突破，在产品和制造商都有过很多的技术里程碑。比如劳芬是壁挂式马桶的发明者，而今天壁挂式马桶已经成为欧洲标准了，95%的马桶都是壁挂式的，这是我们劳芬在50年前发明的。我们发明了新的制造技术比如压力铸造，这是一个全新的技术。我们也继续延展我们的能力首创非常复杂的陶瓷产品，比如高达1.8米的立式大型脸盆。当我们发布时还没有这种产品，现在你可以在任何地方看到了。而我们现在有两个新的里程碑合并在一个产品里发布了。我们的蓝钻陶瓷，这是一个全新的不可思议的材料，经过5年的开发，我们的生产体系已经很成熟，使用了欧洲的工业流程，产品质量很稳定，我们现在已经在制造上千个使用这种陶瓷的产品了。蓝钻陶瓷这种材料是可以制造出非常薄的壁体以及非常尖锐的倒角的，这使得我们能够在浴室空间里创造出一个全新的面貌，但同时还能保留陶瓷材质的特性。而且我们将蓝钻陶瓷应用到了我们的Kartell by Laufen系列，在合作开始时我们能看到蓝钻陶瓷最终可能获得的成功，但同时运用这个材料反而也给我们带来了很大的压力，因为我们设计了一个非常复杂的造型，这个造型复杂到只能运用这种新型材料才能被制造出来。一切都在3月法兰克福展发布，一切都必须非常合拍，产品拍摄、装饰现场、网站上线等等，我们对于这一切细节都有很高要求，我们想要一些特别而又能保持一致的东西。蓝钻陶瓷最终被证明是一个巨大的突破，有能力改变未来的浴室空间。

发布会现场

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】From the design side, from the end-consumer side, a new technology, innovative process, they have a deep impact on the emotion that come from this new collections, this new ceramic gives us the new opportunity to create something that is absolutely novel if you compare to similar product, just put it nearby, there’s a shocking thing when you use the product, in hotel, in private flats and so on. When you see the design creates emotion in the environment, it’s unbelievable. It’s a completely different effect. Especially when the bathroom is such a white space, and these slim walls, these elegant forms can really add a special value to the space. And it’s a huge innovation that comes deep in from the technology, from the material. It’s not just the matter of the shape. It’s not just about making something a bit different, it’s about making something that is a real evolution.

　　从设计角度及终端用户的角度来说，一个新的技术和创新的流程能对这个新系列所能产生的情感带来非常深远的影响。这种创新材料能允许我们去创造全新的产品。如果你去对比类似的产品，你会发现当你使用我们的产品时，在酒店里，在私人公寓或者其他空间里，当你看到一个设计居然为环境增加情感，这是一件非常令人惊讶的事情。特别是浴室空间通常都是白色的空间，而我们超薄的瓷壁，优雅的造型，能完美的为空间增加一些特别的感受。而这种不可思议的创新是深植于技术，深植于材料的，它不是简单的外观造型。

　　【PChouse】From the design perspective, what was the source of your idea for Kartell by Laufen collection?

　　今年这个新的系列包括蓝钻陶瓷这个新技术，包括在新系列里对于色彩的大胆运用，从设计的角度来说Palomba先生的创作源泉是什么?

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】The idea comes from function. The collection must be glamorous for the plastics and especially for the ceramic, but we want to create an emotion that is enabled by function. One of the characteristic of the basins, is the relationship between the basin and the bathtub. So we created a lot of space because we were able to reduce the thickness of the wall, from 6 centimeters to 3 centimeters to 8 millimeters, so we were getting a lot of space, we can make a smaller or larger basin. But then we decided to create a larger bathtub, to put more place for functions. So then we were studying the human relationship with the water, we were studying the position of the body, studying what kind of things you will place on your basins, what kind of gesture you will have, what kind of movement. These were very important to us. So we started to organize space like a tablet, when you move your hand, what will be the function. Even the faucets, has a little shelf on the top, that is made with one plastic tray. And this plastic tray was especially dedicated to women. Because I was looking my wife doing make-up, and I saw her using small objects that sometimes they are in a dangerous position. They are going to fall down. And as I was looking how she was moving her hands, taking her things. And when the things lay all around, it became a problem because now that she’s not so young, she doesn’t see so good, she has to find the little stuff. So it’s like, you know when you are shooting things, you have a round thing as a target, you know exactly where to shoot, so we created a round shape for the tray. So when you are picking up things, you know exactly where the things are. So I was looking at her, and when she uses her things, she always put things in the same place. So that was very useful. But then, a function is not aesthetics, a function is just a gesture, a shape or a dimension. So thanks to the ceramic or the plastic, we were able to elevate the aesthetics. And the aesthetics part is my job and also my secret, I’m not going to reveal it (largh).

　　创新源于功能。这个系列对陶瓷和塑料来说都必须呈现出很精妙的设计效果，但我们想通过功能来创造情感。我们面盆的其中一个特性就是和浴缸之间的关系。因为我们能靠蓝钻陶瓷大量的减少瓷壁，从6厘米到3厘米到8毫米，所以我们能节省出大量的空间。我们可以选择制造一个小一点或者打一点的面盆，但我们决定制造一个大一点的浴缸，留出更多空间给必要的功能。当时我们研究了人与水之间的关系，我们研究了身体的动态，研究了人一般会在面盆上放什么东西，等等。我们开始将空间按模块来安排，当你移动你的手时，你会需要什么功能。我们甚至设计了一个小塑料托盘在水龙头上方，这个托盘是特别为女性用户设计的。因为我看到我妻子在化妆时，我看到她在使用很小的物件，而这些物件有时处于非常用以掉落的危险位置。当我在观察她是如何移动她的手臂，拿东西，且当东西散落四处时，对她来说是多么不方便的一件事情，因为她已经不年轻了，视物不那么清晰，她要去仔细寻找她需要的东西。所以我们有个灵感，当你在射击时，你有一个圆形的物体作为你的目标，你能很准确的知道该射击哪里。所以我们就将这个托盘设计成了圆形。当我观察她如何使用这个托盘时，我看到她每次都能很准确的将物品放到了同一个位置，证明这个设计是有用的。当然，功能不是美学，功能只是一个动作，一个单纯的形状，只是一个维度。感谢新材料，我们能将美感提升到一个新的高度，当然美感的部分是我的工作秘密，我不会和大家透露我的魔法的(笑)。

　　【PChouse】 I have a similar question along the line but it’s for Mr. Marc Viardot. You’ve talked about a lot of breakthroughs for Laufen, so where do you draw your inspiration from? Is it from market research? Do you look at what people are doing in the bathroom space? Or do you work with very renowned designers? What’s your secret?

　　我有个类似的问题问Mr. Marc Viardot。您刚才提到了劳芬所创造的多个突破，您的灵感来源是?市场调研?研究人们怎样使用浴室空间?或是和非常知名的设计师合作?您的秘密是什么?

　　【劳芬市场与产品总监Marc Viardot】I think the secret is to understand the complex situations, and put different ideas and different people together, and make things happen. We have a very methodological approach. We work only with external designers, and only with the best. It’s all about concepts. Designers today are not just delivering drawings or designs, no. We work with designers for 10 years now, we work conceptually. So we think the whole 360 degrees with the designers. So for example, I always say we do not work with any consultants, other than IT consultants. We work with designers that have the flexibility to work with you. That’s the major part of our inspiration. But the other important part is our history. Our people have been working in our factory for all their lives, sometimes their parents have already been working in our factory. So they are really experts. To have innovation, first of all you have to have a stable quality and stable industrial process to evolve. When all these are stable and you have bright people to think beyond-the Swiss people especially-always thinking about improvements, then you have to foster them, you have to foster these ideas. And the SaphirKeramik was like that, we took our production director, he has a doctorate degree in ceramics, he was production director for the whole group for 20 years now. he said, go out of the daily business, don’t worry about production planning and deliveries anymore, just think about innovation. And he’s been thinking since more than 5 years now about the SaphirKeramik, one of the big breakthroughs, and there are many in the pipeline. There are many new things to come. And this idea to taking somebody out with this expertise and give him the resource and people and capital, is unbelievable. then it’s up to us, to manage all these parts, and maybe with some other parts, like Kartell has a completely new and different ideas, we can also adapt to a certain point or do something better. And when this all works you can create an perfect entire collection to launch worldwide in all the countries. We have tremendous response and huge success, it’s like the market, the media, everybody are waiting for something like this for the bathroom.

　　我想我们的秘密在于理解非常复杂的项目，并能将不同的创意，不同的人融合到一起，使这个项目能顺利完成。我们的方法是非常讲究的，我们只跟外部设计师合作，而且只跟最好的人合作。这一切都归功于观念，今天的设计师已经不仅仅是提交草图或者一个产品的设计。我们和设计师合作超过了10年，我们从观念上就已经和他们合作了，这种合作是360度全方位的。举个例子，我一直说我们从不和顾问合作，除了IT顾问。我们和能够非常灵活全身心投入给我们的设计师一起合作。这是我们主要的灵感来源。但同等重要的是我们的历史。我们的员工已经在我们的工厂里工作了一辈子，有些人的父母甚至也在我们工厂里工作过，因此他们是真正的专家。要有创新，首先你得有一个稳定的产出以及稳定的工业化流程来进化。当所有的事情都稳定化了，而且你也有能够主动思考的很聪明的员工了——特别是瑞士人，我们一直都在思考事物能如何变得更好，这时你要做的就是培养他们，培养这些想法和主意。蓝钻陶瓷就是这样，我们的制造总监，他有一个陶瓷的博士学位，他已经在集团里工作了20年，他说，不要被日常工作所束缚，不要担心制造工艺或者最后的成品是否能出来，专注于创新吧。他已经为蓝钻陶瓷构想了5年，而现在我们还有更多的创新正在被创作。这种能够让一个真正有才华的人发挥，给予他足够资源、人力、资本，这真是一件非常了不起的事情。然后就是轮到我们来管理所有的版块，比如Kartell有一个全新的不同寻常的想法，我们也能够顺应或者给出更好的建议。当这些都无缝对接时，你就能够创造一个完美的系列并发布到全世界各个国家了。我们得到了非常热烈的响应和成功，如同市场、媒体，所有人都在等待这个产品来刷新浴室的概念。

发布会现场

　　【PChouse】Do you think this is the secret to keep your brand young and vigorous, especially when Laufen is 122 years old?

　　劳芬已经有122岁了，您认为这是品牌保持年轻活力的秘密吗?

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】It doesn’t seem so (laugh).

　　看起来一点都不像是122岁的牌子(笑)。

　　【劳芬市场与产品总监Marc Viardot】It’s a mix of young and experience. Old doesn’t mean experience, young doesn’t mean fresh. You have to be flexible, you have to be open-minded, and think outside the box. And then have a good team, know who you can expect, trust, and share. Today is all about openly share, you don’t have to hold back anything, because if you share, you make everyone grow and think of the next already.

　　这是年轻心态和经验的结合。年老不代表经验，年轻也不一定代表新鲜。你必须非常灵活，必须保持开放的心态，勇于创新。然后你需要有个优秀的团队，知道你能依赖谁、信任谁、和谁分享。现在的一切都强调开放和分享，你不需要有所保留。因为如果你分享了，你能让所有人跟你一起成长并创新。

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】When we launch the collections in German, there’s this phrase, “sharing is the new way of processing”. It became our motto, because all the collections were created by sharing, sharing culture, sharing experience, sharing emotions. And because of the sharing, we process each other and cause the breakthrough. Brands like ours, we make connections, we work with a system of licensing. Even for brands like Kartell, we work with them so easily just as we put their logo by our side. The collection was created by both teams working together, to create something that is more. I always say one plus one is more than two. Otherwise you don’t create something unique, will be cheating on the brand and the consumers, like you are giving the same old food, just with a different packaging.

　　当我们在德国发布这个系列时，我们听到了一个口号，“分享是了解的新方式”。这句口号变为了我们的座右铭，因为我们所有的系列都是从分享而创造出来的，分享文化、分享经验、分享情感。正因为分享，我们才能更好的了解彼此并创造出真正的突破。像我们这样的品牌，我们通过授权来工作。比如Kartell，我们和他们的合作非常顺畅容易，简就像我们把他们的logo放在我们logo的旁边一样般的容易。这个系列是双方一起合作的来的，一加一不只等于二。不这么做你无法创造出真正特别的产品，只会得到新瓶装旧酒的欺骗消费者的产品。

　　【劳芬市场与产品总监Marc Viardot】Funny thing when Roberto was presenting ideas, concepts and designs to us with managers from Kartell, he constantly asked my opinions more on the plastic items. Then I start the other way around asking him his opinions about ceramics. I’m not saying I’m anywhere close to an expert in plastic, but I don’t have to be, because I trust in their know-how, they validate my opinion, we also do it the other way around, and that’s how it’s done.

　　当Roberto在向我们及Kartell管理层演示他的设计方案时，有件很有趣的事情。Kartell方经常问我对于塑料产品的意见，因此我也仿其道而行，开始询问他关于陶瓷方面的意见。我并不能算是塑料专家，但是我也无需成为专家，因为我能够完全信任他们在这方面的专业，他们接受及改进我们的意见，我们也一样，这就是我们的合作模式。

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】For example it was the first time for Kartell to create an environment. They always design standalone pieces, one chair, one table. It’s never to create a family. But for us, we always design a complete range of bathroom products, we always think about the architecture, the emotion we place in the architecture, because most of our products will be fixed on the wall and become part of the architecture. So for them at the beginning it was a shock. Because they cannot imagine that every product has a special relationship with another product. They said ”I like the faucet”, but then I said ”you like the faucet but you have to combine it with the basin, you have to tell me I like the entire collection”, it was very difficult at the beginning, to bring them to our culture, our culture is a culture of environment, of architecture, they have the culture of the objects, standalone products, very iconic. For us, it’s always a big challenge to find the iconic assemble, not an iconic object, because if you create a combination of iconic object, it doesn’t work. It’s like if you have a football team with everybody wants to make goal. But somebody has to defend, somebody needs to stay by the door, everyone should do their own business. In the bathroom it’s the same. You have a basin, a toilet, a bathtub, a shower, a faucet, a furniture, a mirror, a lamp, it’s a system. And they stay there for minimum 5-10 years. So for them at the beginning it was a shock, because they couldn’t imagine how to design an environment, an architecture. Then we started to generate the real architecture, we had a room in Kartell, and we started to build, to show how the basin is working with the toilet, and so on.

　　对于Kartell来说这是他们第一次设计一个整体环境。他们一直设计单个的产品，比如椅子，或桌子，从不创造一个系列。但是对于我们来说，我们一直都必须设计一整套的浴室产品。我们经常会去考虑建筑，我们如何将情感融入建筑物里，因为我们大多数的产品都会半永久的固定在这个建筑里成为它的一部分。所以一开始的合作对于Kartell来说是让他们很震惊的，因为他们从未想象过每一个产品都能够和其他产品有特殊的关系。他们经常说“我喜欢这个水龙头”，而我就会说“你喜欢这个水龙头，这很好，但是你需要联合面盆来看，你需要告诉我，你喜欢这整体的设计”。在一开始，让他们理解我们的文化，一种讲究整体环境及建筑的文化，是非常困难的。他们的文化是对于单个产品的文化。对我们来说，找寻整体系列的特色，比找寻单个产品的特色要更重要，因为如果你设计了一套各有特色的产品，这是不可能成功的，就像一个足球队，所有人都想射门，但总有人需要防守，有人需要守在球门前，所有人都有自己该做的事情。在浴室产品设计中是同样的道理。你有面盆、马桶、浴缸、淋浴、水龙头、浴室柜、镜子、灯具，这是一个系统。而且是一个会持续被使用5-10年的系统。所以对于他们来说，他们一开始非常震惊，无法理解怎么设计一个整体环境，因此我们就开始搭建真实的场景，我们在Kartell搭建了一个房间，向他们演示面盆和马桶是怎样互动一体的。

　　【PChouse】Here’s a question for all three of you. How do you perceive the China market? Do you do adaptations for the China market?

　　这个问题是问三位嘉宾的。你们如何看待中国市场?在产品方面会为中国市场做出怎样的改变么?

　　【劳芬市场与产品总监Marc Viardot】In terms of technical adaptations, of cause. But as for design, no. we have a certain level of design, and certain level of premium in the market. People who travel around the world they share the same ideas and inform themselves very well, when they invest in a good product. So we are not doing real stylish adaptations. We have versatility within our range, we have flexibility within the Kartell by Laufen collection that we offer by the colors. We show different moods and they travel around the world to find theirs. But we are always surprised to find out that this is the mood for China or Russia or Australia, then the architects surprised us.

　　我们会做产品参数上的改变，但不会对设计有任何改动。我们在全球市场都保持着相同的风格及相同的高端感。现在人们都会在全球旅行，他们对什么是好产品有相似的想法和相似的品味。所以我们从不做外形上的改动。我们每个产品线都提供了多种选择，对于Kartell by Laufen系列我们也提供了多种颜色。我们提供多种颜色感受，他们来做选择。但我们所默认适用于比如中国或者俄国或者澳大利亚的颜色感受，当地的建筑师都会做出另我们意想不到的选择。

　　【全球公关部经理Beatrice Rueger】But for me it was very interesting this time, seeing people acting with the products we have. So when people started to approach, they started to touch, started to smile, started to enjoy the colors, this was for me surprisingly. I have seen this repetitively this joyful approach, it makes me believe there’s no design which only stand for this people or that nationality. If you are really touched by heart with a product, this is international and global.

　　对于我来说，这次我看到人们和我们的产品互动，是一个非常有意思的场景。当人们接近我们的产品，他们开始大胆触摸，开始微笑，开始享受颜色，这对我来说是非常令我感到惊喜的。我不断的看到这种欢乐的情景，让我相信没有一个设计是只代表某类人或者某个国家的。如果你真的被产品所触动了，这种触动是可以跨越国界的。

发布会现场

　　【意大利著名设计师Roberto Palomba】In my religion, human has been created like Gods. I think that’s because we are able to create. And Gods create human all the same, no matter you are Chinese or African or European, they share the same love, they need to eat, they need to sleep, we all do the same things, everybody. It’s just a matter of packaging, but not so much, because everybody’s got two legs, two hands and so on, so it’s just the color of the packaging. So with Kartell by Laufen we just add some colors, some differences that change the mood. But we are surprised that the people doesn’t take it as adjustments for different countries, but they take it as a joyful way to play. And this is fantastic for us, because we came from the most tolerant country in the world, the Switzerland, and we all share the same planet, thankful to be different just in the color of the packaging. That’s all.

　　在我的信仰里，人类被创造得如同神一样。我想这是因为我们有能力去创造。而神明将我们都创造得一模一样，无论你是中国人或者非洲人或者欧洲人，我们一样能感受爱，一样需要饮食，一样需要睡眠，我们所有人都在做一样的事情。有所不同的只在于表皮，但也不那么不同，因为所有人都有两条腿，两只手，所以仅仅在于皮肤的颜色不同。所以Kartell by Laufen系列，我们也仅仅增加了不同的颜色，这些不同颜色能改变人们的情感感知。但我们也很惊奇的发现人们并不把这点当做国家之间的不同，而是作为一种非常喜乐而好玩的事情。作为世界上最能忍受的瑞士人，我们和大家一样都共享着这个地球，和大家有所不同的仅仅在于皮肤颜色，这是我们感觉很庆幸的。

　　采访记者：太平洋家居网副总编辑 谢祯