KALDEWEI Refurbishment Projekt
Credits
Designer
Year
2026
Location
Ahlen / Berlin (DE)
Disciplines
Product
Category
Special
Award
Best of Best
Details
With its pilot project at the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin, Kaldewei is setting new standards for the circular economy in the contract business. For the first time, used bathtubs and shower trays were industrially refurbished and reinstalled. As part of the process, the shower trays were also upgraded with Kaldewei’s Secure Plus enamelling. Compared with manufacturing new products, the upcycling process reduced CO₂ emissions by around 65%, demonstrating how design excellence, resource conservation, and Cradle to Cradle principles can successfully go hand in hand.
The Jury‘s Statement
Remove, refurbish, reinstall: what still sounds like a pipe dream in many industries has been realised on a large scale for the first time by Kaldewei, in collaboration with designer Werner Aisslinger, at the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin. Ten years after the initial fit-out, the bathroom specialist retrieved the original steel-enamelled baths and shower trays, had them professionally refurbished, and reinstalled them in the renovated hotel. This is a cycle that not only drastically reduces CO₂ emissions but also proves that durability is not just a promise but a measurable reality. Who needs to buy new when there are other, more forward-thinking choices to be made?
