Villeroy & Boch - Tiles Division

High volume of traffic, heavy use, accessibility and easy cleaning – contemporary sanitary facilities in schools are subject to very demanding requirements. Due to the fact that ceramic tiles have proven their worth as a practical and attractive covering for walls and floors in these settings, the PRO ARCHITECTURA system concept from Villeroy & Boch Tiles was used for the renovation of various sanitary areas in the Cologne-Zündorf school centre. At the Zündorf school centre in Cologne-Porz – comprising Lessing high school, Wilhelm-Busch secondary school and Johann-Amos-Comenius general secondary school – a total of approx. 1,800 students are taught by nearly 140 teachers. The school buildings were constructed in the 1970s, and have been continuously extended ever since. In 2016, work included the spatial optimisation and modernisation of the approx. 250 m² toilet facilities in the main building. The Cologne architecture firm spies architekten developed a colour concept for this project that combines a light and a dark shade of a colour in each setting, to create harmonious contrasts in each area. The resulting colour schemes offer different looks: more feminine rust shades, masculine blues, and fresh variants of green and turquoise. Accessibility requirements were also taken into account. The white sanitary elements are mounted on the darker colours in order to ensure a stark contrast with the walls, allowing them to be more easily recognised even by those with impaired vision. PRO ARCHITECTURA from Villeroy & Boch Tiles made it possible to successfully implement the architects’ design specifications. The colour matrix offers a broad spectrum of classic and contemporary colours in a variety of gradations, while the modular formats on a 100-mm grid provide additional planning scope. This allowed 10 x 10 cm tiles to be laid in staggered arrangements that bring the wall joints to life. The PRO ARCHITECTURA range is equally impressive from a practical standpoint: The ceramic tiles are durable, scratch- and crack-resistant, and do not wear down, even after decades of use. They are also easy to clean and particularly hygienic, as their surfaces are so dense that micro-organisms hardly stand a chance. The ceramic material itself does not give off any vapours, nor does it take on smells, which means that it is also recommended in terms of building biology. And, tiles from Villeroy & Boch are sustainable, because they are made entirely of natural components that occur naturally in almost unlimited quantities, are manufactured by means of environment-friendly processes and are completely recyclable.

More than 5,000 m² in porcelain stoneware for Germany’s largest leisure pool – Villeroy & Boch tiles in the Stegermatt Swimming Pool in OffenburgSport, wellness and leisure spanning more than 10,000 m² – the largest leisure pool in Germany, Stegermatt Swimming Pool in Offenburg, opened in late July 2017. Along with an outdoor area with 50-metre swimming pool, wave slide and adventure pool, indoor visitors can look forward to a fitness courses pool, a teaching pool, a diving pool with two diving platforms and a 25-metre competition pool. The sauna landscape comprises a variety of saunas, a steam bath and a cold-water area with adventure showers and a plunge pool. The developers for the project were the City and Technical Operations of Offenburg. 4a Architekten of Stuttgart were the architects in charge of planning for the project. The tiling work, with a volume of EUR 2.5 million, was performed by the Freiburg subsidiary of Fliesen Röhlich GmbH; with a staff of around 300 professional layers of tile and natural stone, the company is considered the largest tile specialist in Germany. For an entire year, this major project in Offenburg had 15 employees working constantly, increasing to 25 in peak periods. As a result, in spite of at times difficult weather conditions, the work was completed on time.  With the exception of the swimming pools themselves, the entire bathing level, including the changing rooms in the interior of the facility, was designed in the X-PLANE range of vilbostone porcelain stoneware by Villeroy & Boch Tiles. The range features a trendy concrete look with fine colour gradations. Spanning an area of 5,000 m², cream-coloured tiles in the two modular formats of 30 x 60 cm and 15 x 60 cm were laid in a brickwork-effect pattern, creating a space with a harmonious and at the same time vibrant look. Another approx. 600 m² of matching mosaic tiles were also used. With the special 5 x 5 cm format and a slip-resistance class of R10 they are suitable for use in shower areas.