Villeroy & Boch makes barrier-free building easy

For those of us fortunate enough to be living without any form of physical disability or mobility issues, it is hard to appreciate how difficult it can be for some people to perform seemingly simple everyday tasks. An increasingly ageing global population makes it more pressing than ever to improve safety and accessibility in our homes and public buildings. Design plays a key role in this scenario to ensure future solutions focus on users’ comfort, well-being and dignity above all else.

Accessible planning and design is integral to German bathroom brand Villeroy & Boch’s research and product development. In response to the growing number of people living in assisted accommodation or requiring care at home and when out and about, the company has created an extensive range of design-led products that can be used to create attractive, barrier-free bathrooms in a wide range of contexts.

Villeroy & Boch’s ViCare collection raises the bar for accessible bathroom design, with all products conforming to German planning standards (DIN 18040). The range of discrete and intelligent solutions includes washbasins with handles at the front or concealed grooves under the unit that make it easier to pull up a wheelchair, in addition to providing support when standing. Wall-mounted and floor-standing toilets feature seats with special buffers to prevent slipping when moving from a wheelchair to the toilet, while accessories such as flush-fitting, ultra-flat shower trays or hinged handles and grab rails offer additional support to make bathrooms safer.

When developing new solutions for accessible spaces, Villeroy & Boch consults with end users to determine precisely their needs and wants. The outcomes of this participatory process are less clinical and better suited to modern lifestyles than many comparable products. The company’s barrier-free and design-oriented products integrate assistance systems or features that support accessibility without compromising on style.

One of the taglines used for Villeroy & Boch’s ViCare collection is ‘Design knows no barriers’, which neatly encapsulates how the company applies universal design principles to its products for accessible bathrooms. Visually, it is almost impossible to tell that these items are designed to comply with the stringent DIN barrier-free standards. The sanitary ware contributes positively to the interior design of bathrooms for private households or care facilities, helping to maintain a vital sense of dignity and normality in everyday life.

Reports and interviews on the Villeroy & Boch website offer insights from industry experts and users of barrier-free bathrooms, while reference projects demonstrate how to create safe and hygienic spaces that are also visually impressive. When used together with the company’s range of robust, versatile and design-led sanitary ware products, this collection of resources should ensure higher standards for accessible bathroom design now and in the future.

Villeroy & Boch has also developed a range of tools to help architects and planners create future-proofed bathrooms that conform to contemporary accessibility standards. These include a dedicated section on its website providing information such as appropriate dimensions and layouts, along with links to download fact books outlining the various regulations relating to bathroom design in different contexts.

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