project
27
Geberit opens new
showroom and
training centre
On 30 March 2017, Geberit hosted 300 customers at a gala
event in celebration of their 10-year anniversary.
By Geberit Southern Africa
Guests were welcomed by Erwin Kaelin, head of
developing markets, who gave a brief overview on
the history of Geberit and, in particular, the journey
of Geberit in southern Africa. Kaelin introduced the
international campaign for 2017, “Time goes by.
Quality remains” — a most fitting theme for Geberit
Southern Africa.
Mark Schurr, managing direc tor of Geberit Southern
Africa, said the highlight of the event was the big reveal
and official opening of the state-of-the-art showroom,
which was purposefully built to showcase the new
Geberit Bathroom Collection. Geberit Southern Africa is
one of the launch markets for the new Geberit Bathroom
series, which encompasses Geberit-branded ceramics
and bathroom furniture. In addition, the new training
centre was opened, incorporating the impressive three-
storey-high hydraulic drainage tower — the first of its
kind in Africa — designed along the same principles as
the one located at Geberit Head Office’s training centre
in Jona, Switzerland. Ronald van Triest, member of
the Geberit Group Executive Board, Kaelin, and Helene
Budliger Artieda, the ambassador of Switzerland, cut the
ribbon and officially declared the new Geberit showroom
and training centre open.
The showroom and training centre, incorporating the
awe-inspiring Hydraulic Tower, is an investment made
by the Geberit Group in acknowledgement of the
performance and growth achieved in the region. The new
facility was more than a year in the making as a lot of
research, planning, and design were invested in ensuring
the hydraulic drainage tower would be of international
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
standard and the showroom would incorporate all the
aspects of Geberit’s new product offering.
Geberit product manager, Leonard Da Silva, first went
overseas to research how it was being done elsewhere.
Each country’s tower is customised to its own needs.
For example, the one at head office in Switzerland is
a completely solid structure. He also went to see the
Hydraulic Towers in Austria and Slovenia. The project was
well thought out and planned even before Geberit moved
into its new premises over a year ago.
The Hydraulic Tower was built at the same time as the
new showroom, so it was no small task to pull off!
The local Geberit design team did the design work of the
tower, and Modern Plumbing Works (MPW) was chosen
to do the actual installation of the pipework. Murray
Smith was the architect involved in the showroom
project. His clear understanding of the brief from
Switzerland, together with his creative thinking and
design flair, is evident in the finished product.
The Hydraulic Tower provides an ideal learning point for
installers and offers a clear understanding of the function
of drainage from roof to waste pipes. It also shows the
technical aspect of how water travels within drainage
pipes. The showroom excites with a world of new
possibilities through the appealing displays of the Geberit
bathroom ceramics.
Geberit has a new look where reliable technology behind
the wall is united with perfectly designed bathroom
Continued on page 28 >>
June 2017 Volume 23 I Number 4