Water Wise
The Age
Wednesday November 26, 2003
Omvivo's washplanes not only look good, they are also liquid assets.
OSEPH LICCIARDI'S washplanes are designed for ecological water use. They have shallow sloping dishes with rear drainage trays instead of plugs and, despite having an unstoppable flow during use, the basins still manage to save on water. The faucets aerate the water, limiting the flow to four to six litres a minute compared to the 20-litres-a-minute flow of normal taps, Licciardi says. A gentle slope makes users aware of water running away.
The co-director of new Melbourne domestic design house Omvivo, Licciardi says, "Before recycling, we can find ways to save up to 90 per cent of our energy use. In my design of wet areas I am simply making people aware of how they are using water today and designing for that, instead of allowing for 19th-century design conventions. I aim to bring in systems of prevention instead of systems of recycling."
This design philosophy is one reason Licciardi's washplanes were used for the washrooms in the newly refurbished Sydney Opera House, opened in October. The washplanes were among the interior designs chosen by head architect Richard Johnson, of Johnson Pilton Walker, and approved by Joern Utzon, the original architect of the Sydney Opera House. Set in a row, the stunning basins echo the shell shapes of the Opera House, while recalling that most natural of wash places - river rockpools.
Omvivo is a year-old joint venture between office furniture design house Schiavello and Joseph Licciardi. It specialises in domestic design and apartment fitouts but half of its sales are overseas, especially to Europe. Because of Licciardi's experience - he directed Idiom in the '80s and Vetrosystems in the '90s - Omvivo's strength is in great design for domestic wet areas.
But it is quickly moving into other areas of the house, backed by the lightweight and durable office furniture and environmental design principles of Schiavello, a 37-year-old, Australian and family-owned furniture design and manufacturing business.
All these elements have come together in Licciardi's interior design of the NKYA, a
150-apartment, residential development in Fitzroy, designed by architect Ivan Rijavec, featuring convertible living and bedroom spaces with open wet areas.
Schiavello and Omvivo design for longevity in aesthetics and functionality. Peter Schiavello, managing director of Schiavello, stresses the environmental benefits of engineering "for the least mass possible". "Materials that take the least power to make may not be great environmentally if they are more perishable," Licciardi adds. "Architects and designers need to be responsible about what they are doing. The more aware you become, the more responsible you become."
© 2003 The Age
Share This