Villeroy & Boch - Tiles Division

One of the most modern hospitals in Germany has been in operation since the beginning of 2024: the new Helios HSK in Wiesbaden. Around 120,000 outpatients and 45,000 inpatients are treated here every year in 28 specialist clinics and institutes, with more than 2,400 employees working for the hospital.With an investment sum of 268 million euros, a new building complex with a longitudinal axis of 200 m and a depth of 100 m was erected directly next to the existing Helios Dr. Horst Schmidt Clinics, which can accommodate all the functions of a maximum care provider in high-performance medicine. The architecture and comb structure of the new building are aligned with the treatment processes and follow the principle of short distances: the departments are arranged in such a way that synergies are created and interdisciplinary cooperation is facilitated. The foyer, cafeteria, corridors and staircases of the building were designed to be functional and aesthetically pleasing at the same time using selected series of Villeroy & Boch tiles.The vilbostone ABERDEEN porcelain stoneware series create a purist atmosphere with a subtle natural touch in the open foyer, which is flooded with light thanks to large glass surfaces and furnished with light-colored wood, in the corridors and stairwells. Inspired by the silver-grey granite from the former quarries around the harbor town of the same name in north-east Scotland, the design of the tiles adapts the typical inclusions and gloss effects of the grey Aberdeen stones in high-quality ceramics. In the floor design, the 30 x 60 cm and 15 x 60 cm formats in the expressive, matt slate grey color are combined in a bond, creating an interesting, lively look in the surfaces. The floor covering is extremely robust and easy to clean and offers a high level of slip resistance with slip resistance R10/A. The stairwells are designed with special 30 x 120 cm stair tiles, the edges of which have contrasting colored edges and milled grooves for better visibility. In addition, in particularly sensitive areas such as the kitchen, tiles with slip resistance R12-V4 were laid, which, thanks to their special surface structure, enable safe standing and walking even with large amounts of liquids or grease. The ABERDEEN wall tile in light white pearl in 30 x 60 cm format was also laid in various sanitary areas. A lustre print finish creates interesting matt-gloss effects on the glazed stoneware tiles, which subtly imitate the character of granite and can be perceived to varying degrees depending on the incidence of light and point of view.In the cafeteria, whose interior design with the theme of “water” is reminiscent of Wiesbaden’s tradition as a spa town, floor areas with tiles from the historically inspired design concept CENTURY UNLIMITED catch the eye. The high-quality vilbostone porcelain stoneware combines a fine cotto cement look with decorations inspired by the Mettlach tiles from the 19th century. Attractive tile carpets have been created with decorative tiles in a successful contrast to the ABERDEEN surface in a consistent color: As a border, the cotto-colored Diamonds decor with classic diamonds creates a three-dimensional trompe l’œil effect. The main surface of the “carpet” is composed of the Circles decor, which uses ornaments in various coordinated shades of grey and beige as well as the expressive colors cotto and indigo to place the traditional patterns in a highly aesthetic, contemporary context.

The office “G+P Muller architectes” designed a total of 94 rooms, including classrooms, laboratories, workshops and studios. The Lycée also has its own swimming pool, sports halls and a canteen kitchen with an attached cafeteria. The straight-lined architecture, which uses daylight in a variety of ways and cleverly leads into the building, is captivated by a fresh color concept that takes on an aesthetic and structuring function throughout the building.In order to harmoniously adapt the swimming pool, sanitary areas and canteen kitchen to the color concept, the architects chose two tile series from Villeroy&Boch: PRO ARCHITECTURA and UNIT ONE. In addition to the necessary technical properties for public kitchens and wet areas, the PRO ARCHITECTURA series in particular offers a professional color and format system.For the sanitary area, the architects chose orange, which also appears in the school’s logo, as well as red and white, using several of the system’s modular formats. The swimming pool area is designed around the pool with specially anti-slip tiles from the PRO ARCHITECTURA series. In the surrounding areas, the swimming pool is divided into the colors light and dark gray, which harmonize very well with the concrete elements and the wooden ceiling.

To showcase the product range, the Airport Center features an impressive spatial concept, in which the tile design from the X-PLANE collection of V&B Tiles was impressively staged. In X-PLANE’s design composition, the original appearance of a cement surface is enhanced with a metallic glimmer. This enhancement of the surface leads to a variety of stylistic possibilities, which were used to enhance the atmosphere in the showroom of Mercedes Benz. As a high-quality and durable floor covering, tiles from Villeroy&Boch also meet the requirements for maximum functionality, capable of withstanding the weight of cars and enduring high visitor frequency.Images ©: AirportCenter of the Mercedes-Benz Berlin branch

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.

With a height of up to 110 m, the impressive Elbphilharmonie rises up on around 1,700 reinforced concrete piles. The architects from Herzog & de Meuron have placed a curved glass facade made up of more than 1,000 differently curved window elements on the brick Kaispeicher A, a former warehouse for cocoa, tobacco and tea. Their shape is reminiscent of giant horseshoes and tuning forks and creates unique mirroring effects. The concavely curved roof evokes impressive wave crowns with shimmering sequins.The heart of the Elbphilharmonie is the legendary concert hall, which literally floats at a height of 50 meters – decoupled from the rest of the building for sound insulation reasons. Its acoustics, for which the Japanese Yasuhisa Toyota, one of the world’s most renowned acousticians, is responsible, are overwhelming: the “White Skin”, which owes its name to the around 10,000 gypsum fiber panels on the walls and ceilings, and a reflector in the middle of the vaulted ceiling for optimal listening pleasure in each of the 2,100 seats. Functionally and aesthetically reliable tilesIn addition to two other concert halls, the building is home to 45 apartments, the freely accessible plaza at a height of 37 meters with a 360° panorama over the city and a very special hotel. The “The Westin Hamburg” extends in the eastern part of the building from the 6th. floor to the end floor on the 20th floor. In the 244 exclusive rooms and suites, discerning guests will encounter Villeroy&Boch tiles: mosaics from the PRO ARCHITECTURA series are integrated into the design concept by Tassilo Bost, bost group berlin. The calm, puristic interior design plays with the themes of sand, air and water and combines a linear design with a flowing design language. The pure white small formats of just 2.5 x 2.5 cm with a matt surface give the designer space for individual bathroom designs. The minimalist ceramic tiles underline the exquisite room atmosphere in a reserved manner and without pushing themselves into the foreground.“The Westin Hamburg” also includes a 1,300 m² fitness and wellness area. In addition to training options, saunas, steam baths, two fresh air loggias with a view of the Elbe and the harbor, treatment and relaxation rooms and a lounge, the Elb Spa offers the longest indoor hotel pool in Hamburg at 20 m. The swimming pool was also designed with PRO ARCHITECTURA. Villeroy&Boch Tiles has been a proven and reliable partner for planners and architects in swimming pool construction for many years and, in addition to modular tile series, offers them all the additional molded parts for a functionally high-quality and at the same time aesthetically sophisticated swimming pool. PRO ARCHITECTURA is also used in the staff rooms for the approximately 160 employees, who look after the well-being of hotel guests from all over the world at “The Westin Hamburg”.