The flow of water as a work of art atelier oï designs for Geberit
The Swiss design studio atelier oï enacts Mastering Water as a poetic spectacle combining water, light, sound and movement – in a temporary installation at the new Geberit Experience Center in Milan.
A graphic work of art in a room from afar, and a multi-faceted water feature as you get closer: drops slide along tensioned springs – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Sometimes they stop, sometimes they join together. A gentle lapping sound fills the room.
An immersive experience dedicated entirely to the element water – created by atelier oï. When creating the temporary installation for Milan Design Week 2026, the renowned Swiss design studio took an in-depth look at Geberit and the core competence of Mastering Water. In doing so, it recognised parallels with its own design philosophy, as co-founder Aurel Aebi explains in this interview.
What fascinates you about the element water?
Aurel Aebi: Water is a wonderfully dynamic element. Its feel, look and sounds are intriguing, and its colours and shapes are constantly changing. In addition, it comes in various states that have something magical for us. This variety inspires us and provides an ideal basis for creative experiments.
Geberit stands for Mastering Water – a holistic understanding of the flow of water that also influences the design of our products. Do you see parallels to your work?
Aurel Aebi: What connects us both is the focus on the material and the need to really understand it. Just like Geberit, we work our way to the heart of a subject as part of the design process: you have to grasp the material – quite literally – in order to understand it. Once you reach this heart, precise, often surprisingly simple and highly functional solutions are created – be it in product design, in architecture or, as here, in an installation. And therein lies the parallel: once we understand the behaviour of water, we can direct it the way we want – not by breaking up its character, but by learning from it instead.
What impressions and thoughts did you want to stimulate among the audience with your installation?
Aurel Aebi: We wanted to create an artistic interpretation of Mastering Water that makes the beauty of water tangible to all the senses. The installation shows how precious this resource is and why the conscious, efficient use of it is so important.
| GEBERIT EXPERIENCE CENTER Exchange, inspiration and hands-on learning |
|---|
| The new Geberit Experience Center in Milan is more than just a showroom. It brings the core competence of Mastering Water to life and impressively demonstrates how architecture, design and technology interact seamlessly when guiding water in a modern building. Geberit solutions are presented in a building context in clearly structured subject areas – from installation and flushing systems to ceramic appliances. A conscious experience of the interplay of individual components in the system makes it easier to understand planning and implementation. This makes the Experience Center a place of exchange, inspiration and hands-on learning. The fact that the Geberit Experience Center is located in Milan’s trendy Tortona district is no coincidence: the Italian metropolis is a central meeting point for the international architecture and design scene – one that goes well beyond Milan Design Week. Geberit Experience Center, Via Tortona 31, 20144 Milan, Italy |
Subscribe to eView The Geberit newsletter for architects
Whether it’s spectacular hotels, skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, or exclusive designer villas – innovative Geberit products and solutions are used in projects around the world.
In our eVIEW newsletter, we highlight the most exciting projects. Get inspired – and receive selected architectural highlights straight to your inbox three times a year.
