Bathroom Pre-Wall Element for Shower Renovation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Renovating bathrooms, especially in hotels and private apartments, often requires replacing bathtubs with showers, leading to costly changes in water connections and wall coverings due to the need to reposition and re-tile around new fittings, which is inefficient and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A pre-wall element that nests against the supply wall and ceiling, allowing for flexible placement of shower fittings independent of existing supply connections, covering them visually and reducing the need for extensive renovation, with a design that includes a removable cover plate for easy access and aesthetic integration of lighting and shower components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If new water connections and fittings are connected to existing supply connections in the wall, then the shower system can be installed, but the existing tiles or wall coverings are damaged in the area of the supply connections
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-wall element segments the bathroom wall into a replaceable module that contains the supply connections. This allows the pre-wall element to be detached and replaced without damaging the surrounding existing tiles and wall coverings, isolating the damage to only the pre-wall element itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply connections and fittings are extracted from the permanent wall structure and placed within the removable pre-wall element. This extraction allows the connections to be accessed, modified, or replaced by simply removing the pre-wall element rather than breaking through the finished wall surface.
2Shape
If the entire supply wall or bathroom is re-tiled or redesigned to cover damaged areas, then the aesthetic appearance is restored, but the renovation costs significantly increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-wall element is designed as a disposable or replaceable component that can be easily replaced when damaged or outdated. Instead of investing in expensive re-tiling or redesign of the entire bathroom wall, the user can simply replace the relatively inexpensive pre-wall element to restore aesthetic appearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-wall element can be discarded when damaged and replaced with a new one, while the surrounding permanent wall structure and existing tiles are recovered and retained. This selective replacement approach recovers the value of the existing wall coverings and avoids the cost of replacing them.
3Manufacturing precision
If supply lines are allowed to emerge from the supply wall at the exact point where the fitting is later attached, then precise alignment is achieved, but the effort and complexity of installation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The supply connections are pre-positioned within the pre-wall element during manufacturing, ensuring precise alignment is built into the component itself. During installation, the pre-wall element is simply placed against the wall with the pre-positioned connections, eliminating the need for laborious on-site alignment work.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-wall element acts as an intermediary between the wall structure and the shower fittings. It provides a pre-configured interface that simplifies the connection process, mediating between the fixed wall position and the adjustable fitting requirements.
4Shape
If the pre-wall element is made large enough to cover all supply connections, then the aesthetic impression is maintained, but the material usage and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-wall element is designed as a universal component that can accommodate multiple supply connections and different fitting configurations within a single standardized unit. This multi-functionality allows it to cover all necessary connections while maintaining a consistent design, reducing the need for multiple different components.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a bathroom with a wet room (10) for showering or with a wet room for bathing, comprising a shower tray (12) or a bathtub and a shower head (26) with the associated control elements (38) and with a service wall (14) having at least one supply connection. Creating a bathroom and a pre-wall element (18) for this purpose of the type mentioned above, with which the manufacturing costs and especially the renovation costs of the bathroom can be significantly reduced, is achieved by providing a pre-wall element (18) on the service wall (14) of a wet room (10) suitable for showering or bathing in a bathroom. This pre-wall element comprises a wall element (20) that can be attached to the service wall (14) and a ceiling element (22) that is oriented at an angle, in particular at a right angle, to the wall element (20), wherein the ceiling element (22) is arranged directly below a ceiling (24) of the bathroom.