KRAUS USA’s Urbix™ Industrial Bridge Faucet with ColorSmart™ Technology wins International Design Award (IDA)

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Posted: May 2, 2021

Port Washington, NY – The 2020 International Design Awards (IDA) have awarded Kraus USA’s Urbix™ Industrial Bridge Faucet with ColorSmart™ Technology the Silver Award in the subcategory “Design for Society and Design for Elders”.

“We are incredibly proud to have this product recognized for an award like this”, said Todd Alexander, VP of Operations and Product Development at Kraus USA. “This product is a manifestation of what we’re all about at Kraus: Rethinking the boundaries of what a sink or faucet can do in the 21st century home and creating designs that can have real, measurable impact on people’s lives. To have that effort acknowledged by the international design community is incredibly gratifying.”

The Urbix™ Industrial Bridge Faucet with ColorSmart™ Technology is one of the first faucets of its kind to reach the consumer market. Featuring a unique thermochromic finish, the faucet body changes color in response to rising water temperatures, alerting users when water is too hot to touch. While providing a bold and captivating design element, ColorSmart™ Technology also serves as a visual representation of water temperature for users with sensitivity to heat.

At room temperature and when cold water is in use, the heat-activated finish appears matte black – allowing the Urbix™ Faucet to blend seamlessly with any modern kitchen space. But as water temperature rises the faucet begins to transition to a secondary color, with the color transformation eventually affecting the entire faucet body. While the initial product will feature a finish that turns from black to grey, this technology can be replicated with a variety of secondary colors – leaving opportunities for customization and design flexibility.

Serving a function beyond design, ColorSmart™ Technology enhances the user experience by giving a visual representation of rising water temperature. The progression of the color transformation helps users to recognize when water might be too hot to touch. In a time when aging-in-place is a growing trend, ColorSmart™ Technology provides a valuable tool for older adults, as well as young children and others who experience heat intolerance or lack of sensitivity to heat due to a variety of common medical conditions.

“This is an extremely impressive concept, with a genuinely original idea addressing a very clear need” said juror Melissa Sterry of the award-winning ColorSmart™ Technology.

Each year since its inception in 2007 the International Design Awards has worked to recognize, celebrate and promote legendary design visionaries and to uncover emerging talent in Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic and Fashion Design. The international jury consists of leading independent voices from a variety of product and design disciplines. Each product is evaluated based on a range of criteria, including innovation, aesthetics, functionality, durability, and emotional impact.

You can find more information on the award-winning products at https://idesignawards.com/. The Urbix™ Industrial Bridge Faucet is slated to be available for purchase by summer of 2021. Visit www.kraususa.com for details.

About Kraus

With a history of manufacturing exceptional kitchen and bathroom products, we at KRAUS believe in the power of design to transform ordinary environments into beautiful spaces. Our goal is to deliver the highest possible value for our customers, providing innovative fixtures at approachable prices. We want to empower consumers, allowing them to transform their homes with intuitive designs and easy-to install products that are built for long-lasting use.