Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishWater is one of our most precious resources, yet its demand continues to rise. As climate change worsens water scarcity, it has become increasingly clear that this finite resource demands more thoughtful management. The question is: how can we empower individuals to manage their water consumption while promoting sustainability? At Milan Design Week 2025, in the Cortile d’Onore of the University of Milan, Roca and the internationally renowned architecture studio Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) unveil A Beat of Water – an immersive installation that highlights the intersection of innovative design and digital water management.This collaboration brings Roca’s evolving platform, Roca Connect, to the forefront, demonstrating how technology can be leveraged to address one of humanity’s most pressing challenges. Roca Connect marks a transformative shift in how we monitor, control, and conserve water. By using IoT technology, it enables users to track and optimize water usage in real-time, turning this essential resource into something that can be precisely managed and carefully preserved. By integrating this solution into their bathroom products – from faucets to smart toilets and showers – Roca offers users a powerful tool to reduce waste and increase sustainability. The system provides real-time data on water consumption, allowing individuals and businesses alike to make smarter, more informed decisions, ensuring that no drop goes to waste.Roca and BIG’s visionary collaborationFounded in 2005 by visionary Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, BIG has earned a reputation for merging creativity and technology with seamless precision. BIG believes the future of architecture lies at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds, where technology and nature coexist in harmony. Ingels’ work goes beyond building structures; it’s about creating spaces that respond to and reflect the rapidly evolving technological landscape. He envisions a future where augmented reality and other digital technologies dissolve the boundaries between the built environment and the natural world. This forward-thinking philosophy perfectly aligns with Roca’s own innovative approach. For the brand, the bathroom has long been more than just a space for wellness; it’s an intelligent, data-driven system that actively contributes to sustainability – a vision conceived long before smart homes became a mainstream concept.A Beat of Water: turning smart systems into emotional storytellingWhat makes Roca’s installation at Fuorisalone so striking is how it brings this digital infrastructure to life, resonating emotionally with visitors by transforming data into movement and flow into rhythm. A Beat of Water, designed for the Interni Cre-Action Installation, is a monumental piece composed of 300 linear meters of galvanized steel pipes, spanning 14 meters in length and rising 3.5 meters in height. The installation is divided into two-meter segments by 56 smart valves, which regulate the flow of water in a rhythmic choreography. Every 20 minutes, the system completes its cycle, ensuring that no water is wasted. Visitors are invited to walk through the structure, observing its movements and listening to the sounds of water, as if the installation were a living, breathing organism.This is not just an artistic display; A Beat of Water is a tangible representation of the invisible systems that govern our daily lives. Through this installation, Roca encourages us to reimagine water not as a mere resource, but as a responsibility. Roca Connect plays a key role in making this vision a reality. By integrating smart data, it enables precise control over water usage, ensuring that the installation operates efficiently. Behind the scenes, the system continuously monitors water flow, providing real-time insights and facilitating predictive maintenance.The technical heart of Roca ConnectBuilt on a secure, encrypted, cloud-based architecture, Roca Connect allows real-time monitoring of energy usage, provides automatic alerts for leaks or malfunctions, and enables optimized management across multiple locations, all while offering remote control via mobile and desktop dashboards. Its seamless integration with Building Management Systems (BMS) makes it ideal for large-scale commercial environments such as hotels, schools, cultural centers, airports, and office buildings. By enhancing user experience while significantly cutting down on resource waste and maintenance costs, Roca Connect effectively balances comfort with sustainability – two traditionally conflicting priorities in bathroom design.Rethinking the role of the bathroomThe bathroom has undergone a profound transformation over the years. Once a communal space in Roman times, it has evolved into an intimate, private sanctuary – serving not only as a place for personal hygiene but also as a retreat from the demands of daily life. Architect Rem Koolhaas aptly described the toilet as “the fundamental zone of interaction – on the most intimate level – between humans and architecture”. For centuries, having a bathroom in the home was a luxury reserved for the wealthy. Today, that gap has significantly narrowed, with more people able to design bathrooms that reflect their personal tastes. Roca Connect represents the next step in this evolution – transforming toilets from passive spaces into active, intelligent systems. Here, intelligence is not confined to flashy devices, but is embedded in the seamless integration of performance, comfort and conservation. From waste to awarenessThrough its collaboration with BIG, Roca highlights how innovative technology can integrate seamlessly with the built environment to promote greater sustainability and efficiency. The installation A Beat of Water serves as a reminder that the systems behind our everyday lives – those we often take for granted – are not just functional but deeply connected to the health of our planet. Solutions like Roca Connect offer a practical, immediate response. By making the invisible visible, Roca redefines our relationship with the resources we rely on, enabling a shift from reaction to prediction, from inefficiency to precision, from waste to awareness. A Beat of Water is on display as part of the INTERNI CRE-ACTION exhibition at the University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, from April 7th to 13th, between 10 AM and 11 PM.
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