Now for the third time, the interior architecture course at the Mainz University of Applied Sciences, Germany, has organised a semester project
going by the name of "Material as Design Impetus". This year, under the leadership of Prof. Bernd Benninghoff, the project is all about the substance of concrete. The material itself should inspire the design. Sixteen aspiring designers started their work, full of dedication and enthusiasm. The project relied on a close collaboration with a network of businesses in order to demonstrate how concrete can be used in an experimental and conceptual manner for developing new furniture products and interior design elements.

Als Hauptpartner konnte die Manufaktur Villa Rocca The Freiburg-based business Villa Rocca was attracted as the main partner – it has earned an international reputation for its premium quality concrete products. The business benefits from a wealth of expertise in producing concrete objects – from small accessories to large façade and interior design elements. Christian Egenter, one of the two partners of this innovative company, was fascinated right away when he heard of the joint project and supported the development process on an ongoing basis, working closely together with the students. Initially, he visited the university in
Mainz many times and was directly involved in the design process. Then he organized an intensive fourday workshop for which the business provided its production facilities and some of its staff.

Dyckerhoff and KauPo Plankenhorn, two other concrete construction experts, were also involved in the project and demonstrated a high degree of commitment. Dyckerhoff AG supported the student designs by providing formwork and the selfcompacting material marketed as "Flowstone", which was used as a casting material for all objects. A large number of polyurethane form liners was needed for the complex mold-making process. The production of these items was supported by Kaupo. Sales Director Patrick Plankenhorn personally attended the workshop in Freiburg to assist with the casting of the polyurethane elements and to drive the design process forward.

The first presentation of the design concepts showed that lighting was to play a key role together with concrete in two of the concepts developed. It was thus necessary to also consult a lighting engineer who became a member of the joint team. The Freiburgbased business dieleuchten.com, which has a high degree of expertise in the field of LED lighting technology, became another partner that fitted perfectly with the project. Owner Konrad Wallmeier personally ensured the development of the lighting design for the combined concrete and lighting objects. This network of cooperating businesses enabled the students to experiment with the material under professional conditions and to continuous ly adjust their own design process to the possible production methods. The experiments conducted with the material and ergonomic tests created the basis for developing a wide range of different products. The student teams designed and produced outdoor lighting objects, rollable floor coverings, wall panels with integrated LED luminaires, masonry blocks that provide space for planting, seating furniture, heaters and even a hi-fi system consisting of concrete.

The fact that the designed objects were produced as planned triggered a big learning process among the designers because they realized, at this stage, the huge effort in terms of logistics and workmanship that was needed to implement their design ideas. The mold-making process, which was very complex at some of its stages, is a particularly striking example because the work to be done was initially underestimated. Positive molds were milled and ground for days on end, sophisticated forms were built and several trial castings produced. However, this big effort truly paid off as soon as the molds were removed and the designers looked at the fi nished objects. The particular features of each casting process became apparent – the result of a long development process becomes visible only at the very end. The cooperation between the university and the industry partners laid the foundation for the success of this project and created a winwin situation for all parties involved. The students provided new inspiration to the businesses by conducting their material experiments and conceiving their design ideas. On the other hand, they were directly involved in the realistic development process of their products. They were able to bring their ideas to life as a result of the provision of materials and the expert advice received from the partner companies. The resulting range of innovative concrete products relies on the interaction between object and space. The products were on display in January 2011 both at the BAU fair in Munich and at the International Furniture Fair in Cologne (prize giving took place there). They can now be acquired via the Villa Rocca Online Shop.

www.fh-mainz.de
Collaboration partners
Villa Rocca / Christian Egenter
www.villarocca.de
www.shop.villarocca.de
Dyckerhoff AG / Christian Bechtoldt
www.dyckerhoff.de
KauPo / Patrick Plankenhorn
www.kaupo.de/betonguss
dieleuchten.com / Konrad Wallmeier
www.dieleuchten.com