Bayerischer Staatspreis für Nachwuchsdesigner

This tool runs on a chemical substance and can be operated by one person. It delivers high performance for a long period of time independently of a fixed source of energy, for example, on highways, at construction sites, in farming or when power poles are being installed.

Appreciation of the winner
by Rido Busse

The term “design” generally is known throughout Germany. However, if you ask ten people about its meaning, nine will say words to the effect of, “it’s the nice form around something.”

Of course, aesthetics are an important criterion for design since products have to be visually understandable and at the same time appeal to our senses of hearing, touch, smell and taste. Hence, design also is about how a product sounds and what it feels, smells or tastes like. Function, ergonomics and manufacturing technology, however, are criteria that are more or less important in design. These criteria determine whether a product fulfills its task, can be handled optimally, and is affordable. The 1988 Bavarian State Prize for Young Designers was awarded to two designers whose works by far exceeded the average of the works submitted and demonstrated clearly that design is more than product aesthetics.

I would like to begin with the model submitted by Alexander Benn. His topic: tool operated by solid matter – gas impact screw driver, which at first meant nothing to me. It was not until the jury scrutinized the documents Benn submitted that the excellence of the work became evident. The tool can be operated without the need for a stationary compressed-air supply or the main grid and can be deployed anywhere where such sources of energy are not available, where a generator would be too cumbersome or where battery-operated devices would be too heavy or too weak, for example, on highways, at construction sites, in farming or when assembling space stations.
This is how the tool works: a bullet is fired and the instantaneously developing gas pressure is forced into a container and then transferred to a turbine in small amounts. As soon as the pressure in the container drops, the next bullet is fired automatically until the cartridge is empty. The jury was impressed by the extent to which the designer fulfilled the design criterion of “function”; Benn even submitted the concept for the tool’s construction. The jury praised the ergonomics highly, particularly the feed. The working papers that document the development from idea to finished product were excellent. The quality of the model also has been highly commended. The author would like to ask the designer to rethink the texture of the surface.

The information pillar which provides illumination for the waste-disposal site called the Recycling Center can be used for advertising environmentally-friendly products and campaigns and for the deposit of used batteries, out-of-date drugs, etc. The lids of the underground containers have profiles resembling cobblestones and the shafts are marked according to the respective types of waste.

Appreciation of the winner
by Rido Busse

The second winner is Joachim Döring who was awarded the State Prize for his recycling container system. It is a concept that I was very pleased to see because I have always wanted to make the ugly glass-collection containers invisible. Döring’s idea is simple: the containers are hidden underground and the only visible component is a fill tube in the center that also serves as a holder for the gripping arms of the disposal vehicles. Another advantage of the tube, which is only 70cm high, is that it can be accessed by people in wheelchairs and by children which is not always possible with today’s containers.

This solution – which is aesthetically pleasing because it hides an ugly object – also is connected with acoustic aesthetics since waste being thrown down the tube makes no noise. Because of the noise problem, in many locations glass-disposal containers cannot be used during night hours. Another advantage of the system: its lid is flush with the ground or floor and can be walked on. Hence, no lid must be opened over a hole in the ground to withdraw the containers. The containers can be emptied easily because their bottoms – made up of two flaps – can be opened easily above the rear of the disposal vehicle. In addition, Döring planned an information pillar that marks and illuminates the waste-disposal site and can be used for advertising and as a site to dispose of batteries, drugs, etc. The system can be implemented in various sizes. Municipalities or communities must decide whether they want to equip the system with a device that secures the pit during waste removal. The jury suggested modifying the concept so the surface of the containers matches the surrounding ground or floor coverings.

Conclusion: a concept that should be implemented without delay; despite the mediocre quality of the model, the work can be rated as good.