2022

»Sun-exposed land is needed for agriculture and for solar energy, leading to competition for land. Hélène Fontaine's 2harvest project represents a forward-looking solution to this challenge. It uses organic photovoltaic cells on greenhouse foils, enabling the dual use of land. The energy generated can be fed into the grid.«

»A clever design where the finesse is in the details. Masonry construction tasks can be accomplished with flexibility using only a few different bricks, which are made from construction waste and recycled brick dust. Intelligent stacking and interlocking replaces mortar, which also facilitates eventual deconstruction.«

»The luminaire convinces with its overall concept of minimal use of materials as well as its principle of tension, which significantly saves resources and generates a wide range of possible use cases. The components are not concealed, making AYNO a genuinely iconic design. The accentuation of the cable is likewise compelling.«

»Rat control generally requires the use of toxic baits. These poisons can seep into the surrounding environment, where they go on to accumulate, for example in fish. ball-b GmbH & Co KG’s bait protection box manages to minimise the use of poison baits, reduces contact with water and simplifies overall use through digital data transmission, all of which is incorporated through clever design.«

»HIIVE conceives of the habitat of a tree cavity as a smart home system for honey bees. Natural materials are joined together in a modular design that is easy to handle and repair. The interior climate and swarm mood can be monitored externally via sensors. It's a win-win for bees and beekeepers.«

»This clear and user-friendly application provides up-to-date and local information about the availability (or not) of green electricity. As such, users are made aware of the issue and their consumption behaviour is cultivated until the service, quite intentionally, makes itself redundant through the acquired routine.«

»Peatlands are of fundamental importance for climate protection. If peatlands are drained for agricultural or forestry use, they release considerable quantities of greenhouse gases. These releases can only be stopped by raising the water levels in the drained peat soils once again. re:wet – peat:lab is an impressive young talent submission that digitally monitors the rewetting of peatlands and bundles the corresponding data. It is an innovation that has the potential to provide technical support to the German government's National Peatland Protection Strategy.«

»reverse.supply enables fashion companies to seamlessly resell used and overstock products directly through their own website. In this way, they create incentives for brands to participate in resale and promote a culture of apparel appreciation and reuse.«

»Outstanding design meets a well thought-out deposit system: REX is the quintessence of a recyclable piece of furniture. Made from recycled industrial waste such as fishing nets or plastics from office chairs, REX is reusable and repairable. Established collection points and a deposit system make it attractive for consumers to return the chair and ensure circular utilisation.«

»Shared Factory offers small and medium-sized fashion companies a frictionless and appealing digital design approach for knitted products. This is supported by the real-world implementation of innovative supply chain and production solutions for on-demand and local production in the activated knitwear network.«

»On the one hand, the Steelcase Flex Perch Stool impresses with its innovative material manufacturing process based on the recycled plastic developed by BASF’s ChemCyclingTM project, which helps close the fossil material cycle and reduce waste. On the other, it is a modular and stackable archetypical standing stool that can be optimally used in the ‘New Work’ context, among others.«

»The Smart Bike Parking Tower guarantees secure storage for e-bikes or bicycles in public spaces, making travelling by bike and train far more appealing. The flexible facade design, easy installation, resource-saving production and simple operation via app make the V-Locker useful not only for train stations, but also for event venues such as stadiums, exhibition centres or concert halls. With regard to the transformation of transport, this is a highly overdue concept.«

»The transformation of our national energy supply will necessitate an expansion of onshore wind power. However, the construction of wind turbines also involves a considerable use of resources, in particular the casting of concrete foundations. The precast foundations for wind turbines by Smart & Green Mukran Concrete GmbH make in-situ concrete foundations obsolete. This is a true game-changer that can accelerate and simplify the expansion of onshore wind power.«

»These LED modules form the basis for a more sustainable design of future luminaires. This is thanks to their modularity, the ability for users to replace defective parts, and a material and cost-saving retrofit in the case of a shift in demand. The full potential of X-Change lies in the establishment of a new standard for replaceable LED modules.«