iF Gold Award for interstuhl - AirPad wins Design Oscar

The iF Design Award Night 2012 at BMW Welt in Munich last Friday was a glittering occasion. Ralph Wiegmann (Managing Director of iF) and presenter Frauke Ludowig were there to introduce outstanding design from 20 countries to more than 1,500 guests. For the first time, all the winners in each one of the iF Award disciplines were awarded their prizes together.

The iF Gold Award in the Product Design discipline was awarded to 60 companies. Only five prize winners were honoured with an award in the Material Design discipline: one of these five prize-winners was interstuhl, with AirPad. As the jury of experts said in their summing up, "The iF Material Design award has succeeded in establishing material innovation as a vital part of the design process." It was AirPad?s closed-effect surface, which is so extraordinarily easy to shape - perfect for designing seating furniture - that made such an impression. The optimum ventilation and ease of adjustment to the body generate new design possibilities and practical ergonomic improvements. For the jury, it was not just a question of the material itself, but just as importantly, the material in the context of the function of the product. Interstuhl up there on level-pegging with the VW up!, the McLaren SRL, the BMW 6 Series Coupé and the iPad 2, which all also received the Gold Award.

The iF Awards are acknowledged as one of the most significant design labels in the world. They are awarded by independent juries composed of internationally renowned designers, entrepreneurs and academics chosen according to very clear criteria. Every year, the best designs from innovative companies are honoured in different categories. The iF Award serves as an indicator of pioneering design developments and product innovations. In all, 4,322 products from more than 1,600 international participants have been put forward for the prestigious design prize. Of these, 1,218 contenders have been given awards. In addition to the iF Design Exhibition from 6 to 10 March 2012 in Hannover, all the entries will be on display for the first time in a permanent exhibition in HafenCity, Hamburg, for several months during the second half of 2012.

Helmut Link (Managing Director Sales and Marketing) and Hans-Jörg Bley (Head of Marketing) personally accepted the Gold iF Statue, designed by Herbert H. Schultes, in front of an international audience at the iF Design Awards Night at BMW Welt in Munich. "We and our designers are delighted that the jury members have included this fabulous product in the "Gold Selection". This award is a recognition by experts of the design quality of our work," said a happy Helmut Link. "It once again nicely demonstrates the interstuhl slogan "Seating knowledge: our advantage". This membrane backrest is a world first. We see it as an evolution of the back of the swivel chair. If upholstery was the past and mesh is the present, then the membrane backrest is the future," added Link at the prize-giving. This unique back design is complemented by the incomparable body float synchron-mechanism that was developed two years ago. Together, these combine to form the synthesis of lightness.

459