Model builder and Vitra
After an apprenticeship as a model builder I worked five years as a model builder, at least in the development department of the furniture company Vitra in Birsfelden Switzerland. I realised prototypes and design models for the designers Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Alberto Meda, Antonio Citterio, Philippe Starck , Maarten Van Severen, Jakob Gebert, Werner Aisslinger, etc. During my studies as an Industrial Designer at the University of Applied Arts Nordwestschweiz I worked also as a material researcher for the Vitra home Department.
Studies and the beginnings with conceptual design
During my studies I got the opportunity to open my mind for conceptual and holistic design. In collaboration with Thomas Walde I won competitions with conceptual projects like the Nike Play Award and the special prize of the jury at the Design Biennale in Lucerne in 2006. During the time I worked with the street art crew «Die Seiner» we got the chance to design the Carhartt store in Zurich and presented an installation at the art exhibition «Scope» in Basel.
I was a former member and still redactor of «Sachenmachen.ch», an internet platform to benefit the exchange among the Swiss design scene.
BarberOsgerby and Vogt+Weizenegger
In 2005 I made an internship at the design studio Vogt+Weizenegger in Berlin. This conceptual studio worked for a big range of clients from different fields. I was working for Nike, Sony Music, Auerhahn, Stahlform, 2raumwohnung, DIM (die imaginäre Manufaktur).
After my studies I worked as a design assistant at BarberOsgerby in London 2007 / 2008. They are known for there sensible design of furniture and products. They put me on projects for the companies: Cappelini, Magis, Flos, Esthablished and Sons and ClassiCon.
Postfossil
If was a former member of the platform «Postfossil». We want to sensitize users for sustainability and critical reflection of design. At international exhibitions in Milan, Berlin, Stavanger and Zurich we got very good feedback and references in magazines and books such as the «Die Gestalten Verlag». In summer 2009 I was invited to speak at the fair «Materialvision» about my JWC just wood chair. Selected by the German Design Council, I was in the final round for the Young Designer (YDMI) of the year 2009. The Design Magazine Wallpaper. London selected my lamp Loppa for the dining room lamp 2009. The Bernese Foundation of Applied Art awards me a scholarship for an atelier in New York 2010.
keep craftmanship alive
after five years of close collaboration with postfossil I decided to leave the group to focus more on projects with different partners and companies.
I still think the idea of postfossil is right and I continue in my way.
As booth a model builder and industrial designer craftsmanship is a big issues in my design. During my apprenticeship and also later in the development department of vitra, I saw the chance of manual to digital aided processing. The older generation learnt me a lot about form in details and materials. its not that the computer makes the limit of the design. In the future 3D scan technologies will be much easier and will make the process of real and digital much more fluid. The close collaboration with the school of wood technology in Biel and especially with the engineer Sebastian Kraft learned me a lot about structural design.
In craftsmanship the respect and close relation to material is normal and keeps it in a natural way... Craftsmanship for me is the on going culture of creating and producing object.
I think it really important to sensitive the user of how and where things are made. more and more we give attention of what we eat and where it comes from, to me we should ask the same question about our things around us.
Some notes about new collaborations:
For Nodus Rugs Milano I designed two rugs with a special craft idea. The branding collection is made with branding in a wool carpet. And an interesting collaboration with the Gallery "Helmrinderknecht" has started in the end of 2011. As a first edition I designed "woodsduck". For "Stattmann Neue Moebel" I designed "frame seat" that will be shown for the first time at the furniture fair in Milano 2012. Stattmann Neue Moebel is an interesting new furniture company by German materials expert Nicola Stattmann and her brother Oliver Stattmann. The exciting aim of the new furniture company is to challenge designers with a re-interpretation of traditional woodworking techniques and ways to optimize material utilization. And more collaborations are on the way, with furniture companies and also interesting other projects like a collaboration with a social workshop near my hometown.
I keep you update, if your not on the newsletter list send me an email to fh@florianhauswirth.ch
Florian Hauswirth Designstudio
Alleestrasse 11
CH-2503 Biel/Bienne
T:+41 32 322 04 73
M: +41 79 417 10 54
Dipl. Industrial Designer FH (final degree 2006, FHNW, CH)
Dipl. Technical Model Builder (diploma 1997)
Independent designer since 2006, projects for Carhartt, Vitra, Plattform 07, Scope Basel, Modarteurope
Freelance at design studio BarberOsgerby in London 2007/08
Internship at design studio Vogt+Weizenegger, Berlin, D 2004/2005
2000–2006 Modelbuilder and material research at the development department of Vitra AG Birsfelden
Awards and Nominations
2012 nomination Prix Jumelles, CH
2012 nomination Design Preis Schweiz (BAK), CH
2011 Swiss Art Award in architecture in collaboration with Katia Ritz, CH
2010 Wallpaper* design award «best vase»,GB
2010 New York Atelier-Scholarship by Bernese Foundation of Applied Arts
2009 2nd place in the Competition "Designpreis@Embru",with postfossil, CH
2008 nomination for Berner-Design-Award
2008 nomination Designreport Award Salone Satellite, with postfossil,I
2006 Special prize Designbiennale, Luzern, CH
2005 first prize Nike-Play-Award, Berlin, D
Exhibitions
2012 Vienna Design Week, gallery Helmrinderknecht, Wien, A
2012 Prix Jumelles, Ballenberg, CH
2012 Musterzimmer, Depot Basel, CH
2012 Games at the Gallery, Libby Sellers, London, GB
2012 Editon 21, gallery Helmrinderknecht, Zürich, CH
2012 Lambrate Design District, Milano, I, Stattmann Neue Moebel
2011 BlackBox, Qubique, Berlin, D
2011 A Dialog, Depot Basel, CH
2011 First Beijing International Design Triennial, Peking, CHI
2011 Nodus Gallery, Milano, I
2011 Lambrate Design District, Milano, I, with Postfossil
2011 Biologiska Museum, Stockholm, SE
2010 Redhouse Gallerie, New York, USA
2010 Designers Saturday, Langenthal, CH, mit Postfossil
2010 ON/OFF Lausanne, CH, mit Postfossil
2010 Design und Concept for DMY Berlin Designers Dinner, mit Postfossil
2010 DMY Allstars, Berlin, D, with Postfossil
2010 Salone Satellite, Milano, I, with Postfossil
2010 Interior Trends 2010, Cologne, D
2010 Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich, with Postfossil, CH
2009 Neue Räume, Zurich, CH
2009 Materialarchiv, Winterthur, CH
2009 Materialvision, Frankfurt, D
2009 YDMI Tendence, Frankfurt, D 2009 DMY, «Postfossil», Berlin, D
2009 Salone Satelite Milano, I
2008 New and Norwegian «A world of folk», Stavanger N
2008 first sein collection, «the red flag», München D
2008 Salone Satellite, Milano, I
2007 Artig, graphic exhibition, Basel, CH
2006 «Diningtray», Contest - Exhibition Design for Europe, Kortrijk B
2006 «C-0796-1294», Designbiennale, Kornschütte Luzern, CH
2005 Cibob, Stilladen, Wien, A
2005 Cibob, Nike Urban Lab, Berlin,D
Publications
Works were published in the «Gestalten» books: Desire 2008, Archadia 2009 , Once Upon a Chair 2009
Articles in: Wallpaper GB, Casad magazine I, Wohnrevue magazine CH, Ish Magazin Thailand,
Hochparterre CH, Basler Zeitung CH, Berner Zeitung CH, Form Forum magazine CH, Ruggedmag D