AiR experience

Raise citizens' awareness on the subject of air quality in North Holland, by linking existing data to users

Dutch citizens do not possess enough information on the subject of air pollution issues in order to participate in the systematic change that would foster new conversations with governmental structures.

Anna Kersten, Evelina Skorikova, Eslam Ghazy, Owen Jennings, Lucca Braggion

Foggy city

A technological board game about air quality for kids

Living Lab Scheveningen has challenged us with building a workshop kit for children that educates them on the topic of air quality. We came up with the Foggy City; a fun, technological board game, that is intended for kids aged 8 to 12 years old. On the board rests a misty layer created by a fog machine. Multiple fans are spread around the board, which will turn on if good pawns, like trees and windmills, are added to the board. The goal of the game is to make a fog-free and therefore a clean city. With this board game we hope to make the users aware of air quality and its effects, and to encourage them to have a meaningful impact on their future.

Philippine Haegelsteen, Ursula Fostiropoulou, Yeh Wang, Elske van Herwijnen

AirBox

Better air, one scan at a time!

We created the AIRBOX in order to show visually how the air pollution is created on top of the city of Amsterdam, literally ! The goal is to educate people about air quality and in the meantime motivate them to take action towards improving air quality by suggesting specific and easy daily tasks. They can also become a part of a community where everybody has the same goal, to help the environment ! About the client: Waag is a Future Lab for technology and society. Waag realises that air quality plays a key role in a period where healthy living becomes increasingly valuable. They created a product where citizens can collect air quality data in North Holland, with affordable technology. However, they face the challenge of truly engaging citizens with this data. Waag is interested in a creative and innovative way to communicate and visualize the data that is being collected by the sensors.

Dee Larbboonsarp, Maritina Lagaria, Gabriela Justina, Sanyaolu Kolawole

The SmoCube

The SmoCube, an interactive installation with one goal in mind: "Stop air pollution”

As a team we have designed an interactive object with the goal to spread awareness about air pollution. Our client, Waag Society, is an organisation which has around 200 air-quality sensors mainly placed in Wijk Aan Zee, Beverwijk and IJmuiden. The problem they faced was that they weren’t successful in spreading the collected data on pollution and sharing it with regular citizens. This is where our design, the SmoCube, comes in. The Smocube is an interactive installation that uses smoke to visualize and communicate air pollution. A person can walk up to the installation and tap the attached display to start the interactive experience. The display will present questions to the user regarding air pollution. When the user submits their answers the chamber of the SmoCube will fill up with smoke based on what answers were given. When the SmoCube is not in use, the chamber will be cleared of6 all smoke from the last interaction. Then, the chamber will be filled with a certain amount of smoke, depending on the air quality in the area it is placed in.

Mark van der Heide, Daan van der Wel, Daniël Mouthaan, Jokūbas Naudžiūnas​

Air buddy

A DIY interactive, multi-sensory device to raise awareness on air pollution and smart technology

We're Smartaer, working together with Living Lab Scheveningen to raise awareness on air quality and educate the basics of smart technology to secondary school students. Our concept includes the Air Buddy, an interactive, multi-sensory and educational DIY product. This, along with the city board, a modular board together with an 8-piece set representing the city of The Hague. It includes props which represent the city's landmarks and also different air quality situations around the city. When the Air Buddy scans a prop, it displays emotions and displays audio about air pollution in that specific place. Some places on the board represent high air pollution levels while other more mild. The Air Buddy will play audio that contains facts and air pollution causes and effects.

Maemi Ganaja, Jade Hulzenboom, Daniel Ibanez Cordero & David Engelbrecht

The Ivy bench

Its a bench that provides shade, and allows the user to feel connected to nature.

Our client is Ahrend and the problem we tried to solve was to group up people for an informal conversation without rules but with human decency. So we created the Ivy Bench. Our process was long. Together we went through the steps of ideation by creating a bunch of sketches, a prototype and by testing it to get to our final product. Now Our product solves the problem because it allows the user to form a bridge between themselves and nature in a comfortable environment. It also creates a space for social interactions for employees taking a break from their work. The product provides comfort as an outdoor furniture piece. It provides coverage from the sun and additionally places the user in the shade and natural elements have been used to make up the product. Due to its featured wheels and handle, the user can freely move the product in place wherever they may want to sit. It includes an Easy detachable and replaceable tarp and an ergonomic shaped bench that provides comfort yet keeps the user in a healthy posture.

Hugo Sandee, Siemen de Boer, Shireen Hussain, Inga Borkowska, Dorian Hofman

Bench Squared

Outdoor furniture for the evolving social workspace

We created a sleek and clean product surrounded by greenery where employees can sit down or stand whilst engaging in a conversation with colleagues. This social space is located outdoors within the proximity of offices where workers can enjoy their lunch or perhaps enjoy a drink together after work. We discovered that individuals who work in an office, and who have sufficient outdoor space lack suitable office furniture that would enable them to socialize by indulging in an outdoor space when at work for the benefit of their mental and physical wellbeing.

Jenna Coward, Bas de Ridder, Ina Assenova, Rareş Marinescu

Bliss

An outdoor social zone

With Ahrend's great success of designing and producing indoor office furniture for companies and workspaces, they are looking for office furniture for the outdoor social environment of companies to expand the collection with. We want to provide a new alternative for furniture suitable for the outside working environment, that companies could use to create social zones, where their employees could sit and socialize during the breaks, in order to build a community. Our vision is to create a product where employees get to meet their colleagues, have informal chats and exchange ideas, which will uplift the mood and lead to energy and motivation throughout the day.

Andreea Emilia Golovatenco, Mara Coveanu, Ignas Ribakovas, Arseny Generalov

The Hexa

A hive-shaped set of tables & chairs, meant to bring people together

After our research we figured out that after COVID-19 expansion, Office employees miss the opportunity to physically communicate and interact with each other and to work close to each other. To facilitate this need, we designed The Hexa, a group-oriented piece of outdoor furniture, designed with an ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing approach. 

Ilima Bazarbaeva, Markos Pappas, Noe Jurjus, Laura Baholli

The Wall

Finding the sweet-spot between work and the outdoors

The Wall is the concept created by Group 4 for the Dutch company, "Ahrend". The Wall is an outdoor communal area where office workers can take a break with other colleagues or could do some brainstorming on the whiteboard. The Wall is created with recyclable material to ensure that it is made and disposed of in the circular economy.

Zhulfiquar Ali Ayoub, Tania Ferreira Lomba, Benji Wong, Justin de Mey

Bord o' taak

A high table with a cover

We worked with an office furniture company Ahrend. We were asked to create outdoor furniture for office environment. From research we found out that office workers enjoy being active after sitting all day. That is why we designed a high table that people can stand by or lean on. The table can be used for example for working or eating lunch. We added a cover on top to create a shade from the sun so that users can see their phone or computer screens better. The top part also offers a shelter from slight rain. The product is made to last 15 to 20 years so we decided to make it of durable and weather resistant materials, stainless steel and polywood.

Vilja Manninen, Guillem Sala Suana, Mêlati Smit

Sanctuary bench ² / SB ²

Building castles in the sky

The Sanctuary Bench looks at the classic bench - an unobtrusive landmark celebrating strangers and onlookers - and rewrites its base functionality in our communities. In the re-industrialization, we stripped the bench to its essential qualities and highlighted them further. The product innovates atmospheric durability with a minimalist assemblage in an embracing frame, inviting the communion of two users. SB² is a two-person bench made of single-piece wrap-around stainless steel frame bracing an angled backrest and a slanted seat of pure HDPE. The surfaces are positioned and spaced apart in a way that all humid weathering is directed off the product quickly and wind is barraged. The ensemble invites a couple of users to focus on each other and their interaction in myriad postures and physical expressions of comfort.

Tiago Pereira, Jannis Bader, Endrias Tadsse, Sterre Hardeman

Onit

How you spend your break is up to you.

Ahrend tasked us to create new furniture for the outdoor social environment of commpanies. During our research we found out, that a lot of companies have very tight spaces outdoors, and that not everyone likes to sit the same way. Our aim was to create a modular seating environment, that is both simple, and adaptable to different users needs, while also encouraging People to interact with each other. Our product comes in a base pack of 5 parts (2 cylinders, 2 planes, 1 stadium), which already enables a wide variety of positions. You can build a bench structure to sit however you like, but also put two cylinders on top of each other to create a standing table if that's more your thing. We wanted to reflect our value of diversity in the variety of color options we offer, making it fit into almost all the office environments out there. Our use of HDPE & Rotational Moulding makes the product 100% recyclable, lightweight & weatherproof.

Tammes van Oerle, Julia Tomasczewska, Anna Csillag, Jonathan Lafer

Lunch bench

Encouraging office workers to socialize over lunch outside 

We were challenged to Design outdoor furniture that encourages social interaction. The outcome of different kinds of research shows, that office workers like to socialize over lunch. Therefor we designed a bench with included tables to encourage having lunch outside.

Lars Fuhrmann, Alice Peck, Alkaviia

The flower table

A table which will make your company's image more welcoming

Managers want to take care of their employees' wellbeing and mental health, because office workers spend 8h a day in the same environment doing monotonous jobs and they feel burned out. Therefore, they need to have different surroundings for the breaks. Managers, our potential clients, would like to increase their employees productivity and one way of doing it is allow them to recharge in visually stimulating, unique, comforting environment. Here we come with the solution: table for outside use which dries instantly and has eye-catching shape which can be recognized as landmark or statement piece among regular office furniture.

Anna Zieba, Bas Kok, Oskar Imiolek, Johann Klaphake

Sit'n'lean

A minimalistic approach to an outdoor bench that incorporates the options to sit down comfortably or to stand and lean whilst drinking your coffee.

Our concept is to enhance the outdoor social environment of companies by creating a minimalistic, sustainable, flexible and vitalizing piece of comfortable furniture that enriches the overall employee satisfaction, mood and experience when they are on their breaks. Like most benches, our product optimizes a seat and backrest component, however what makes our product stand out is the leaning component that was incorporated into the backrest structure. This gives users the option of sitting or leaning when outdoors and it makes for a unique social dynamic. The frame is constructed out of a black powder coated rectangular tubed steel with cheap, but durable joining mechanisms. The frame was designed to balance the weight and forces exerted onto it, whilst maintaining the simplistic Ahrend design style. The wooden exterior is made from treated pine with smooth finishes and undergoes a steam bending manufacturing process to get its unique ergonomic structure. Overall the product is a simple, cost-efficient and durable design that would fit well with Ahrends' catalogue.

Ayanda Hertslet, Franziska Ziergiebel, Nikolay Shervashidze, Ignacy Mancewicz, Alexander Lestan

Zittafel

Interactive outdoor office furniture, reimagined for today

Ahrend gave us a brief, concise and to-the-point task: to “create office furniture for the outdoor social environment of companies”. Reflective of their “less is more” design philosophy, we set out to deliver as such, allowing the design process to take us through multiple iterations and concepts. The resulting solution is the Zittafel, a modern take on the classic and timeless picnic table in a streamlined design that integrates seamlessly into the contemporary outdoor office space. The Zittafel allows up to four users to sit outdoors around a tabletop, fostering socialization during breaks and allowing for productive outdoor work should the weather permit. It is constructed entirely out of various milled sheets of folded AlMg3 alloy, covered in water-proof powder coating in the color of your choice and designed to be modular in assembly for ease of transport. Included as well are under-seat storage spaces to protect your belongings from the intrusive elements of the outdoors.

Adrián Alejandro Udave Viart, Alan Keus, Evan Morgan, JD Harrison, Paula Cerro Diaz

Modern coffee break table

The ideal outdoor table for a coffee break

Our concept is an outdoor table with benches to sit on and work productively or socialise as a coffee break. It includes storage space for belongings which is shielded from wind and rain, A surface to put cups down and paper holders to keep papers from flying off with the wind. Furthermore the benches are made from metal mash with waterproof spray paint to make it feasible to use during and after rain too if necessary.

Sebastian Kesseler, Martin Cholewa, Maria Orehhova

Flip tip

Multifunctional seat/table concept for outdoor social office environments.

We are doing a project for Ahrend. We are trying to create office furniture for outdoor social environment of companies. We also had some requirements given by Ahrend which are Ahrend styling, mass production and no electronics. We went over each requirement and looked further by adding our own requirements: Sturdy materials, Suitable for eating, Easy to clean, Weather proof materials. By implementing those requirements we managed to create the flip tip. Our product propose to the user a chair which can have different seating options.

Sam Manhave, Kotryna Raščiūtė, Ignas Pocevičius, Mohamed Moussa

Hexabox

Modern outdoor furniture solutions

Ben Vigliotti, Katerina Koleva, Philipp Demetz Wögenstein

Telescopic Bimini

Redesign the over the top Bimini for Bolster

Bolster was contacted by Monster Tower to redesign the over the top Bimini. The problem with the current product is that it's largely constructed out of anodized aluminium, which isn't possible anymore due to a legal change. This challenged us to create a telescopic mechanism that is more viable for the company and user friendly.

Nicky Appelgryn, Sophie de Boer, Yunfei Zhang

Wood briquette machine

Resizing of wood waste for briquette machine

Redesigning a briquette machine to make better briquettes, by creating a mechanism that resizes wood waste into smaller pieces before it is compressed into the machine

Ujjwal Malik, Martin Ehlers, Hassan Abou Haib

Marshmallow Material Re-design

How to mass manufacture soft marshmallows without the use of non-recyclable materials.

Polyurethane foam, is widely used in our modern society as one of the most comfortable materials to rest, relax and feel comfortable on. Polyurethane is a thermoset polymer, meaning it cannot get remolten. Every year, millions of tons PU foam are thrown in landfills and are incinerated. Our project was to improve the sustainability of a Marshmallows shaped PU foam toy that is being produced for the company Wondr in quantities of 100.000. We researched and experimented to find a replacement for PU foam. In the end we decided to use PVC to create hollow forms which could be washed and would withstand abuse for a lot more time than their PU foam counterparts.

Quinten Nederhoed, Irsyad Irsyad, Jon Schiereck

MTK monster bimini

Designed for better usability & simplified set up and takedown process.

Our project was done in association with Bolster soft goods who design and produce the Bimini top for MTK. We were assigned the challenge to redesign the Bimini top such that it is smaller to ship, and easier to use.

Mathijs Bakker, Sidhant Sridhar, Razvan Balta

Efia collection

Tableware designed for a shared independent experience.

An adaptive tableware set that fits the needs and style of the elderly disabled target group. This collection helps improve the overall eating experience by allowing the users to be physically comfortable with the product and socially/emotionally comfortable by allowing for non-target group members to also comfortably use it. This prevents the feeling of isolation one feels when they require adaptive tableware.

Evelien Vink, Felina Stolk, Ina Spinu, Alison Portman

Calla

Sound absorption art & ambient lightning

We got the assignment from Vilt aan Zee to make a panel using wool felt to reduce sound reverberation. Calla is an acoustic art panel that is designed to reduce the sound reverberation in a room, allowing people to relax in a calm setting. Combined with LED lightning which creates a soothing ambience in the room. Our product also takes sustainability into account. Calla acoustic art panel is made of a wooden frame, filled with Rockwool, which absorbs sound, and covered with wool felt that is 3D shaped by hand. The backside of the panel is covered with a linen cloth which makes it easier for sound to travel through the panel, along with the air gap behind the panel that allows the sound to bounce of the wall and travel through the Rockwool a second time for greater sound absorption. The aim was to combine art with functionality.

Eveliina Vavuli, Rochelle Abas, Koen Reehoorn, Ashish jagesar

Ceramic cutlery by DoK

Ceramic assistive cutlery for disabled elderly.

Nowadays, elderly that struggle with using regular cutlery have to divert to plastic alternatives, which are usually overly assistive in their design or even intended for children. For De Olde Kruyk, a design ceramist from Utrecht, we designed an elegant cutlery set meant to assist the elderly with eating and feeling dignified while doing so.

Panni Barany, Erik Hettwer, Julian Kaihatu, Paul Trautner

The Bee

A collaboration game

The BEE was born from the need of our client, Stadsboerderij Molenweide, to create a line of 10 puzzle boxes for his scavenger hunt. These new boxes had to be able to be in the external environment from April to September and have a simple hanging mechanism, storing and in addition they had to have an educational element. We especially focused on the educational element, creating a new puzzle box that not only can remain outside but which promotes not only verbal but above all physical collaboration among children. Our aim is to involve every child and make sure that they learn to develop a good group dynamic, where no one is excluded and where there is a need to collaborate to achieve the goal.

Stefania Anet Mina Perrotta , Gertjan Kool , Luuk van Helden , Sam Janssen.

The Lantern

Created for creators

Anne van de Weijer founder and owner of Vilt aan zee, who makes spherical felted lampshades, had a problem. Currently she uses balloons as molds. However balloons are unsustainable, deform because of weather changes and come in limited shapes. In order to replace her balloons we worked on the solution of the lantern mold. This mold will be placed inside the felt through a small hole and fold out into a sphere. The user is able to work on the felt to create the spherical lamps after that the lampshade will be glued and hung up to dry. The moulds can be used multiple times and are made out of recyclable plastics. The moulds are lightweight, easy to use, made out of recyclable materials.

Sterre Bruin, Nicolas Gomez Baselga, Gabriël van Meurs, Ramona Orij

Ceramic/Wood coffee table

Fusion of ceramics and wood implemented in a coffee table with storage functions.

We worked with our client Maud Timmermans who is ceramist and tries to make ceramics more popular and show the materials diversity through her concept of combining wood with ceramics. Our challenge is to use her fusion of materials in a surprising way while designing a piece of storage furniture. We developed with a coffee table with a storage function. Our design offers various storage options, natural aesthetics and a surprising use of materials. The composition is very simple as you have the ceramic "bricks", a one-piece bended wood and wooden squared legs.

Dewi Ramadhin, Laura Prinzen, Nikola Micovic and Mono Becker

Treasure hunt box 2.0

A simple to use, weather proof and child proof educational game.

Our client, the Molenweide City Farm tasked us with designing and manufacturing 10 locked boxes that each contain a farm related trivia question, for which the correct answer reveals the code to unlock the next box. Each box needs to be strong enough to withstand heavy use as well as harsh weather. Our ultimate goal was to provide the visitors of the city farm with a valuable educational experience to enhance their visit and help the city farm succeed in its goals of educating the population of the Hague about the food on their plates.

Benjamin Hardy, Dion Appleman, Nicolas Martin, Noah Smit

Porcelamp

A timeless and modern lamp for all your home needs.

Our project has been to design a lamp that has wood and ceramic as main materials. Wood and ceramic are two durable materials that our client finds aesthetically pleasing. The challenge with combining these materials is that they have very different properties. While ceramic stays in its shape and is brittle, wood expands and shrinks depending on the humidity of the environment. The lamp that we have designed is a standing lamp where the legs are made of wood and the shade is made of porcelain. We chose porcelain due to its translucent properties. Our design provides the user a flexibility since the core of the lamp is designed in a way where you can decide how many legs you want the lamp to have. The lamp has a symmetrical design which is unique in the market making it modern and timeless.

Alva Elmerson, Guido de Jong, Matthias Kreiter, Sam van de Watering

Vertebrae chair

Innovating design through traditional woodworking techniques.

Eric Mertens of Mertens Meubelmakerij built a wooden lounge chair and subsequently abandoned it many years ago due to its complexity. In this project we were challenged with redesigning this chair in order to simplify its base and improve the users experience all while sticking to the traditional techniques and materials utilized by Eric Mertens.

Koos van de Mortel, Giovanni Sapienza, Virginia Valim Silva, Kevin de Boer

Third verse

An immersive kinetic sound installation that reinterprets Jonne Stout's "Second Verse" through the properties of clay and metal.

Our vision is to create an immersive, mindful experience that reminds the audience to be in the moment and notice the beauty around. We envision doing this by engaging our target group through a sensorial piece, which stimulates hearing and sight. We have created a unique piece that will help people reflect and feel more aware of their surroundings throughout their day.

Paul Vernier, Anita Burato Colamedici, Asli Yasmin Akalin

Lounge chair for Eric!

Lounge Chair using rib structure and bent wood.

We were tasked by Eric Mertens to redesign his lounge chair, whilst keeping the craftsmen aesthetic, simplifying the construction and including his ribbed structure. The goal of this project was to recreate his lounge chair so that the base wouldn't break under pressure. We were given the freedom to either fully redesign the lounge chair or to only recreate the base of the chair. We decided upon changing the whole chair, as you can see in the video.

Harley van Riel, Kevin van Beek, Karel Keuerhorst, Paul Dantes