Design in Acrylics

Design in Acrylics
2012 No. 12
The ACRYLITE® Magazine
04 Diving – insight under water
in a cross between a boat
and a yacht
06 Partying – modern clubs and
bars depend on their lighting
concepts
10 Driving – a concept car for
the future of electromobile
car-sharing
Close-up
Cylindrical enclosures with cutout patterns as
the leitmotifs of a chemistry exhibition
16 Listening – high-tech
solutions for demanding
music lovers
22 Reflecting – an art
installation mirrors its
surroundings a thousand
times over
Dear Readers:
Michael Träxler,
Senior Vice President
Acrylic Polymers Business Line
Effective lighting is indispensable for modern interior design concepts. It provides
rooms with a certain mood. That applies not just to functional or design lighting, but
also and in particular to ambient lighting, as in a night club in Karlsruhe or a chic restaurant in Vienna. ACRYLITE® distributes light in the best possible way and therefore
helps rooms to make a successful impact. But light is also an advertiser, which made
an attraction of an ordinary sausage booth in Berlin, thanks to an unusual lighting
concept. The draft for an electric car shows that lighting elements have a signal
effect. This vehicle informs its potential users whether it is charged or not by means
of light signals. ACRYLITE® provides uniform lighting, and its low weight makes it a
coveted material for electromobility. The lighter the vehicle, the less energy it consumes. That also applies to semi submarines from South Korea that are operated by an
electric engine. Non-swimmers can board these vessels to dive down into the fascinating underwater world and gaze on its wonders through large ACRYLITE®
windows.
I hope these stories help you partake in some very special experiences!
A moment in time
Time flies. Our days are full of hectic activity. It only takes a moment to decide
what remains fixed in our memory. That is all the time it takes for blue and
green laser rays to travel from the white light source via a crystal to a block of
ACRYLITE®. Since this has been ground to a 45-degree angle, it refracts the rays
and creates a glowing network. A camera with a long exposure time captures this
color simulation of light/time phases. With his light painting CreativePerformance, communications consultant Hartmut Husmann illustrates the challenge of
networking coordinated measures in cross-channel design.
www.hcphusmann.de
2
Mysterious patterns? Only at first glance. The cutouts in the cylinders represent the chemical structure of the relevant exhibition theme.
Walk-in microscopes
Interview with Dr. Susanne Rehn, curator of Deutsches Museum, and Claus Hirche,
architektur und design hirche, on the design of the future permanent exhibition Chemie
im Alltag (The Chemistry of Everyday Life) at Deutsches Museum in Munich.
The play of light and shade on the
floor of Deutsches Museum in Munich is reminiscent of the view through a
microscope. Five large cylindrical enclosures in the new chemistry exhibition
are responsible for this effect. They are
perforated by filigree shapes modeled
on the structure of chemical molecules.
Architects Ambos and Weidenhammer
took on the exhibition design, together
with Claus Hirche and communications
designer Timo Reger. The enclosures
prepare visitors for the molecular world,
agreed curator Dr. Susanne Rehn and
architect Claus Hirche in our interview.
What is the focus of the new chemistry exhibition at Deutsches Museum?
Dr. Susanne Rehn: The exhibition informs visitors where chemistry is used
in different spheres of everyday life and
which chemical processes surround us
every day. For example, which chemical
reactions are triggered when I fry a
piece of meat? Why do sweet things
taste sweet? Eight theme-based interactive stations clarify questions like these.
Exhibits, information boards and animations in the multi-media exhibition
pavilions let visitors experience the
theme with all their senses.
What effect are the cylindrical enclosures
meant to achieve?
Dr. Susanne Rehn: The walk-in enclosures structure the exhibition. They pick
up the subject in question and prepare
visitors for the molecular world that
awaits them.
Claus Hirche: The cylinders correspond
to the molecular structure of specific
exhibits. The “Chemistry in sport and
leisure” cylinder, for example, corresponds to the material of an outdoor
sports jacket. The “Nutrition” pavilion
has cutouts modeled on the micrograph
of an eggshell.
What are they made of?
Claus Hirche: The cylinders consist of
a double-skin membrane made of
ACRYLITE® Mineral. Two segments of
each 10 feet high cylinder are bonded to
each other in a staggered arrangement
4 inches apart to give the structures a
three-dimensional effect. Each structure is made up of 11 circular segments
measuring 6.5 by 10 feet that are screwfastened to each other.
Why did you opt for ACRYLITE®?
Claus Hirche: We chose ACRYLITE®
Mineral because we wanted to be able to
design the cylinders with as few joints as
possible. Apart from that, the material
can be thermoformed and cut into intricate shapes. And it complies with B1 fire
safety requirements that are mandatory
for public facilities. Of course, the appearance also plays a role. The material
has the look and feel of ceramic, creating
a very noble and high-class effect. Apart
from that, there was no need for posttreatment of the finished high-gloss surveba
face, and it is easy to retouch.
Claus Hirche, architektur und
design hirche
Dr. Susanne Rehn, curator at
Deutsches Museum.
www.deutsches-museum.de
Exhibition
3
On top of the water, the semi submarine looks almost the same as a catamaran. The surprise comes below deck,
which is available in seven different bright colors.
A different way
to dive
Experiencing the underwater world in a cross
between a yacht and a
submarine.
Coming face to face with colorful
fish and exploring the fascinating
realm of coral reefs; enjoying the absolute peace and quiet under water – so far,
experiences of this kind were reserved
for divers. So far. Now, a cross between
a yacht and a submarine with large
windows made of ACRYLITE® provides
a ticket to dive beneath the deep blue
sea: the EGO Compact Semi Submarine
produced by the Raonhaje company in
South Korea.
Jisup Lee, CEO at Raonhaje came
up with the idea for EGO on a trip to
Thailand. “I was snorkeling there but
didn’t really enjoy it because the steps
involved were so complicated and I
felt unsure of myself,” Lee says. “So
we looked for alternative methods of
coming close to the impressive beauty of
sea life. Even submarines are much too
expensive for tourists. That’s why we
developed EGO – so that everyone can
enjoy the underwater experience simply
and in safety.”
Withstanding water pressure
Big ACRYLITE® windows offer the best
view of the underwater world.
4
Technology
The resulting product is a yacht and a
submarine all rolled into one, a “semi
submarine,” as the developers at Raonhaje call it. EGO never submerges entirely. Its two hulls always remain above
water and keep the boat directly below
the surface. As the vessel gently rolls on
the waves, what you see are two hulls
of 12.5 feet in length with a 5 feet
deck sandwiched in between. Passengers go down a hatch for their view of
the underwater world. They climb down
a ladder into a small rounded cabin with
three large windows of 0.8 inch thick
ACRYLITE® GS. “These give passengers
an excellent panoramic view. With
windows of this size, it is essential for
the material to be safe. We chose
ACRYLITE® because it is more stable
than glass,” says Lee. The windows
withstand the water pressure with no
problem whatsoever.
Because ACRYLITE® is also highly
transparent and shows no yellowing,
passengers have a perfect view of water
plants and animals. The material also
protects passengers from the flora and
fauna, and vice-versa. Underwater habitats are extremely sensitive eco-systems that suffer from tourism in many
places because divers break off pieces of
coral reefs. Exhaust fumes from boats
also pose a problem to these habitats.
“To protect nature, EGO is equipped
with an electric drive system and
produces no emissions,” Lee says. The
Semi submarine Ego not only dives down,
it looks good too.
vessel travels at a speed of up to four
knots, and the battery has enough power
for a four to eight hour trip.
Like driving a car
EGO is manufactured in a standard version for boat rental companies and a luxury version for private clients. The first
vessels are already in service in China
and the United Arab Emirates. In holiday
resorts located near coral reefs, EGO can
be used as an alternative to glass-bottom
boats that only offer a view from above,
unlike the panoramic view provided by
EGO. It offers space for two adults or a
family, the maximum permissible weight
for passengers being restricted to 660
pounds in the two-seater vessel. EGO is
suitable for landlubbers too, since it is
equipped with a steering wheel like
that of a car, and is accelerated by means
of a gas pedal. Independently of organized excursions, it enables even nonswimmers to explore the sea. And if passengers tire of the underwater world
at some point, they can go sunbathing
on deck, which comes in seven different
eye-catching colors to match every
hco
taste.
www.raonhaje.com
Technology
5
6
Interior Design
A glowing haven of pleasure: The lighting concept is integrated into the
reception area of Qubes Clb (left). When it’s time for a break from dancing,
the bar cannot be missed thanks to its many luminous elements (center). If
guests need a rest, they can withdraw to the edge of the dance floor (right).
Get down: the coffee tables glow,
it’s time to party.
Light trumps
elaborate decor
Modern clubs and
bars depend on
effective lighting
concepts.
At Qubes Clb, it’s not only people
that dance – the light does too.
Tables, walls and steps change color,
from yellow to pink to blue. “Everything
is part of the action. I wanted lots of the
furnishings in my club to glow with light.
That has a completely different effect to
just individual lamps,” says Tobias Ruppert, who operates the club in Karlsruhe.
He’s not the only one to think this way.
Sophisticated lighting concepts are all
the rage for bar and club design.
Light and subdued design are currently the favorite elements when it
comes to designing bars and clubs,
confirms interior designer Susanne
Brückner, who has already redesigned a
number of clubs, including Munich’s
elite discotheque P1 and a club in Zurich.
“In Zurich, we consistently put the current trend into practice. The interior is
completely white, without any frills. The
club can be brought to life at the touch of
a button, by colored light,” says the interior designer. “Light makes all the difference.” There are several reasons for
this. “For one thing, light acts as a stimulant,” Brückner explains. Studies have
shown that people drink more in red
light than in blue, she says. Warm light,
such as red, makes guests feel cozy and
fosters communication. So the atmosphere changes together with the light.
On the other hand, a sophisticated and
well thought-out lighting concept only
needs a pared-down interior design as a
basis.
Tables as luminous objects
But light does not create the desired effect on every surface it touches. Dark
wood and heavy fabrics, for instance, absorb a lot of light. ACRYLITE®, on the
other hand, is highly suitable for luminous objects. That is why Tobias Ruppert
chose ACRYLITE® Satinice for his Qubes
Clb, which he backlights with a total of
372 yards of LEDs. The matte surface of
the material looks noble and classy, and
is also light-transmitting. It is used to
frame the dance floor, or appears as
strips above the bar. The many individ-
ual lighting elements are centrally coordinated. One flick of the touchpad next
to the DJ’s console would suffice to make
the whole club pulsate with light. “But
that would be too much of a good thing,”
Ruppert says. “After all, people come
here to chill out.” So the color sequence
is determined before the party starts.
Apart from its optical properties,
ACRYLITE® has another special attribute: it is extremely impact-resistant.
That is important if a beer bottle gets
dropped and flies into a step made of
ACRYLITE® Satinice. “With glass, there
would always have been a risk of breakage. That was too risky for me,” says the
club owner. He has been running his club
in Karlsruhe for seven years, and it was
completely gutted last year. “We even
knocked the plaster off the walls and rewired the whole place,” says the
33-year-old. At the opening party in
March, more than 400 guests talked,
laughed and danced in a shifting play of
light.
Area lighting
Light can play a role in the interior design of clubs and bars in a number of
ways. “The special thing about the current trend is that whole surfaces can be
made to glow using LEDs,” says interior
designer Brückner. A play of light can be
used to create a new mood almost instantly. “Besides that, the light is integrated, not added as an afterthought,”
she explains. That is why the Qubes Clb
has seven high tables and five casual
tables for the lounge areas. They are
grouped around the dance floor and are
real eye-catchers. Sometimes they’re
pink, then they turn blue. ACRYLITE®
Satinice enables uniform area lighting
without any hot spots.
Mirror, mirror on the wall
“But a good concept doesn’t stop at area
lighting”, says Brückner. Mirrors are
also a reliable way of creating an impact
with light, especially when this creates
a really cozy atmosphere, she adds.
A young dinner club in Vienna has used
Interior Design
7
Enticing descent: Right next to the Staatsoper, a staircase with
mood lighting guides guests down to Vienna’s underground
world.
From red to purple: The wall color in the former pedestrian underpass may
change several times in the course of an evening. Meanwhile, guests at the
black tables enjoy a taste of privacy.
No, it’s not a spaceship, it’s a stage. This is the snowy-white heart of
Albertinapassage. While musicians provide guests with jazz and cool sounds,
the bartenders take care of the drinks.
this trick to good advantage. In the
Albertinapassage underpass, 75 tables
made of black PARAPAN® catch the eye,
not just because of their high-gloss surface. The tables measuring 30 by 30
inches also reflect the ceiling lighting.
As a result, the tables indirectly light
their surroundings and makes glasses
and silver cutlery glitter. Guests have a
good view of the food on their plates and
also enjoy the feeling of privacy. The
lighting of the dinner club changes during the meal from purple to turquoise to
red, to give just one example.
Only a few months before, the atmosphere of the Albertinapassage was
dominated by yellowish tiles and empty
stores. No jazz, just drafts and stuffy air.
For more than 40 years, people rushed
through this underpass to avoid crossing
Vienna’s Opernring street with its
heavy traffic. But once traffic lights and
zebra crossings made it safer to cross the
street, the underpass became increasingly derelict. In 2009, the city of Vienna
blocked off the underpass and raised the
crucial question: What is to become of a
pedestrian underpass that is hardly
every used and badly in need of repair?
So the city was in search of a tenant.
They found one in Matthias Kamp. Together with his partner Heinz Tronigger, a few years before he had already
turned the Babenberger Passage, another Opernring underpass, into a club.
8
Interior Design
“It’s meant for young people who want to
party,” says Kamp. “But the Albertinapassage is situated directly beneath
Vienna’s opera house, the Staatsoper,
and is therefore ideal for people going to
the opera and the theater. Beneath those
venues, we combine a restaurant with a
bar, complete with live music,” says
Kamp.
High-class but hardwearing
The architects at Söhne & Partner transposed Kamp’s concept for the new
dinner club into actual conversion plans.
These include the snowy white stage,
whose curves and flat roof remind one of
a spaceship. Together with the adjacent
yard-long bar, it forms the counterpoint
to the black chairs and 75 stylish tables
made of PARAPAN®. The architects
commissioned these from the M&G Interiors company, which handled almost
the entire interior design of the Albertinapassage. With its pared-down design
and restrained decoration, the Albertinapassage is also in line with current design trends. “Modern clubs and bars
have to be timeless. Trends are changing
in rapid succession, so it’s important for
clubs and bars to be able to transform
themselves. Besides this, the material
has to be very hardwearing – the numerous guests don’t treat it sparingly,” says
interior designer Brückner. Hence the
popularity of plastic materials for in-
terior design, because these are particularly hardwearing.
That was also one reason why
the table tops in the Albertinapassage
were not just made of any old material.
PARAPAN® is so tough that any surface
scratches can be simply removed by
polishing, which would not be possible
with coated surfaces. This is because
PARAPAN® has molded-in color. In addition, its perfectly smooth surface means
there is no risk of liquids seeping into the
table top and causing it to swell. The
tables made their first brilliant appearance on December 13, 2011, when the
new dinner club was opened. Since then,
the underpass has no longer been a
means to an end, but a place to linger.
Anyone who has descended the illuminated stairs is loath to depart until the
early hours of the morning bring the
geb
first light of day.
The dinner club is colored purple on the drawing. The seating
areas with 75 tables can be clearly seen.
www.acrylite.net
Interior Design
9
Traffic of the future
Development service company EDAG showed its vision of
car-sharing at the Geneva Motor Show. ACRYLITE® LED is part
of the lighting concept.
6:43 pm: Arrival at the central rail
station. The smartphone shows that
an electric car-sharing vehicle is waiting
outside. The navigation system guides
the traveler to the station forecourt. It’s
easy to find the right car because it signals its status for everyone to see. It
glows in green to indicate that it is free.
The smartphone opens the door and
starts the car, and off it goes. 7:00 pm:
Dinner at home. How little time it took to
get there – no waiting around, no exhaust fumes.
That is the future of mobility as
conceived by development service provider EDAG. The company presented its
new Light Car-Sharing concept at the
Geneva Motor Show. This is the third
member of the Light Car family, all of
which are concept cars for the future of
electromobility. “We wanted revolution
rather than evolution,” declares press
spokesman Christoph Horvath. Convinced that electric cars have to look
completely different from their conventional counterparts, EDAG has been developing concept cars for three years.
Technology follows design
The first concept car of the Light Car
family was a pure exercise in design.
One year later, the development service
provider supplied the relevant technical
car body concept, which was consis-
10
Technology
tently based on lightweight construction
and developed specially to meet the
requirements of an electric car. In this
high-tech model, the battery packs were
integrated into the vehicle floor, for instance, as part of a sandwich structure.
With its new Light Car-Sharing model,
EDAG wants to counter the frequent argument that it is difficult to introduce
such electric vehicles on the mass market. At present, they are too expensive,
have inadequate driving range and
suffer from the lack of a comprehensive
charging station concept, the company
says. “At the moment, it is unrealistic to
expect the public to buy such electric
cars on a large scale,” Horvath says. That
is why the new concept car is a carsharing model, a car that people hire
for a certain period – usually for short
journeys. The car has rather unusual
measurements to allow its passengers to
get in and out in comfort. It is 12.5 feet in
length and 6.2 feet high. EDAG is convinced that car sharing will gain importance in the future, especially in connection with electromobility.
Part of this new concept is that the
new Light Car-Sharing model will
“speak” with its occupants. “Only in the
figurative sense, of course. We have
made consistent use of light as a means
of communication,” explains Michael
Begert, Innovation Manager at EDAG.
An unusual sight: car passengers sitting
back to back, large windows, illuminated
strips – the Light Car–Sharing looks
different to other cars. It is a concept
vehicle for electromobility.
Innovative: The car is easy to open and starts by smartphone.
When passengers wish to alight, a laser integrated into the side
mirror projects a safety zone onto the asphalt. This warns other
drivers that the car door is about to open.
Gel pads have been inserted on all four
sides of the car. “This material feels like a
gummy bear,” Begert explains. The surfaces around the bumper and along the
edges of the doors have a dual function.
On the one hand, they withstand minor
collisions that sometimes happen during
parking maneuvers. On the other, LEDs
and ACRYLITE® LED have been installed
behind the pads, which is why they glow
in yellow, green or red. This is how the
electric cars signal that they are either
reserved or free, or are being recharged.
The LEDs provide the different lighting,
and ACRYLITE® LED distributes the
light evenly across the entire surface,
which can be seen from far off. “Other
materials would have let individual light
spots shine through. The effect would
not have been the same,” the innovation
manager reports.
Thumbs up for lightness
The gel pads protect the Light Car-Sharing from scratches and dents on the outside. Inside, only hard-wearing materials
have been used to cope with frequent
use. After all, the car will be used by a
large number of people every day, just
like a public means of transport. The way
the seats are arranged is also reminiscent
of buses and trains. Co-passengers sit
back to back on benches. The cushions
are detachable, so that the inside of the
electric car can be simply cleaned with a
steam cleaner.
The new Light Car is both practical
and eye-catching, with its stylish design.
It gives the impression you can just get in
and drive off. This appearance is deceptive, though. “At the moment, it only
consists of model components and cannot be driven,” explains innovation manager Begert. But the company is already
working on putting the technology into
practice, in keeping with the idea of the
Light Car family. Lightweight construction plays a key role. Since the battery of
the electric car is relatively heavy, the
car body has to be that much lighter. “We
intend to go on working with Evonik in
this area,” Horvath says. That is because
ACRYLITE® is tough and lightweight at
the same time, and saves a lot of weight
when used for glazing, headlamp components and interior trim. EDAG will go
on developing the Light Car. Who
knows, perhaps it will then be fit to drive
by the time the next Geneva Motor
geb
comes around.
Signal effect: Surfaces backlit with
ACRYLITE® LED show whether the car
is charged up or not.
www.edag.de
Technology
11
Eating sausage in style
ACRYLITE® LED turns a sausage booth in Berlin into a glowing attraction.
Popular snack: the currywurst.
12
Architecture
Preparing a traditional Currywurst (sliced sausage with curry sauce) is an art in itself. The
sausage may be poached or fried, in a natural casing
or without, made from a mixture of pork and beef or
pure beef – there is no saying what the original variety is. And it’s even more difficult when it comes to
the version... But regardless of the different recipes
from region to region, Currywurst remains one of
the most popular choices at canteens and snack bars
across Germany. The origins of this culinary
specialty are wreathed in legend. The family that
owns the Berlin sausage booth Zur Bratpfanne has
its own story of how it came across Currywurst. Annemarie, who later married the company founder
Günter Mosgraber, worked in the home of an
American family after the war. There she learned to
make ketchup and a spicy sauce for hamburgers –
including curry. This knowledge was the basis for
the family recipe that Günter Mosgraber used to sell
Ringing the changes: The individual surfaces of the
sausage booth can be lit in different colors, both together
and separately.
Glowing connections: the menu card made of ACRYLITE® LED,
whose letters and numbers were engraved by laser. The glowing
joints in the stainless steel members that support the roof are also
part of the lighting concept and round off the overall look.
the first Currywurst in 1952. The Mosgrabers’
recipes for Currywurst and its accompaniments
haven’t changed in over 60 years, unlike the appearance of their booth, which has stood at its present
location in Berlin’s Steglitz district since 1966.
After a series of conversions and extensions, the
snack bar was finally transformed into a glowing attraction in September 2011, thanks to ACRYLITE®
LED.
“I have waited for this for more than 10 years
and finally received planning permission thanks to
the modern design,” says current owner and son of
the founder, Matthias Mosgraber. “It turned into a
real design project. I wanted it to add flair to our
street.” The new booth combines tradition with
modernity. The old sign Zur Bratpfanne adorns the
building that consists of a steel structure and 27
illuminated glass surfaces.
Homogeneous area lighting
“Our booth can now been seen from far off, like a
glittering diamond. The combination of LED
printed circuit boards and ACRYLITE® LED makes
the colors look vivid even in the bright light of the
shopping street,” says lighting designer Naveen
Mehling, who planned and implemented the lighting concept. On the outside, the area lighting consists of 0.8 inches thick ceramic glass made of highquality white glass, and on the inside, 0.3 inches
thick ACRYLITE® LED. The backlighting of the
milky-white ceramic glass creates a three-dimensional effect when seen close up, which is reminiscent of ice crystals. “Even when unlit, this material
provides an optically interesting façade surface of
high architectural quality. The ceramic glass also
gently diffuses the LED light. The colors appear
vivid but slightly pastel at the same time,” says
Mehling.
The area lighting behind the glass is provided
by feeding the light from powerful LEDs into the
edges of ACRYLITE® LED.
The result is an evenly glowing surface
without hot spots or striation. “Of course, for
ACRYLITE® to show its ideal lighting effect, it takes
high-quality light sources and control modules.
And easy-to-use software for user friendliness,”
Mehling explains. The 27 glass sections are independent lighting elements that can be individually
controlled by tablet or computer via DMX modules.
Theoretically, 16 million colors are possible. “The
mood can be changed depending on the time of day
or type of daylight. The colors can not only be synchronously dimmed and modulated, they can surprise passers-by with an endless combination of
new dynamic color switches,” the lighting designer
says. “At present, the colors change according to
the day of the week.” “But we wanted the lighting
concept to offer even more,” says Mosgraber.
The glass roof is also part of the design. The
0.2 inches joints between the stainless steel
members that support the roof and usually go unnoticed are filled with strips of ACRYLITE® Satinice. “The material perfectly distributes the light of
the orange-colored LEDs. Despite direct light from
the light sources at close quarters, due to the small
space between the light exit point and the diffuser
surface, no hot spots (dots of LED light) can be
seen,” Mehling says. “The warm white LED light inside and the targeted illumination of the food dispensing surface by powerful LED spotlights rounds
off this special experience that combines delicious
food with a feast for the eyes.”
Light is the best advertisement
The owner can confirm this after one look at the
cash register: “Light really is the best advertisement. It draws the attention of many people who
didn’t know us before. Since we reopened our newlook booth, our sales have gone up 15 percent,”
Mosgraber says. But most of his customers are regulars, and the sausage expert knows that advertising
alone is not enough – the quality has to be right.
That is why he sets store not just by modern design,
but also modern kitchen technology. Family recipes
are all well and good, but “for me, the best Currywurst is the one that makes customers come back
hco
for more,” Mosgraber says.
www.compactpromotion.de
Architecture
13
Design always needs a form of expression. The choice of
material is an important factor that was honored with the
iF material design award.
Like a luminous veil
IF material design
award 2012 for
the Lightpanel iso.
A different take on the partition – a
glass wall that is transparent when
unlit turns into a translucent colored
surface when illuminated. The Designpanel company developed this “Lightpanel iso” technology and has now been
awarded the gold IF material design
award 2012 in the material application
category.
“What is new about this product is
that it is see-through. The effect is almost magical, and provides uniform
light across the surface. The patented
light diffusion caused by the special incorporated particles makes the surface
glow and creates a luminous veil of color,
with the said magical touch. It is the first
time we have seen this kind of effect,”
said the jury in its statement. This effect
is caused by the choice of material.
Powerful LEDs feed light via the edges
into a sheet of ACRYLITE® LED embedded in insulating glass. The sheet
evenly diffuses light yet remains crystalclear. “It is the combination of insulating
glass and acrylic that makes the panel so
unique. It has a uniform, glowing brightness, and is resistant to weathering, dust
and scratches,” says Rüdiger Szak, Managing Director of Designpanel.
Lightpanel iso was first used in a
light installation in Augsburg in 2011.
The victors (from left): Frank H. Weimer and Rüdiger
Szak from Designpanel with moderator Frauke Ludovic and development partners, Patrick CoCoppée
and Dr. Frank Schneider, from Okalux.
Since then, Designpanel has developed
the product further. “ACRYLITE® LED is
particularly suitable for our purposes. Its
high transparency and the distances
that can be illuminated (several yards)
offer a multitude of design options,”
Szak explains. The Lightpanel can be
used indoors and outdoors, as a partition, an illuminated advertising panel or
veba
a facade element.
www.designpanel.de
See-through or sight screen? Without lighting, Lightpanel iso is
crystal-clear; ...
14
Design
... when illuminated, ACRYLITE® LED evenly distributes light across
the surface and provides privacy.
Hands in the air: During the day, the Ukraine Round Table acts as a conference table. At night, it is the life and soul of the party.
A table made to dance on
Light artist Hans J. Wiegner from Public Art Lab in Berlin reinvented an
old method of communication with his “Round Table”.
During the day, it’s a conference table; in the evening, a performance platform – shaped like Ukraine.
Light designer Hans J. Wiegner received the order for
this Ukraine Round Table from the European Cultural
Foundation in Amsterdam, which promotes cultural
networks. “The idea is based on the concept of a round
table, which creates a symbolic seating order at a conference that puts everyone on an equal footing,”
Wiegner explains. He works with Public Art Lab – a
“laboratory” for designers and artists who design interdisciplinary platforms for intercultural projects. “Particularly in Ukraine, with its relatively young democracy, holding discussions on the same level is not yet a
matter of course.”
The Round Table is intended to find a place at
various projects in Ukraine whenever something has to
be discussed. In the evening, it also serves as a stage for
the boisterous part of the event. “Dancing on the table
is explicitly encouraged,” says Wiegner, who had this in
mind when designing the table.
The Round Table consists of five elements that
form the shape of Ukraine when pushed together. The
table legs are made of steel and the table top of 0.8
inches thick ACRYLITE® GS. “Of course, the table
doesn’t always have to be used as a whole. Individual elements may offer entirely new forms of communication that may be much more intimate and intensive,”
Wiegner says. Each part weighs around 440 pounds due
to the steel structure, and can easily take the weight of
five or six dancers at the same time.
To create the right mood for a disco, Wiegner illuminated 24 individual silhouettes in the table via
LED light chains. The number 24 was chosen because
Ukraine has the same number of districts (oblasts in
Ukrainian). Altogether, he installed 131 yards of RGBLED light strips in the table’s steel supporting structure. Each district can be reached individually via an
RGB controller, making it possible to change
the light rhythm and mood as required. “I chose
ACRYLITE® once again because it can bear the
load, but also because of its special properties like high
light transmission,” Wiegner says.
What goes around …
After being presented by the CCM Center for Cultural
Management in the summer of 2011 in the Ukrainian
city of Lviv, the table was used for the first time at a
presentation in Kiev Museum at the end of May 2012.
After that, the Round Table will tour Ukraine throughout the summer. It will be accompanied by a hot-air balloon that hovers over the Round Table as a presentation
surface. For the time being, beamers have to spotlight
the balloon from the outside. In the future, they are to
be integrated into the balloon. The table will stop at
Kiev, Odessa, Cherson and five other cities during the
tour of the country. Whether they are attending discussions, meetings, performances, theater visits or
looking for a place to dance – people staying in Ukraine
in the summer of 2012 should save some of their enthusiasm for this special table, as well as the European
stb
Football Championship.
Unusual sight: The table is shaped like Ukraine and
can be lit up.
www.publicartlab-berlin.de
Art
15
High tech for
music lovers
In record players, speakers and accessories,
ACRYLITE® is an indispensable element
The record player – a clumsy black wooden box
that gathers dust and belongs to a bygone age.
Many music lovers consider record players to be relicts of the past. Today’s sound mainly comes from
an MP3 player, a music stream or a CD player. But
real acoustics aficionados still swear by analog technology, whose broader and more differentiated
sound spectrum by far exceeds the digital, often
compressed competition. To make this wealth of
sound audible, though, it takes the corresponding
high-end equipment.
ACRYLITE® has proved itself an excellent material in this context. “Its low inherent resonance and
excellent damping properties make ACRYLITE® an
ideal material for manufacturing hi-fi appliances,”
confirms Lars Hornung, Production Manager at
Räke HiFi. This specialist company located in Bergisch-Gladbach has been using ACRYLITE® to produce high-end record players for 40 years. But the
polymer product is not only suitable for the recordplayer chassis, turntable and turntable mat. Since it
is virtually vibration-free, it is even used for making
speakers and other hi-fi elements.
Heavy but elegant
At 75 pounds, it is a real heavyweight, yet looks so
elegant. The Transroter ZET 3 record player from
Räke HiFi is a real eye-catcher in every room. The
interplay of high-gloss black ACRYLITE® and cool,
polished aluminum makes an impressive design
statement. Its considerable weight gives this record
player a special smoothness of running that is highly
appreciated by analog enthusiasts.
16
A feast for the eyes and ears: the SoundSticks from Harman/Kardon for home PCs (left)
and the Transroter ZET 3 record player from Räke Hi-Fi provide both.
Clear bass thanks to chic tubes
Rich, sonorous bass notes are the core of every
piece of music. But when the bass drones and the
sound is irritating, that is often due to rooms with
unfavorable acoustics rather than the sound system
itself. The so-called “bass buster” from Aura Hifi in
Essen is intended to remedy this situation. The solution is as sophisticated as it is easy. The bass buster
consists of ACRYLITE® tubes of different lengths
that act as resonators, according to the organ pipe
principle, and are individually aligned and adjusted
for every room size. They look like a designer object and, as the manufacturers tell us, are supposed
to clean up muddy bass notes and provide unalloyed
pleasure to listeners.
display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. But
no one needs to make a pilgrimage across the Atlantic to reach such heights – anyone can place these
devices next to their computer. Of course, design
alone is not enough. As with everything in real life,
it is what’s inside than counts. Crystal-clear sound
that fills the room makes it a special delight to hear
heta
music with the SoundSticks.
Shape and sound in perfect harmony
The clearaudio company has been producing highend record players in Erlangen for over 35 years.
The company often uses ACRYLITE® as a base material for its appliances. The required parts are precisely routed out for an accurate fit using CNC
routers. The Emotion SE model, for example, runs
perfectly smoothly thanks to its 1.1 inch thick
ACRYLITE® turntable and its resonance-reducing
shape, providing an impeccable music experience.
Cleans up muddy bass notes:
Bass Buster from Aura Hifi.
Musical delights at the apogee of design
ACRYLITE® also has its place in high-end digital
equipment. Thanks to their futuristic forms, Harman/Kardon SoundSticks for home PCs have
gained a foothold at the apogee of design and are on
www.transrotor.de • www.aura-hifi.de • www.clearaudio.de • www.harmankardon.com
Technology
17
18
Architecture
Make way: The glowing bridge and its different positions
are part of the plot.
Incandescent brightness: ACRYLITE® LED distributes
light across the surface.
Centre of attention: The mobile bridge in the
opera Manon Lescaut at Theater Bonn.
Bridge between
the worlds
ACRYLITE® LED is a key element of the performance at Theater Bonn.
The steep ramp at Bonn Theater rises up 5.5
yards into the air, like a gigantic aircraft gangway. A girl walks down the ramp in a glittering sea
of light. She is Manon Lescaut, the protagonist of
the eponymous opera by Giacomo Puccini. Manon
is destined for the monastery. On her way there, she
gets to know the poor student Des Grieux. The two
fall in love, but rich Geronte wants Manon for his
own. Torn between love and the desire for luxury,
Manon finally perishes.
Puccini composed Manon Lescaut at the end of
the 19th century. It is one of the most popular operas
and has been performed countless times. So it is
quite a challenge for producers, playwrights and set
designers to offer a new twist. “A central stage element that is versatile to use is ideal for finding an
effective and novel way to stage such traditional
content with all of its facets,” says Hartmut Schörghofer, set designer at Theater Bonn. That is why a
glowing, mobile bridge dominates the otherwise
spartan set.
The opulent structure rests on a dome, a
wooden structure made of painted hardwood that
conceals the technology inside. The 13.6 yards long
gangway is fastened at the center of its highest
point. The surface and sides of the bridge glow, and
it ends in space. The bridge is a seesaw that can turn
on its own axis. A slewing ring like those used in
cranes and roundabouts drives the structure as
required and causes it to turn. The seesaw motion is
activated by two lifting spindle drives.
The bridge is the central element of the stage
design and becomes a symbol of the plot during the
course of the opera. At the beginning, it appears like
an aircraft gangway. Later, it is a ship gangway, a
path, a staircase and a road to heaven. As a seesaw,
it shows the divide between the worlds that attract
Manon. Later, she becomes dizzy. The bridge then
turns round and round like a revved-up roundabout
at a speed of up to 1.1 yard per second. At the end, it
looks as if Manon will melt in the incandescent light.
She lies at an angle and is about to lose her grip. “The
bridge symbolizes flying and falling, and finally the
girl’s burnout. It stands for the question of the right
balance between different needs and wishes,”
Schörghofer explains.
But it was not just mobility that was important
for the bridge’s impact – lighting was also essential.
“The bridge has to spotlight the actors evenly from
below and lend them a floating, magical quality,”
says Schörghofer. To do so, it has to be evenly lit
across its surface. “That was a special challenge
because we had to integrate the lighting into a flat
structure,” says Jan Schulze, workshop manager at
Theater Bonn. “In the past, we used neon tubes for
such structures. That was ruled out for this project
because it would have required a sub-structure of at
least 0.9 feet.”
The solution was edge lighting with
ACRYLITE® LED. Instead of backlighting with neon
tubes, LEDs arranged all around the surface provide
brightness. Their light is fed into the edge of the almost 270-square-feet ACRYLITE® LED surface.
Diffuser particles distribute the light and illuminate
the sheets homogeneously. “That made it possible to
build a slim structure. ACRYLITE® LED is especially
suitable because of its extremely uniform light diffusion and exceptional brightness,” says Volker
Hein, outside sales representative at Evonik trading
partner ThyssenKrupp Plastics, who presented
various products and possible applications to the
theater. “The sheets are also very light in weight yet
impact-resistant.” An additional panel beneath the
0.3 inches thick ACRYLITE® makes sure it is stable
– after all, it has to safely bear the weight of up to
eight opera players. With a maximum pitch of 35
degrees, stability was not the only issue. Slip resistance was equally important. A transparent protective film provides the required grip.
Safety test
The bridge was also a challenge for the protagonists. The dome is more than 10.9 yards in diameter.
The bridge sticks out one more yard and changes
position from scene to scene. “Such a large, mobile
construction poses quite different risks to the usual
stage set,” explains workshop manager Schulze. To
prevent injuries being caused by the swinging
bridge, the ensemble practiced for four weeks on
the original set. During the performance, the
troupe was then able to concentrate entirely on
veba
Puccini’s opera.
www.acrylite.net
Architecture
19
Visitors to Swarovski® Innsbruck reach the top floor of the store by walking over 20,000 crystals embedded in ACRYLITE®.
Steps made of a thousand
sparkling stones
Walls, stairs, partitions: IMPLEXIONS adds glittering touches to architecture and decorative
items with crystals embedded in ACRYLITE®.
Visitors to Swarovski Innsbruck
reach the top floor of the store by
walking over scintillating crystals. At
first sight, the 32 steps of the transparent staircase appear to consist entirely of
thousands of gemstones suspended in
space that sparkle with light. In fact,
these are 20,000 Swarovski crystals of
different sizes that are embedded in
ACRYLITE® steps and illuminated by
LED technology.
The inventors of the technology
behind the application, the Tyrolean
company PACT Technologies Consulting
& Trading GmbH, call it “IMPLEXIONS”.
The patented process embeds different
elements (which may be leaf gold or rose
petals as well as crystals) into clear-transparent ACRYLITE®, without bubbles and
20
Architecture
without joints. This creates the illusion
of freely floating objects, like the insects
enclosed in amber to be found in nature.
The crystals are inserted by hand. Customers can achieve different effects depending on the size and position of the
crystals. “These elements are shown off
to best advantage in acrylic because they
stand completely on their own. Our customers are always impressed by the
luminous, intensive reflections in our
crystal applications,” explains HansJürgen Kandler, Marketing Manager for
IMPLEXIONS. “ACRYLITE® is excellently suited for this process because of
its high transparency.”
Everything began with an exhibition display of Swarovski ornaments
in 2005. In the course of time, the com-
A wall of sparkling stones not only divides up rooms,
but is also an interior design element.
The word crystal comes from
the Greek “krystallos”. Its original
meaning is ice.
pany went from producing candlesticks,
vases and jewelry to large panels. The
staircase in Innsbruck, created in August
2011, was the company’s first interior
design product. The developers of IMPLEXIONS had spent two years researching for this large-scale application
together with the Faculty of Engineering
and Plastics Technology at Rosenheim
University of Applied Sciences. “We
had to find a production process that
excludes sheet yellowing, bubble
formation, cracks and deflection,”
Kandler says. Finally, the first panels
were produced in sizes of 6.5 by 10 feet.
The quality was right. The panels were
able to guide light seamlessly, were
tough and easy to clean, and protected
the enclosed objects from soiling. The
manufacturing process has now been
patented and the panels can be obtained
under the name CRYSTAL GLANCE.
Seamless brilliance
easily be produced in large sizes, which
are in increasing demand in architecture. The trend is moving away from
mosaics towards complete, seamless
wall panels or floors. “As well as the
staircase of Swarovski Innsbruck, we
realized large-area applications like this
for the gallery of Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens, in the form of a partition. Large panels are also used in spa hotels,” Kandler says.
This method that combines crystals
with ACRYLITE® is also used to make
jewelry such as necklaces, key rings and
rings. The latest developments include
small items of furniture like tables and
chests of drawers, as well as bathroom
accessories, such as towel rails. “We are
developing new products under the
IMPLEXIONS label all the time, and
refining our formulation. With round
corpuses, for instance, it is important
that the crystals are equally radiant on
veba
all sides,” Kandler states.
“The products can be used for a multitude of indoor and outdoor applications.
Tiles, elevator panels, partitions, ceilings and floors can all be upgraded in
this way,” says Kandler. ACRYLITE® can
www.implexions.com
Architecture
21
Super-size mirror ball
An installation featuring
377 mirrors made of
ACRYLITE® Reflections
at the Brisbane Festival,
Australia.
22
Art
Mirrors help us to see. Even in
ancient Egypt, people checked their
appearance in mirrors. Today, we use
them for more than just looking at ourselves. Mirrors have a very important
role to play in road traffic, for instance.
Rear-view or side mirrors, and convex
(wide-angle) mirrors placed at tricky
corners, provide a better view. The
New Zealand company Bennett Mirror
Technologies Ltd. produces mirrors of
this kind. At the Brisbane Festival in
Queensland, Australia, 377 of their
products were transformed into an art
installation.
The work in question is a highly
unusual structure. It consists of a steel
framework forming a 5.5-yard sphere on
which round mirrors are installed. In
September 2011, the “Golden Casket
Light Sphere” looked like a super-size
mirror ball in the new River Quay precinct, South Bank located on the Brisbane River in the cultural and entertainment hub. It reflected everything
around it: the sky, the field, the people
and the sun. “The Golden Casket Light
Sphere was meant to reflect the city’s
skyline during the day and the lights of
its buildings at night,” says Graham Menzies at Iceworks Design in Brisbane, who
were the project management company
responsible for the sphere on behalf of
Brisbane Festival. . The “Golden Casket
Light Sphere” was designed by Tony
Assness, Creative Director and realized
by a team led by Iceworks Design; John
Mansell, Inustrial Design and Jono Perry,
Technical Director.
A must: precise convexity
“In realizing Tony’s design we were looking for a new way to create a mirrored
sphere of scale,” says Menzies. “At the
same time, we had to make sure the project stayed a manageable size for a temporary installation.” So the mirrors were
screw-fastened to 16 elements that were
then mounted directly at the exhibition
site to form the sphere. “Otherwise, we
wouldn’t have been able to transport the
installation, it would have been too big
and too heavy. That was one of the reasons why we chose acrylic. It’s lightweight but impact-resistant,” the project
manager explains.
In the finished Golden Casket Light
Sphere, each individual mirror magnifies
its surroundings, just like the functional
mirrors used in road traffic. Bennett Mirror fabricated and supplied the 377 mirrors with diameters between 12 and 30
inches. Each is based on a convex-shaped
sheet of ACRYLITE® Reflections that was
mirror-coated using a process developed
by Bennett Mirror, named DuraVisionTM.
Spot on: At night, the Golden Casket Light Sphere becomes a light installation.
The mirrors were provided with a protective layer to make them resistant to
wind and weather. After all, the sphere
was meant to be exposed to the elements
for three weeks. To make sure the mirrors look perfectly round too, a shiny
aluminum profile was fitted flush with
their edges. “The biggest problem with
the project was that we had to fabricate
each mirror to look perfectly clear and
give the sphere its uniform convexity,”
says Gordon Caulfield at Bennett Mirror.
“ACRYLITE® was the ideal material for
this purpose because it is easy to form,
has excellent optical properties, is UVstable and resistant to all winds and
weathers. It also has a smooth surface. All
of these factors are important for making
high-quality mirrors.”
Mirror image: During the day, the
individual parts of the installation
reflect their surroundings in a
myriad of pictures.
By day and by night
The result was exciting during the day
and spectacular at night. The sphere
stood on a bed of gravel that reflected
the light of 3,000 LEDs. At night, ambient light combined with the artificial
light to transform the sphere into a kaleidoscopic light installation.
The Golden Casket Light Sphere
will be in display again at the Brisbane
Festival from September 8 to 29, 2012.
hco
www.benettmirror.com
Art
23
Credits:
Design in Acrylics
A publication by:
Evonik Industries AG
Acrylic Polymers
Kirschenallee
D-64293 Darmstadt
Germany
Phone +49–6151–18–01
Fax +49–6151–18–02
www.plexiglas.net
www.design-in-acrylics.com
Please send notice of changes in address to:
design-in-acrylics@evonik.com
www.plexiglas-shop.com
Edited by: Profilwerkstatt GmbH,
64295 Darmstadt, Germany
Phone +49–6151–599020
www.profilwerkstatt.de
Editors in Chief:
Doris Hirsch,
Acrylic Polymers
(responsible under Journalists’ Law)
Susanne Diehl,
Acrylic Polymers
Martina Keller, Profilwerkstatt
Dr. Claudia Klemm, Profilwerkstatt
Art Direction: Annika Sailer
Typesetting/Layout: Profilwerkstatt
Managing Editor: Ralf Ansorge
English Translation: Mitzi Morgan
Printed by: Zarbock GmbH & Co. KG, Frankfurt
Printed on paper bleached without chlorine.
Photos:
Evonik Industries AG – p. 2 (top)
HCP Husmann – p. 2 (bottom)
Claus Hirche (photographer)/ Georg Ackermann
GmbH (realization)/ Ambos + Weidenhammer,
München & Hirche, Nürnberg (architects) –
p. 1 (cover), p. 3 (top)
Damaris Mally – p. 3 (top right)
Deutsches Museum – p. 3 (bottom right)
Jane Jeong/Raonhaje – p. 1 (top left), pp. 4 – 5
Anja Kaiser/Fotolia.com – pp. 4 – 5 (fish)
Sergej Bilenko – pp. 6 – 7
Söhne & Partner – p. 1 (top, 2nd from left), pp. 8 – 9
EDAG Group – p. 1 (top center), pp. 10 – 11
Linus Lintner Fotografie – p. 12 (top), p. 13
Andre Bonn/Fotolia.com – p. 12 (bottom)
Designpanel GmbH – p. 14
Legien/air-elemnts.com – p. 15
Harman – p. 16 (top)
clearaudio – p. 1 (top, 2nd from right),
p. 16 (bottom)
Transrotor Räke – p. 17 (top)
Aura-Hifi – p. 17 (bottom)
Thilo Beu – pp. 18 – 19
PACT Technologies
Consulting & Trading GmbH – p. 20
Swarovski – p. 21
Justin Nicholas – p. 1 (top right), pp. 22 – 23
Evonik Industries is a worldwide manufacturer of
PMMA products sold under the PLEXIGLAS®
trademark on the European, Asian, African and
Australian continents and under the ACRYLITE®
trademark in the Americas.
® = registered trademark
DiA, PLEXIGLAS, PARAGLAS, DEGLAS &
EUROPLEX are registered trademarks of
Evonik Röhm GmbH, Darmstadt, Germany.
ACRYLITE is a registered trademark of Evonik
Cyro LLC, Parsippany, NJ, USA.
This information and all further technical advice is
based on our present knowledge and experience.
However, it implies no liability or other legal responsibility on our part, also with regard to existing third party intellectual property rights, especially patent rights. In particular, no warranty,
whether express or implied, or guarantee of product properties in the legal sense is intended or implied. We reserve the right to make any changes
according to technological progress or further developments. The customer is not released from the
obligation to conduct careful inspection and testing of incoming goods. Performance of the product described herein should be verified by testing,
which should be carried out only by qualified experts in the sole responsibility of a customer. Reference to trade names used by other companies is
neither a recommendation, nor does it imply that
similar products could not be used.
(Status: 04/2011)