Trendbook Berlin
Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany, the largest of the country and the second most populous. Is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science. Its economy is primarily based on the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, media corporations, and convention venues. The city also serves as a continental hub for air and rail transport, and is a popular tourist destination. Significant industries include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, biotechnology, electronics, traffic engineering, and renewable energy. When it comes to fashion, art, design and music, the German capital is the city to watch. A global influx of creatives has turned it into a cauldron of cultural cool reminiscent of New York in the ‘80s. What draws them is Berlin’s legendary climate of tolerance, openness and experimentation infused with an edgy undercurrent that gives this “eternally unfinished” city its street cred. Berlin is home to renowned universities, research institutes, orchestras, museums, and celebrities, and is host to many sporting events. Its urban setting and historical legacy have made it a popular location for international film productions. The city is well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, public transportation networks and a high quality of living. Despite of all the diversity that we can find in the city, I’m going to discover what interesting and creative the city has to offer us.
Relation between Trends and Zeitgeist’s topic Trends, can be diverse and identified by the multiple networks, in an international way. Along this Trendbook, some of those trends are going to be associated to the diverse Cool examples presented. Trends introduce complementary views, diverse points of view and help us to understand the changes of mentality. Some of those trends are: |Trend – Network| Experience Economy – Trendwatching; Clanning– BrainReserve; Love Thy City – Trends Research Center; Luxury – Trend Hunter; Kids (& Parents) – Trends Active. Berlin
Cool Examples
Berlin
The Floppy Table The Floppy Table is a fun tribute to obsolete technology, in this case the classic disk storage medium. Has every detail down pat, from the sliding metal shutter to the squared indents and even the arrow directing people to the end goes in first. The only main differences are the Floppy Table’s size, the addition of four legs and, of course, the missing mechanics inside. Designed by Axel Van Exel and Marian Neulant of Neulant Van Exel, a Berlin art, design and architecture duo (specifically an architect and sculptor), the Floppy Table does conceal something. The metal shutter moves to reveal a hidden storage perfect for remote controls. The Floppy Table is made out of hot-rolled steel and stainless steel. Why it is Cool? The floppy disk is a long expired form of tech ever since CDs and USB sticks came into the picture. It’s up there with the likes of VHS and cassettes – all of which are old and tired ‘gadgets’ that provide traces of our technological past. Just when you thought the days of 3.5" floppy disks were gone, they are back in a new form. The Floppy Table is a wonderfully designed coffee table that is made to resemble a classic 3.5’’ floppy disk. The metal protector even slides to the side to reveal a secret compartment, a little storage space for your remotes/weed. The table has an unique lasered serial number, is produced on-demand and is handmade. This table is pretty cool, is perfect for geeks and it’s an amazing “back to the past”. Associated Trends: Design = Wow + How + How Good, Identities Narrated. Related Trends: Experience Economy, Meaningful Nostalgia, Clanning, Down-Aging.
Berlin
Green Lamp
The Green Lamp by Siesta Studio is an unique combination of lamp and flower pot, where you can plant whatever you want. Like a trellis, the lamp has a lattice framework that allows vines to creep around it. As romantic and old world as it is, the table light also brings a touch of nature into the home - in an unique way, of course. By combining both a light and plant, it becomes a contemporary piece of decor that serves more than one purpose. It is you who give it the character, that evolves every day with the growth of your plant. Together with the shape and growth level not only the look is changing but also the amazing play of light and shadows cast by it. Unique and surprising every day, will share your joys and make you feel better when you're sad. Unanimated object came alive, a living plant acquired surprising properties - it turned out that they match each other so much that they have become inseparable.
Why it is Cool? Ever wanted your lamp to be a little more… dynamic? What if it were an unique combination of lamp and flower pot? It might be a simple concept, but it has a huge impact on both aesthetic and lifestyle. Essentially, the 'trellis' portion of the light is made to look like a classic lamp while the base is a soil pot. The Green Lamp features a lattice shade and a neck that stems immediately from a soil pot — all you will have to do is plant your favorite vine and mold it into a unique organic leaf shade that you can trim and shape yourself! It brings a touch of Nature into the Home. It’s a completely different piece, it’s cool and beautiful! Great idea! “By taking care of the plant we come closer to nature. We treat Earth, our loved ones and finally ourselves.. better.”
Associated Trends: Eco-Sustainability, Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good. Related Trends: Identities Narrated, Clanning. Video: http://vimeo.com/49798426
Berlin
Vintage Suitcases
Bo Christian Larsson is a Swedish artist who lives and works between Munich and Berlin. Hotels by the artist shows one way in which vintage luggage can still be appreciated. Artistically tweaked they have been converted into mini accommodations. Essentially turned into a set of sophisticated dollhouses, the suitcases nevertheless hold onto an essence of the perpetual traveler.
Why it is Cool? Vintage luggage may look nice, but they are hardly practical to use due to their bulkiness and weight. Adding latticed windows and doors, he transforms the luggage into a sculptural multi-tiered building. With luggage tags still attached, the piece pays tribute to the act of holiday, by transforming into a hotel itself. Larsson reimagines large scale hotels, small motels, and bed and breakfasts by stacking various sizes of suitcases alone or together, returning each to its vacation destination indefinitely. Hotels by Bo Christian Larsson is just a small part of his impressive object portfolio. By using such found objects as vintage luggage, he gives them a new history and a new meaning that will stand the test of time. You’ve just got to love the quirkiness of these clever suitcase sculptures. These vintage suitcases are where I imagine the little people are living. Love it! Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good, Identities Narrated. Related Trends: Meaningful Nostalgia, Clanning.
Berlin
“Dispatchwork” “Dispatchwork” (a linguistic play on “dispatching” and “patching” the holes) by Jan Vormann is a part urban art installation, part historical highlighting (since many of the gaps date back to World War II) and part method of calling attention to buildings that could use some help. A missing brick here and chipped stone there show the normal marks of wear and tear on the structures and streets of a city, but filling them in with multi-colored LEGO bricks makes them stand out in sharp relief with their surroundings – especially in a place like Berlin. Jan Vormann has been toying with LEGO pieces for a long time in various artistic capacities - as well as infilling structural holes with mirrors and other attention – getting materials.
Associated Trends: Anger, Distrust and Revolution; Identities Narrated, Bottom Of The Social Pyramid, LEGOverse. Related Trends: Experience Economy, Crowd Everything, Design = Wow + How + How Good, Meaningful Nostalgia, Love Thy City, Clanning, S.O.S. (Save Our Society).
Why it is Cool? “Dispatchwork” by Jan Vormann makes a playful comment on Berlin walls that eludes to deeper breaches of society. Using the colorful, methodical childhood building medium, the artist has cleverly highlighted the city's disrepair. Many of the damaged stone walls are reminiscent of the trauma of World War II, so a major aim of ‘Dispatchwork’ is to communicate a remembrance and restoration of past wounds. With a skillful assembly of LEGO pieces and some help from the public, this is becoming an iconic art installation. It may look haphazard at first, but there is an art to the process: identifying gaps is naturally subjective, and filling them in is both a creative and crafty act that can involve turning corners and working with existing structural details.
Berlin
Tire Chandeliers A funky brick structure, some tires and lots of lights. These are the design elements of Bow Berlin, a jewellery and leather fashion boutique and showroom. When full blown tires are attached to chandeliers, it is worth catching a glimpse, and the Bow Berlin Boutique showcases this unique feature. The shop displays the work of two German designers: highend leather bags, belts and other accessories by Michael Lawrenz and watches, jewellery and accessories by Christian Koban. Berlin designer Neels Kattentidt conserved the character of the rough brick surfaces and cool arches of the old railway structure, and created a pared-down and funky gallery atmosphere by using the minimum of out-of-context components.
Associated Trends: Design = Wow + How + How Good, Experience Economy, Eco-Sustainability, Luxury. Related Trends: Clanning, Fashionising.
Why it is Cool? If the regular high-end stores bore you, the luxury leather Bow Berlin Boutique will surely pump you up. Located in classy and chic Berlin West, this heavenly tirestudded gallery will keep you excited. The boutique was made to look funky while maintaining the brick structure. The entire store is flooded with tons of tires, and the glorious chandelier carrying a tire is truly a masterpiece. A full four tons of tires were cut, wired, screwed and nailed to fit them with LED-lighting and back-lit white glass tops to create shelves, display tables and even chandeliers. The store looks great and I particularly love those chandeliers.
Berlin
Breathing sensor system for babies
Why it is Cool? In future, the romper suit, a discreet circuit board with an integrated sensor system that can be embedded into onesies, comfortably hugging the contours of their bodies so as to not create any other problems could warn parents as soon as their child stops breathing. The cornerstone of the sensor system is a stretchable printed circuit board that fits to the contours of the body, making it hardly noticeable. It is an excellent idea and perfect to calm down parents during the night while their newborn baby sleeps quietly. Associated Trends: Wellthy, Design = Wow + How + How Good, Experience Economy. Related Trends: Meaningful Compassion, Wellthy, Being Alive, Kids (& Parents).
Parents of newborn babies are always creeping into the nursery at night to check that their infant is still breathing. Alternatively, they might let baby sleep in their room, hoping to notice any respiratory arrest and intervene before it is too late. Developed by researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM in Berlin, the Fraunhofer IZM Romper Suit is designed to help prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). It provides new parents with a way to monitor their newborn’s sleep, particularly his or her breathing patterns.
Berlin
“Pencils & Coffee” Laura Serra, a Berlin-based artist usually drinks coffee to energize herself in the mornings. After that she noticed that there is always some leftovers of the coffee, so she decided to start using it to make white paper more interesting. At least more interesting to her! She says she loves to work with coffee because it reacts differently with every kind of paper, brush or sponge.
Associated Trends: Design = Wow + How + How Good, Experience Economy. Related Trend: Clanning.
Why it is Cool? Children often rub tea bags onto sheets of paper to give it that rustic, antique look, treasure-map feel and Laura Serra’s “Pencils & Coffee” series does the same, only that she replaced the tea bags with old coffee. She decided to spice up the plain white paper in her signage art by smearing and texturing her canvases with java. Laura Serra’s “Pencils & Coffee” series are quite remarkable as she is a true master of creating unique typographic letter artworks using nothing more than coffee and a pencil. Her work is super interesting and absolutely beautiful. Love it!
Berlin
Miniature Graffiti Apartments
Evol is a German artist currently living and working in Berlin. He transforms banal urban surfaces into miniature lifelike buildings. He is like an urban planner, but unlike the others, he creates a city within the city. The artist uses complicated stencils to quickly transform powerboxes, and other worn urban surfaces into miniature apartment buildings or other structures. By drawing tiny balconies and satellite dishes onto the side of an electrical box, he is able to turn it into a realistic tiny skyscraper. Why it is Cool? These examples of miniature apartment graffiti on everyday objects makes me wish I could shrink down and live in one. To create the astonishing apartment art, Evol uses a layered stencil technique to create an impressive level of depth and detail. Whether he's painting balconies and windows on cinder blocks, lockboxes, walls or other regularly mundane objects around the town, it's definitely an interesting and classier sort of graffiti than one would normally observe. There’s depth to his artwork and they are so realistic you may catch yourself wondering if there are little people in each of the units going about their lives. His work is amazing! Associated Trends: Love Thy City, Experience Economy. Related Trends: Design = Wow + How + How Good, Clanning.
Berlin
Himo In Berlin, Mimosa Pale creates irreverent hats in her small studio and shop, Himo. With a background in sculpture and performance, she decided to fulfill her dream of being an owner of a hat shop. The name of the store comes from the Finnish word for lust, passion, and describes the wares precisely. Pale's sculpting background comes through in other designs that stretch high above the wearer's head. Behind the counter is one hat with a ship on a turbulent sea. Another sits in the corner of the front window, with feathers winding two feet high. Along with "dangerous hats" and a series of "cunt caps" are turbans, bonnets, bucket hats and a growing collection of felt styles as Pale learns more about traditional methods of hat-making. Why it is Cool? All her hats are handmade. They range from the divine (a small velvet box hat with a bird perched on top), to the outrageous (a Marie Antoinette style headdress made entirely of plastic shot glasses!). What unites the great contemporary milliners is their refusal to be limited by convention or practicality when it comes to hat design, and Mimosa – who is also a performance artist – shares this quality. She creates theatrical headpieces that challenge any conception of what belongs on one’s head. The millinery creations designed for the Himo Hatshop look like something out of the literary world of “Alice In Wonderland”. Wonderfully whimsical and femininely playful, it isn’t something a girl could wear on a daily basis, unless they simply like to stand out from a crowd. Nevertheless, the store will appeal to those who want to imbue elegance with a dash of fun. This store is absolutely amazing and it looks like heaven for those, like me, who love hats! Hope one day I can visit this store! Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Excess Therapy. Related Trends: Design = Wow + How + How Good, Clanning.
Berlin
Kinderdentist Kinderdentist is an underwater world of play and adventure with a 12-foot visual wave that welcome the children from the outside world, carrying them directly to the reception counter. This wave, vibrant with patterns in different tones of blue, connects and reveals the upper and lower levels of the clinic. It invites you to the waiting room and reception in the lower level and opens up windows into the treatment rooms upstairs. All areas follow the same theme of the underwater experience with their color, architectural and spatial elements. Patterns of pixilated schools of fish connect all treatment rooms. The silver upholstery in the waiting rooms is reminiscent of submarines. Kinderdentist was designed by the architecture firm, the super creative and multi-functional GRAFT. Why it is Cool? This is the kind of place that makes us want to be kids again. Never thought I’d say that about a dental office, but what can I do? And why exactly is it adults’ dental offices don’t look like this? In Kinderdentist you feel as if you were underwater, in a submarine, just waiting for exciting things to happen. And apart from all of that, kids’ teeth get fixed there, too. The waiting, as well as the treatment itself can be turned into a playful experience. In this way the attitude towards the usually feared dentist can be changed from an early age on. The young customers never have to leave the happy underwater world and can enjoy this completely new experience of a visit to the dentist. Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Wellthy. Related Trends: Meaningful Compassion, Kids (& Parents), Design = Wow + How + How Good.
Berlin
Soho Hotel Soho Hotel is an exclusive industrial-chic boutique hotel in Berlin’s bleeding-edge Mitte district, the address for globe-roving coolhunters who want to combine power-brunching with decadent downtime. Soho House Berlin features symmetrical Bauhaus architecture in a building where the East German Politbüro used to meet. All rooms are spacious and are classically furnished with nostalgic design, including record players with a selection of vynil records. The 7th-floor roof terrace features a bar and a swimming pool with a panoramic view of Berlin. The Club Bar offers a comfortable lounge area with 2 fireplaces and a House Kichen where guests can dine all day. Why it is Cool? Soho Hotel Berlin is a private members’ club with 85 rooms, 20 of which are fully service apartments, located on eight floors of a 1928 late-Bauhaus building. The hotel rooms offer the typical upscale far: custom beds, rainforest showers, Samsung flatscreens, and in-house Cowshed Spa products. Some even have restored vintage record players and vinyl LPs to evoke a retro industrial feel also reinforced by exposed concrete and dark paneling. Soho House Berlin’s hotel rooms are a delightfully mad yet subtle mix of this hard, angular visual language with a padded-velvet lush and prissy 1930s glamour. The hotel offers quirky, relaxed luxury in a historic Bauhaus building and apart from all the luxury the hotel looks absolutely cosy and beautiful! Associated Trends: Luxury, Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good. Related Trends: Identities Narrated, Meaningful Nostalgia, Clanning, Pleasure Revenge, Small Indulgences.
Berlin
Oukan 71 Oukan 71 is a super-modern new concept store, has two airy floors of up-and-coming avant-garde design for ladies and gentlemen, as well as unique interiors items and a sleek tea bar. Located on Kronenstrasse 71 (Kronen Strasse means Crown Street in German, and Oukan is Japanese for crown), the boutique has a fascinating background. On two open-concept floors, Oukan 71 offers a constantly changing selection of fashion, accessories and design, much of it currently Scandinavian, but all with a Japanese feel. The Tea Bar Restaurant serves raw, vegan, vegetarian and fish breakfast and lunch dishes. Why it is Cool? Is an intriguing store that combines a fashion and art showroom/shop with a tea room and restaurant. The first step inside jumpstarts the experience: the awesome cylindrical glass door whooshes wide automatically, providing access to the upper floor through an open stairwell. The first level showcases unisex looks from selected designers. A sweeping circular staircase leads up to the second floor, which houses furniture and design items along with womens wear – and the restaurant/café. While Oukan 71 may have a decidedly Japanese feel, much of the merchandise is actually Scandinavian, but all of it is decidedly on the cutting-edge. If you need a break from all this fabulousness, head upstairs to the Tea Bar Restaurant, a minimalist café, where Eriko Ohsawa has created breakfast and lunch menus full of healthy vegetarian, pescitarian, vegan and raw dishes, as well as a selection of soothing teas. The concept of the store is incredible, it’s a completely different experience of shopping. It’s a new way of taking advantage of the store and to enjoy shopping!
Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good. Related Trend: Clanning.
Berlin
Erika-Mann Elementary School II
Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good, Identities Narrated, Kids. Related Trend: Clanning.
Erika-Mann Elementary School II is an amazing architecture design based on a fantastical world of the Silver Dragon. The project was designed by Baupiloten (a group of architecture students at the Technical University of Berlin led by the architect Susanne Hoffmann) and by the kids themselves. The different spaces are called Snuffle Garden, Snuffling Room, Chill Room and Dragon’s Breath, each starting with a clean white background and offering freedom of expression in the form of flexible furnishings. The floors and walls of the school’s upper stories are transformed into a modular seating area. Depending on the weather, the “Snuffle” covers most of it as a veil of light. Breaking up the landscape of the seating area are various openings in which the children can relax on top of soft materials. “Fireclaw” and “Fireflower” particles – seating units in which the children create their own environment through the manipulation of sound, light, and image - also float within "Snuffle's" veil. The “Chill Room” is a landscape of seating-pedestals covered with foam, tarp, and various textiles. A series of one-meter high “Petals” form a protective island around the pedestals, large enough for two to three children. These protective islands are made of wooden frames and can be individually formed by the children. Thus, the children are able to form their own environment according to their wishes through the manipulation of sound, light, and laminate.
Why it is Cool? The project was designed by a group of architecture students and the kids who are using the space participated actively in the design process. They gave to the architecture students their own views on how they will actually use the space, how it should function and what they’d love to see in their school. Together they sought to lighten and cheer up the heavy and authoritarian air of their old school building from 1915. They developed a playful concept based on a fantastical and poetic world of the Silver Dragon. The farther into the building one moves, the stronger one feels the presence of the Silver Dragon whose spirit changes, moves, glows and shimmers. The school has a playful and unusual environment realized in different areas, where children can play and stimulate their creativity. The concept of the school and all the idea is just perfect, at the same time and through a fantastical story children can play, learn and stimulate their creativity. Love it!
Berlin
Technology Center Medical Science The sleek and shiny building of the Technology Center Medical Science looks somewhat sterile and synthetic. The building has two main functions, it is a corporate facility and a science center, but both have to do with human mobility, specifically walking and grasping, and bionics (technology modeled on nature). The three lower floors house the Science Center and its three exhibitions: The Fascination of Walking and Grasping, Nature as Our Guide, and Technology For People.
Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good. Related Trends: Clanning, Meaningful Compassion.
Why it is Cool? The words “medical” and “science” conjure up images of sterile white buildings that keep the focus on sanitation at all times. The Technology Center Medical Science building in Berlin, designed by Gnaedinger Architects, incorporates both the sterile and white aspects into its design. The clinical feel and sweeping forms are what makes this such a cool complex. The facade is designed to resemble the structure of muscle fibers. If you visit the Science Centre within, you will learn all about it and will never look at this building the same way again. Walking and grasping are things we do every day. What happens in the body during these activities is complex and fascinating. Interactive and multimedia installations motivate visitors to have fun learning more about themselves and understanding inventions that restore mobility. The building is very cool and beautiful and the place inside has a very clean image. This building is a place that we have the curiosity to visit and at the same time we can learn more about ourselves and some new and interesting inventions.
Berlin
The Coen Lamp The Coen Lamp, designed by the Berlin-based studio Bรถttcher + Henssler, is perfect for halogen lighting. Is constructed from a single sheet of steel available in a silver or white finish. Also equipped with a textile power cord available in white, black or red. The purpose for creating this lamp was to create a light that not only emits brilliant and flawless light, but also a fixture that exhibits the heart and soul of the lighting architecture. Why it is Cool? The Coen Lamp is playing with the appearance of an archetypal lamp and interprets all conventional features in an entirely new way. The consequent simplicity of appearance and in construction is reflected in its clear silhouette. Its simple build is achieved by the use of a single sheet of steel. The endpoints of the uncoiling close up the corpus and at the same time build the reception for the light bulb. The feet and the lamp shade directly merge into each other and by this way they create their characteristic butterfly-like light and shadow play. The lamps are supplied with energy-saving halogen bulbs and dimmers. The Coen lamps are supremely stylish, modern and they look great in modern interiors.
Associated Trends: Experience Economy, Design = Wow + How + How Good. Related Trend: Clanning.
Berlin
Trendbook done by: Ana Isabel Figueira Berlin