No. 3
slide Magazine for Architecture, Design, Retailer, Trade
Trust Experienced a hundred thousand times
Trust in beauty The flying cow Trust made in Switzerland
Contents
Familiarity and trust Someone who is in their element feels safe and sound. They are familiar with the situation. Things are different when they dive into an unknown world. That comforting feeling of familiarity is missing. This situation calls for careful preparation – and trust.
Symphony of perceptions Beauty is moving
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The Red Sea is one the most fascinating diving areas. The intensive colours of the fish and corals are sometimes breathtaking, and impressive shipwrecks await discovery. Anyone brave enough to go in will enter not only a different world but also a different time. Wreck-diving is not without its risks. Divers cannot afford to make mistakes in closed rooms under water. Even divers with the routine of hundreds of dives will always need trust and confidence. In themslves, in their buddy, in their equipment. When it comes to equipment in particular we place our trust in the familiar, in the tried and tested. Or in the new products of a manufacturer we know we can trust because their products and developments have proven to be reliable for decades. But this experience applies equally on land.
Subject Of the train driver’s trust The rescuers are on the way A symphony of perceptions Trusting people wins their confidence Trust in the brand Switzerland Hawa quality standards
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Projects Mokka Beauty Lounge, Bruneck Warren Wixen Real Estate, Los Angeles The Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi
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Know-how Gregor and Heinz Haab Managing Directors Hawa AG Sliding Hardware Systems
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HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF: How an idea becomes hardware Peter Wirz talking about good industrial design HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50: Pivot and slide Product News Agenda, Personal
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HAWA-Puro 100 –150 At work in Bruneck, Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles
Of the train driver’s trust Man cannot negotiate with the laws of nature
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Industrial design The beauty of simplification
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Trust
Of the train driver’s trust Man cannot negotiate with the laws of nature. Nor can he avoid them. But he can avail himself of their services – if he knows what they are. But as these insights are always preliminary, man has no choice other than to trust in the laws of nature.
Anyone travelling on the world-famous Glacier Express or the Rhaetian Railway from the Swiss town of Chur to St. Moritz will cross 144 bridges. One of the most frequently photographed motifs of the journey is the viaduct that forms a sweeping 100-degree curve to bridge the Landwasser canyon and connect its two precipitous rock faces. The Landwasser viaduct was opened in 1902 and is considered an architectural masterpiece. Its three main pillars were built without scaffolding for cost reasons and in case of flooding. Instead, the bridge builders worked with two bridge cranes by constructing the iron towers from the bottom up whilst continuously cementing the lower sections into the abutments further below.
dolomite lime – and built a solid construction. But does the train driver need to place his trust in the dolomite lime?
Trust in materials and components Dolomite lime does not make any mistakes. Dolomite lime consists of elements such as calcium, carbon and oxygen. Elements and their compounds are generally considered as calculable. Whether density, aggregate state or crystallisation forms: man trusts the elements once their properties and behaviour have been researched. The train driver is hardly likely to worry that the bridge beneath him will melt. Dolomite lime and iron need to reach many hundred degrees Celsius before they start to disintegrate. The elements only do what they have to do. They are goverened by the laws of nature.
Trust in the architects and builders 22,000 trains cross over the Landwasser viaduct every year. 22,000 times must a train driver trust the bridge to bear the weight of his train. He needs to trust that the architect and builders chose the right materials 107 years ago – in this case 9,200 cubic metres of
Trust in natural laws and forces Natural laws and forces can be formulated and calculated. They are useful as indicators of how man should behave. The train driver who knows of centrifugal forces will reduce his speed in the curve. And he can assume that gravity would
pull his train into the abyss if it were not for the bridge of dolomite lime, as experience has shown that trains do not fly. At least none have ever been observed whilst flying. Trust is founded on observation and experience. The same as the formulation of natural laws.
Trust despite temporariness However, not even materials offer ultimate certainty: dolomite lime is made up of elements; elements consist of atoms, atoms of protons and neutrons, and they in turn are made up of quarks. Quarks are to date the final result of the attempt to find the basic building blocks of matter. One can overcome this temporariness by using the best possible combinations of the best possible materials whilst continuing to research and improve. That instills the most trust. For instance, in the train drivers who over decades have driven their trains hundreds of thousands of times over the Landwasser viaduct, trusting in the fact that experience has shown their trains will run reliably and safely along the tracks.
Into the grey wall
Donning the red robe
The Landwasser viaduct in the Swiss canton of Graubünden is the landmark of the «Rhaetian Railway in the Albula/ Bernina Landscapes» that last year became the third railway in the world to be incorporated into the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The bridge has been in service for 107 years. It has donned a regally red robe to mark its renovation, no doubt more pleasing to the eye than the fragile bare scaffolding hidden underneath. The Landwasser viaduct is anticipated to reappear in all its former glory in November 2009.
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22,000 trains cross the Landwasser viaduct every year.
9,200 cubic metres of dolomite lime as solid as a rock since 1902.
The reserve «Nature has reserved so much freedom that we are unable to explain it thoroughly or corner it through knowledge and science.» Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, lawyer and natural scientist (1749 – 1832)
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Trust
The rescue team is on the way It is most often heard on sunny weekends in the Swiss mountains, the thudding beat of powerful rotor blades. The hiker looks skywards, sees red and white and knows: the rescue team is on the way.
Last year the Swiss Air-Rescue Rega flew 14,200 sorties to help people in danger. Mountain climbers on the Matterhorn, skiing tourists near St. Moritz, hang-glider pilots in treetops. Swiss bus passengers in Ghana, Swiss motorcyclists in Croatia, pregnant women snowed under in mountain villages.
Just pick up the phone What these people have in common is the Rega sponsor ID in their respective pockets. «1414» is written on it, as is «0041 333 333 333». Just pick up the phone. Pilots and physicians are at the ready, their three flying ambulances and 13 helicopters are like flying intensive care units. The sponsor card costs 30 Swiss Francs per year for one person. 70 Swiss Francs for families and farmers with cows. 2.14 million of Switzerland’s 7.7 million citizens are sponsors of the Rega organisation. Swiss people seek security because secure people can enjoy the main things in life with greater intensity, be it a ski tour or a trip around the world. They look for reliability when appointing an insurance company or other service provider just as they do when purchasing a quality product.
A good year But only time and experience will tell us what we can really rely on. For instance, the experience of hearing the thudding rotor blades so familiar since early childhood. Many a Swiss citizen looks skywards on hearing them, sees red and white and knows: the rescue team is on the way. In 1965 the Swiss federal government in Berne declared the former «Air Rescue» as an official aid organisation of the Swiss Red Cross. It was the same year in which Karl and Otto Haab in Mettmenstetten took the fate of a small company named Hawa AG in into their hands. It was, they say, a good year.
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«The Rega organisation», so the wording in the foundation’s principles, «The Rega organisation aims to help the needy and people in difficulties – regardless of who they are, their financial means, social standing, nationality, faith or political conviction. The Rega organisation shall provide help wherever the use of its means can preserve or protect the lives and health of fellow men.» Furthermore, it is traditional for the Rega to fly injured cows and calves – provided that the farmer is a family sponsor.
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Trust
A symphony of perceptions
A never-ending, life-long storm. Millions upon millions of electro-magnetic impulses drum against the human brain, detected by sensory organs and transmitted by the nervous system. The brain collects and orchestrates them.
or pictures. They hope to be capable of interpreting the pictures, of finding meaning in the words. They trust that this meaning will provide them with a foundation on which to act.
He who trusts can also act In a split second it composes a symphony of what we perceive; light and sound, smell and taste, touch and pressure, heat and cold, balance and gravity, movement and pain.
The eyes are the most important People assume that the brain converts visual impulses into an unadulterated «image format» that represents precisely what they call reality. They expect to derive a meaning from the image. That the differences in light and dark on this page of the Hawa magazine will form letters
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The image of reality triggers not only action but also feelings. Affection, distaste, joy, anger, love, excitement, sadness, curiosity, memories. And then, time and again, best of all never-ending and for a lifetime: an impression of beauty. Of the beauty of the many things a man sees with his eyes. That is why not only the functionality of things should be a perpetual experience, but also their design. Not least because people intuitively trust things of beauty. Beauty is moving.
Our eyes give us the power of sight. We trust that 130 million light-sensitive cells on the retina will reliably detect every change in light conditions. And we trust that our central nervous system will relay the corresponding impulses reliably to the brain.
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Trusting people wins them over Trust consists of entertaining a positive expectation even though one cannot be sure that it will be fulfilled. Trusting others makes us vulnerable; however, it also gives our counterpart the chance to prove themselves worthy of our trust. That is what lets people, teams, families, businesses, partnerships and customer relationships flourish. People need reassurance Everyone is on the lookout for signs of reassurance. All the time. When we detect signs that our counterpart is reliable we are prepared to trust them. But not everyone pays attention to the same signals. And the number of signals someone needs before they are ready to trust their counterpart depends on their personal history. Someone marked by bad experiences will see fewer signs of reassurance and all the more warning signals. In childhood we form trust capital, and as adults we live off the interest. The same applies to the trust we place in ourselves: a self-confident person will take greater risks and is more prepared to trust others. «Trust is the lubricant in man’s social and spiritual gearbox», as sociologist Anthony Giddens wrote.
The company logo as a sign of reassurance Things are very much the same in the commercial world: customers look for signs of reassurance. When they detect signals that a product or service is reliable they will be willing to trust a provider. It must therefore be the objective of every provider to ensure their logo is a sign of reassurance to the customer.
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nyone who has had positive experiences A with a company, a brand or an employee for twenty years will readily place their trust in them. As the German Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Albert Schweitzer wrote: «Trust is the greatest operating capital of any enterprise.»
Openness is of ultimate importance People who hide things create mistrust, but anyone who discloses their motives and places their trust in others has already gained a great deal. People in a team or partnership that is characterised by trust are often able to surpass themselves.
Trust rubs off Employees who trust one another are more concentrated and relaxed at work. This rubs off on customers and suppliers. Sometimes it can even radiate beyond the end of the working day and find its way into family life. Trust is quality of life, a grant of trust is an incentive. Placing your trust in people wins them over. Trust is won, lost, earned: our vocabulary shows that trust is a currency. A currency that cannot be bought or sold but only given away. A gift that is even returned with interest.
Hawa customers on trust:
«A company must radiate sincerity and competence and earn customer appreciation every day anew through good work.» Günter Weidemann Schollglas GmbH/Glasfischer Glastechnik GmbH, Barsinghausen, Germany
«Communication is the basis of any form of trust between people.» Marian Nicula Import Departement Sugatsune Kogyo Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan
«Trust is created through being honest with each other. You need to be able to criticise and to accept criticism. When a mistake is made at work we need to address it directly and say openly how it happened. Anyone behaving in this way can learn from every opportunity and achieve continuous improvement.» Peter Nussbaumer, born 1963, punching shop employee (left)
«Once I have set up the punching press I need to be able to trust my co-worker to do a good job, check the punched parts and inform me if he discovers any deviations. Not least of all I need to be able to count on his compliance with safety regulations. Work in the punching shop is not without its hazards, which is why we have to rely on mutual trust.» Michael Gerber, born 1985, punching shop team leader (right)
«I trust my trainer because he has taught me most of what I have learned so far. If what he says is not correct then I would notice sooner or later in my practical work. But that has never been the case.» Philipp Emmenegger, born 1990, trainee computer scientist for systems technology in the 4th year of apprenticeship (left)
«A trustworthy apprentice is characterised by honesty and reliability. These are the most important requirements he needs to fulfil for us to work as a team at defining and developing his professional abilities.» Gianni Belotti, born 1965, trainee manager/IT systems specialist (right) slide No. 3 11
Trust
Trust in the brand Switzerland According to Swiss legend, William Tell was forced by the reeve to shoot an apple from his son’s head with a crossbow. They say he hit with the first shot. A dead centre hit as a symbol of Swiss accuracy? Studies confirm that Switzerland as a brand stands for quality, precision and reliability worldwide. Trust in Swiss products has a long history. It is a bonus, an honour and an obligation.
Swiss provenance is recognised around the world as a synonym for top quality. «Switzerland’s ability to perform is not a myth but a reality», says Thomas Harder, managing director of the Zurich company Swiss Brand Experts AG. His company surveyed 170 large Swiss enterprises on the significance of Swiss provenance to their products. Switzerland as a brand is of «central» importance to one third; another fifty per cent «benefit» from it. Trust in the label «Swiss made» is significant, as Harder emphasises: «The Swiss have a reputation of only promising what they can keep. And they always keep their promises.»
Trust in small gems Consumers confirm this conclusion. In 2008 the University of St. Gallen, together with the internationally active advertising agency McCann Erickson and management consultants htp St. Gallen, surveyed 8,000 consumers in 66 countries. The result: 73 per cent of respondents certified the positive image of Swiss products, more so than that of products from Japan (72 %) or Germany (71 %). Swissness benefits not only global brands such as Nescafé, Novartis or Rolex, but also small enterprises
Classic Swiss design: Willy Guhl’s cement asbestos chair.
Trust is experience Hawa AG has grown along with the trust of its customers.
1965/66: Plastic Kick-off for success: plasticcoated rollers for excellent gliding qualities. 12 slide No. 3
1970: Pivot and slide The HAWA-Turnaway X1-X5 is the first pivot/slide-in hardware on the market.
1982/83: Global success The first HAWA-Junior leaves the workshop. Three million follow, and no end is in sight.
«Trust is never superficial; it always arises from content and concrete performance.» Thomas Harder, Swiss Brand Experts
from many different segments. Whether computer mouse or steel cable, olympic stadium or ceramic faucets, the combination of beauty and functionality are deeply anchored. People like to place their trust in beauty, and the country of Le Corbusier and Willy Guhl continues to produce design gems. Many of these classic pieces can be seen at the Museum of Modern Art in New York: the Victorinox penknife, for instance, or the Sigg Bottle or modular furniture system USM Haller, which was developed in Münsingen in 1962 and is still «made in Switzerland» to this day, a simple system of balls and steel pipes that can be used to build any conceivable piece of furniture.
Premium befits Premium The breeding ground on which these quality products grow is complex. The success factors include social calm in the working world, a high level of education, cultural variety with four national languages, a deep sense of tradition and a certain degree of cross-pollination – premium befits premium, in the way a zip made by RiRi is befitting for a mountaineering jacket made by Mammut. The sympathy bonus often awarded to small gems may also play a role. Switzerland is
First class for Haute Couture: Forster-Rohner of St. Gallen.
1991: New curves for glass The new curve technology for sliding glass walls appeals to architects: HAWA-Variotec.
1998: Patch suspension The HAWA-Junior 40-80-120/GP causes a stir: it does not need any clamp sockets.
2004: Automation Developed in-house: the first automated hardware system HAWA-Frontslide 60/matic. slide No. 3 13
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Trust grows from continuity.
the only member of the UNO with a square national flag. It is smaller. It attracts attention. Is a quality product enough to win trust? As Thomas Harder of Swiss Brand Experts AG emphasises, it cannot be done just by bluffing: «Trust is never superficial; it arises from content and concrete performance». Marketing can only be successful if the quality of a product is confirmed time and again. And that is the result of long, hard work. It is therefore no coincidence that many successful Swiss firms have been around for a long time. Quality consciousness has grown over decades; that is why it is so enduring.
Trust over the decades Swiss suppliers also enjoy a great deal of trust in «business to business». Embroidery company Forster-Rohner manufactures top quality products for evening gowns and dessous designed by the most famous couturiers. P erhaps not even Michelle Obama knew that the delicate Guipure lace on the gown she wore at her husband’s inauguration came from Switzerland. Givaudan SA, the world’s largest manufacturer of fragrances and aromas, supplies its products to the big names in the cosmetics and foodstuff industries. Chocolate makers and confectioners
Light, robust and hygienic: Sigg Bottle.
2005: Ceiling integration The first HAWA-Adapto profile for setting in the ceiling to hide suspension and hardware components wins the interzum award 2005. 14 slide No. 3
2006: Automatic system for glass The new hardware generation for automatic sliding glass walls: HAWA-Motus 150/GV-matic.
A brand is always as valuable as the trust it enjoys.
in more than 40 countries create their specialities using couvertures and doughs from a small factory named Felchlin in Schwyz, some of them have done so for decades, and the farmers in the cocoa fields of South America have always known that the Felchin purchaser always looks for the best flavours and is willing to pay the best price. The trust placed in Swiss technology also seems to be firm. Swiss motors are at work in NASA’s Mars rovers. Two thirds of the world’s wheat production are ground by mills made by Bühler AG in Uzwil. And millions of people enjoy revolutionarily functional architecture or refined furniture designs without knowing just how many doors, partition walls or façade elements glide softly on sliding hardware made by Hawa.
Trust makes the brand It is Switzerland’s fate to remain innovative and ambitious as the trust placed in Swiss products is an obligation. «Switzerland’s trademark is uncompromising quality», says marketing expert Thomas Harder. This insight applies to Ricola sweets and watches made by Breguet: A brand is always as valuable as the trust it enjoys.
Chocolate makers in 40 countries use Felchlin couvertures, and have done so for decades.
2007: Easy height adjustment Patent pending: the new wedge suspension for quick and easy height adjustment.
2009: Array of prizes «High Product Quality»: the HAWA-Puro 100 –150 wins three international awards.
2010: Research and development The teams at Hawa AG continue to work at shaping the future. slide No. 3 15
Trust
«Our quality standards are much stricter than those of our industry.» Trust is good, assurance is compulsory: Hawa hardware passes through a range of demanding optimization phases before it is released for sale. Development engineer Reto Beck on the fascinating creation of the HAWA-Puro 100 –150. How does Hawa hardware come into being? Via a standardised development process. First of all, we need to recognise and establish what the market wants. This information forms the basis for the specifications of a new development: what must the prospective new hardware be able to do, who will use it where and for what purpose? This results in ideas and, subsequently, in initial approaches to concepts.
On paper? As sketches on paper, then as a CAD model and CAD drawings. We then manufacture the components for the best concept. These are carefully scrutinised before being assembled to form a rough construction, which in ideal cases is followed by a detailed construction.
Was this the process that was followed for the HAWA-Puro 100 –150? Yes. Karl Haab had already developed the basic idea for the hardware concept. However, the market does not like to be kept waiting and we were under a lot of time pressure. This was made all the more difficult as the demand for top quality is non-negotiable. There are no short cuts.
When does product testing start? As soon as we have assembled the component prototype to form a trial hardware system. We then assemble all the elements such as top tracks, trolleys or suspension units and start the test series. One series is for testing safety with regards to dropping out of the tracks, the other series tests durability by subjecting the component to 100,000 movement cycles.
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The HAWA-Puro 100 –150 is quickly and easily installed in various glass types.
What changes do you measure? For instance noise development, roll resistance and operating force, i.e. the force a human needs to exert to set the door in motion. The next improvements are derived from these results. We can then adapt the geometry or mechanics of components, or try different materials or combinations of materials. And then the whole test cycle starts all over again.
Trial & error … Certainly. The development phase is basically a loop. Each step is intended to bring us closer to the end product.
What does optimum mean? It depends on the hardware’s intended use. A soft roller coating makes less noise, a harder coating is subject to less abrasion and therefore less wear and tear. We need to find the optimum solution.
And it has to meet industry standards. Correct. European EN standards, German DIN standards and the requirements of the Product Safety Act, PrSG. The corresponding tests, for instance at the Bavarian State Trade Agency in Nuremberg, often take place in parallel to our own tests. However, our own quality standards are stricter and our test conditions are tougher.
How many sets of trial hardware did the developers build for the HAWA-Puro 100 –150?
Do you decide which trial hardware is ready for serial production?
Nine. We tested three materials for coating the rollers, for instance. That is how we gradually find our way to the optimum material.
No. That process naturally involves a lot of experts. Once the project manager is satisfied with a piece of trial hardware he will initiate so-called user tests that are carried out by a
Development engineer Reto Beck sent nine prototypes through internal endurance tests before he was satisfied with the HAWA-Puro 100 –150.
The glass fastening components in the drill holes grip the glass and are simply pushed into the trolley: good!
larger group of employees, internal and external installers and processors. In other words, experts from those occupational groups who will later work with the hardware on a daily basis.
«The development stage is a loop. Every step is intended
What do the testers do with it?
What if it cannot?
They are given a provisional set of instructions which they use to install the hardware. This requires a complete test setup that includes all the components, doors or partition walls for which the hardware is intended.
In that case we will start a new development loop based on new insights. The more experienced the development engineers, the fewer changes will be necessary and the fewer phases of the development process will need to be repeated.
And then?
What if these changes exceed your time frame?
The testers then test the strengths and weaknesses of the trial hardware system and look for ways to simplify and improve it. We continue to work on the system in parallel. Everyone involved should recognise every aspect of potential for improvement. The hardware needs to prove its suitability for daily use during this stage.
to bring us closer to the end product.»
Then work pressure will increase. That is the risk we face. The demands on quality are non-negotiable; we owe it to the customers, and it is also in our own interest. However, our experience of decades applies not only to research and development but also to defining time frames.
Do you crack open a bottle of champagne when serial production starts? Oh, no! First, we produce all the components in serial quality as a zero series and test them once again. The purpose of trial hardware is to bring us as close as possible to serial quality. It is all about the quality of the serial product. That is why we do not start serial production until everyone involved is fully satisfied.
One can assume you are satisfied with the HAWA-Puro 100 –150 … Very much so. The hardware would otherwise not be on the market. The fact that it has already won a number of international awards is, of course, very pleasing.
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Projects
Project: Mokka Beauty Lounge Location: Bruneck Country: Italy Architect: brida moser architekten, Brixen Realization: Seyr Glasbau GmbH, Bruneck Building owner: Mokka GmbH, Bruneck/Brixen Completion: April 2008 Hawa system: HAWA-Puro 100 –150 Intention: All-glass sliding doors Quantity: 7 systems with 7 doors Material: Float glass, 10 mm TSG
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Mokka Beauty Lounge, Bruneck Ceiling-high transparency, more light How does one design a Beauty Lounge measuring nearly 270 m2 with just one window front? A clear articulation of the areas for solarium, pedicure and manicure, massage, facial care and hair salon, as well as an optically appealing overall ambience: that is what the customer wanted. All in conjunction with a ceiling sloping towards the rear, a lot of supports, columns and wide ventilation channels. Architect Christian Moser from South Tyrol achieved maximum light transmission by installing a continuous wall made of 10 mm thick TSG float glass to separate the solariums behind the window front from the reception area. The wall consists of room-high, frameless, all-glass sliding doors measuring 1000 mm in width and fitted with the puristic HAWA-Puro 100 –150 hardware. The design concept for the glass front included a translucid film to ensure transparency does not intrude upon intimacy. Building owner and visitors alike, so they say, consider the lounge to be very beautiful.
The heavy glass doors glide smoothly and easily whilst the sliding technology remains invisible.
No rattling The installers from Seyr Glasbau installed the hardware flush with the ceiling, thus making the sliding technology completely invisible. The heavy glass doors glide smoothly and easily with not a rattling sound to be heard thanks to the two-part, point-fixing and rattle-proof floor-mounted guide of the HAWA-Puro 100 –150. That is wellness.
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Projects
The inner values of a system
Modern, light, open, flawless, inviting – this is how building owner Warren Wixen Real Estate envisaged his new offices. Architects HLW International LLP decided in favour of glass – and in favour of glass processing firm Pulp Studio in Los Angeles. In turn, they decided in favour of the HAWAPuro 100 –150. «The result is not only extremely functional», says an astounded Sharon Long of Pulp Sudio, «but also visually amazing: glass from floor to ceiling». People, glass and daylight: these rooms are alive. The seamlessness of the matt glass decor emphasises the alignment of the corridor and interrupts it as soon as a door is
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opened. Designing the rooms was not without its challenges, says project manager Sue Meng Lau of HLW International LLP: «The layout and floors of the existing building were uneven. We had to bring walls, ceilings, floors and built-in cabinets into alignment before we could install the glass walls. The eye should not be able to detect even the slightest divergence between glass and other walls. And Pulp Studio’s suggestion to use the new HAWA-Puro 100 –150 helped us achieve the perfect implementation of our high standards». The International Interior Design Association IIDA presented the 2009 Calibre Award to the new rooms at Warren Wixen Real Estate.
Warren Wixen Real Estate, Los Angeles
«Glass from floor to ceiling. Amazing.» Sharon Long, Pulp Studio, Inc., Los Angeles
Project: Warren Wixen Real Estate Location: Los Angeles Country: USA Architect: HLW International LLP, Santa Monica Realization: Pulp Studio, Inc., Los Angeles Building owner: Warren Wixen Real Estate, Los Angeles Completion: January 2008 Hawa system: HAWA-Puro 100 –150 Intention: All-glass sliding doors Quantity: 6 Material: Glass
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Projects
Project: The Yas Hotel Location: Yas Island, Abu Dhabi Country: United Arab Emirates Architect: Asymptote Architecture, New York/Dubai Realization: Glass Technic F.Z.C., Sharjah Building owner: Aldar Properties PJSC, Abu Dhabi Completion: October 2009 Hawa systems: HAWA-Puro 100 –150, HAWA-Junior 80/GP Intention: All-glass sliding doors Quantity: 1,328 Material: Laminated safety glass, 12 mm
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The Yas Hotel, Abu Dhabi Nothing but glass. 1,328 times. The Yas Marina Circuit is the only racing circuit to pass through a hotel: The Yas Hotel on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The design of the breathtaking building was inspired by the throw of a local fishing net. Although design influences everything, Aldar Properties PJSC as the building owner focused consistently on high construction quality. The designers chose the HAWA-Puro 100 –150 hardware system for the heavy sliding glass doors in the bathrooms of the 499 bed-chambers to meet the demand for the highest possible degree of transparency and airiness. Neither frame nor hardware elements should be visible. Only glass and nothing else. In other words: HAWA-Puro 100 –150 cleverly concealed within the ceiling. According to installer Glass Technic F.Z.C. Hawa made the grade not only on account of technological sophistication and the design options its hardware can accommodate: the company responded promptly and professionally and provided excellent work despite a tight time schedule.
The 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix The first Formula 1 race to be held in Abu Dhabi will take place at the new Yas Marina Circuit in November 2009. The 5.52 kilometre course is set out on public roads, similar to the circuit in Monaco. On the 25 km2 Yas Island the first construction phase includes seven hotels, theme parks like the Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, shopping centres, golf courses, etc. The race should become the main event of each year.
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Know-how
«The design of a product must make its quality visible.» Peter Michael Weber, weber hinrichs design
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HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF
How an idea becomes hardware One of Hawa’s most interesting innovations for this autumn is the HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF for sliding doors running in front of a cabinet and for room-wide cabinet doors. The new hardware system tells a tale of industrial design – you can read it here. You can also experience it when you see the HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF in action.
The team at weber hinrichs design in the Swiss town of Hochdorf usually designs industrial products and furniture and equips these items with existing hardware. This time, however, the team was involved in the creation of sliding hardware systems right from the start. Hawa AG decided to get industrial designers on board from the onset. Christiane Hinrichs: «The engineers at Hawa AG think in hardware terms. We think in terms of finished furniture». Peter Michael Weber: «Hawa’s teams know what the system needs to be capable of, and we work out what the system could look like».
The user’s viewpoint approach Of course, the apparent practical constraints inherent to each party give rise to conflicts on numerous occasions during the development of a product. The situation calls for solutions that unite aesthetics and functionality and meet as many demands as possible. And above all else stands the most important aspect: the product must be conceived from the user’s viewpoint. The demands users place on Hawa products differ significantly. The craftsman wants it practical, the designer beautiful, the dealer
multi-functional and they all want it to be economical. To weight demands wisely and produce the best that is technically feasible – that is industrial design. Christiane Hinrichs found working together with Hawa an inspiring experience. «You work out all sorts of variants and try them out with different elements; you search for trade-offs and improvements in brain-storming sessions, chats in the workshop and during intermediate presentations with sketches and models.»
A thousand questions The preliminary process design study (see the interview on page 27) was for weber hinrichs design both basis and foundation for design with regard to the current development. An indepth study of the matter at hand revealed a thousand other questions: in what stages does a wood specialist construct a piece of furniture? What design will provide the fitter with fast installation and easy access to the hardware? Which materials are ideal, technically and optically? What is the minimum size that can be achieved for the hardware without jeopardising the technology it contains? What motion sequences take place, what weights and forces are involved? Should a component
be glued or screwed and how will that affect installation? Is a modular system conceivable?
As little as possible The premise for product optimization is: as little as possible. Few and simple components, few and simple work steps during installation. Of course, the product has to be simply beautiful, too. Peter Michael Weber is convinced that good design appeals to the sense of beauty in everyone. «As long as the design is kept simple and sensible and has the necessary selling propositions, people will notice it and trust in it.»
Devise and discard The teams at Hawa and weber hinrichs design devised, discarded, improved, tweaked and adjusted many designs during the project. Christiane Hinrichs gives the height of the hardware as an example: «The engineers at Hawa reckoned with 100 mm. The target dimensions we designers wanted were 55 mm. We placed high demands on the engineers: where can you reduce dimensions and use less material? Together we trimmed the system’s profile down to 65 mm. The engineers actively participated in the thought process and provided many an impulse.»
Patch suspension, vertical profiles, horizontal cover or frame: the HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF is open to design. slide No. 3 25
Know-how
«One could sense the enthusiasm in everyone involved.» Christiane Hinrichs, weber hinrichs design
What finally emerged was … … a modular, all-glass sliding hardware system named HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF for use with glass, wood or glass/wood doors that run in front of the cabinet body. The hardware enables the use of patch suspension, vertical profiles, horizontal covers or frames as well as the integration of handles on vertical profiles. The form-fitting and absolutely safe glass fastening with integrated aligning hardware as an optional extra largely prevents the suspended glass fronts from bending, even fronts with all-glass sliding doors of up to 4 m2 and 80 kg. Top tracks and guide channels are fitted to the cabinet body from the front, doors are hung in place without tools, and the height is adjusted conveniently on the side of the trolley. The easily accessible soft closing mechanism is fitted inside or concealed on top of the cabinet body. A quantum leap in the field of convenient installation.
Available as of November 2009: the HAWA-Antea 50-80/VF sliding system for glass, wood or glass/wood fronts running in front of the cabinet. 26 slide No. 3
«Perfected to the extreme.» Good industrial design is nothing other than the act of simplifying and perfecting a product, its elements and how they interact. The focus is never on the product but rather on its future user. And: the formal design should let the quality of a product shine through. Examples can also be found at Hawa AG.
What were Hawa’s concerns when it approached process? A growing number of people at Hawa AG were convinced that a company can only be successful if it cultivates design. Design has become ever more important over the past years. This development also concerns Hawa products which are, after all, used by architects and interior designers and therefore need to fulfil a certain architectural dogma.
How do the worlds of functionality and beauty differ from each other? They do not differ at all. Engineers are also at work at process design. You cannot create designs detached from reality. You always need to keep the subsequent industrialisation of a design before your mind’s eye.
Can the task be delegated? No, it has to be tackled cooperatively. Hence the intense collaboration between process design and Hawa AG. Hawa’s Research and Development department in particular was heavily involved in the creation and development process.
What is good design? This is best explained using Apple as an example: the design character of the Apple Mac sets it apart from other computers. In other words: it has a long development history during which every detail has been perfected to excess whilst the focus has always been on the user, not on the product. The formal design and the brand have always been included in the strive for excessive perfection.
But the formal design of a functional product remains the primary issue...
Is that not a question of marketing?
That is not enough. There is more to it than just hiding a few screws. The architectural principle should by all means make functionality visible. The idea is to encompass every aspect – a product’s environment, its future areas of use – and to ask oneself what is functional, what is feasible and what is not. Intelligent detailed solutions are called for.
Our experience here at process design is that brand and product are closely connected. If the brand of a company is cleanly developed on the basis of the company’s values it should be visible in the company’s products. And vice versa: a product must allow conclusions about the brand. Both have to be as perfect as possible.
Sliding systems need to ripen A new idea at the beginning and a new Hawa sliding hardware system at the end. And in between a thousand sketches and models, a thousand improvements and perfect fine-tuning. That is the only way to create a long-lasting and timeless sliding system.
«A product must allow conclusions about the brand.» Peter Wirz, process design slide No. 3 27
Know-how
HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50
Pivot and slide Building owners and architects seeking convertible functionality will find sliding hardware systems that make it possible. For instance, the new HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50. It is multi-functional and can be used for furniture as well as in buildings: it makes flush-fitting fronts in the home office, bathroom or kitchen-diner disappear. It is also an outstanding method of concealing recesses.
Sliding doors save space. This virtue is currently an object of discovery, especially in kitchen design. Designers at reputable kitchen manufacturers such as allmilmö, Leicht or Poggenpohl have included the sliding door concept in recent studies. They are an inspiration to think further. One thing is certain: anything that is not needed should be hidden away. Including entire faucets and cabinet bodies.
Room-high and flush with the surface The HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50 is designed with these requirements in mind, be it for furniture or for integrated doors. Wood or TSG glass doors weighing up to 50 kg open on a pivot up to an angle of 90 degrees and then slide easily into a recess, all in one movement
thanks to the new pivot and slide system. Sophisticated scissor technology prevents the pivoting and sliding door from jamming. The hardware supports furniture fronts and partitions made of wood (19 to 50 mm) and glass (8 mm). Doors can be up to 900 mm wide and up to 2,850 mm high; the HAWAConcepta 25/30/50 is therefore the ideal hardware for room-high cabinets. A door with a thickness of up to 30 mm still only needs a lateral recess of just 55 mm in width.
Extremely easy to install The developers of the HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50 made sure the installation process was kept as simple as possible. All components are screwed onto the intermediate side.
Settings are made and adjusted from the front, whilst the concealed hinges were developed with an eye on good functionality for heavy doors and a broad range of setting options.
Glass: one solution with four design variants Craftsmen and interior designers can offer their customers four design variants: the form-fitting, flush-mounting glass patch suspension and three variants with vertical profiles. The band width of dimensions, weights and material thicknesses is generous: the HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50 for wood was launched only recently, whilst the all-glass solution is expected in November. The ability to hide large objects will no doubt lead to certain questions: «Darling, have you seen the kitchen anywhere?»
Intelligent scissor technology guarantees trouble-free functionality that prevents even large cabinet fronts and room-high doors from jamming during pivoting and sliding movements. 28 slide No. 3
Pivot and slide: the sliding hardware system HAWA-Concepta 25/30/50 makes the unnecessary disappear. Be it in the kitchen, bathroom, living-room or office. slide No. 3  29
Know-how
Product News
www.hawa.ch
HAWA-Dorado 40/MF
RoHS standard
Awards for HAWA-Puro 100 –150
To find, not to search
Tracks available as single units
Good for the environment
International awards
Visitors to the Hawa website benefit from three highlights: the HAWA-Productfinder, the HAWA-Systemplanner and the extensive news section. The HAWA-Productfinder contains everything to do with hardware systems for sliding doors and partition walls, solutions for furniture and sliding shutters made of wood, glass or metal. A clearly presented menu guides the user click by click to product descriptions, planning and installation instructions, photos, application examples, references, etc.
Until now the twin tracks and twin guide channels for the robust HAWA-Dorado 40/MF hardware for sliding cabinet doors with thicknesses of 19, 22 and 25 mm and weighing up to 40 kg were available individually or as a set.
Products and production methods that are good for the environment and your health are the subject of increasing interest. The EU standard RoHS that limits the use of hazardous substances came into force in 2003. Although it is aimed primarily at the electronics and electrical industry, Hawa AG has nonetheless voluntarily opted to fulfil the standard’s requirements.
The sliding hardware system HAWA-Puro 100 –150 is pocketing one award after the other: Häfele America Co. received an award for «professional design excellence» from the Society of American Registered Architects/ New York Council in 2008.
The HAWA-Systemplanner lets the customer compile the right sliding solution for his current project online from the product range. His installation is then assembled – animated and in 3-D – in the virtual showroom. Product documentation, material lists, CAD drawings, assembly instructions, etc., are all available for downloading.
30 slide No.
The set was removed from the program during recent adjustments to the product range. The change concerns the tracks measuring 2,000 and 2,500 mm in length. The two tracks from the set can still be ordered as individual products: the plain anodised and drilled dual aluminium top track is available in lengths of 2,500 mm, 3,500 mm, 6,000 mm and in customised lengths. The dual guide channel is available in the same design and lengths.
This is why products that do not meet RoHS requirements have not been ordered, manufactured or placed into storage since 2007. This means that all Hawa products do without the following substances: hexavalent chromium, cadmium and cadmium compounds, and polybrominated biphenyls. The yellow galvanised two-way suspension unit for the HAWA-Junior 80/Z (left in the picture), for instance, is now blue galvanised and therefore RoHS compliant.
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) in Chicago presented a Calibre Award 2009 to Warren Wixen Real Estate in Los Angeles, whose glass partition office walls were implemented with the HAWA-Puro 100 –150. The puristic Hawa sliding hardware system received its most recent award at the interzum in Cologne, Germany, in May 2009, where an international jury presented it with the interzum award for «high product quality».
Agenda
Personal
Batimat 09 World’s largest trade show for all sectors of the construction industry with a comprehensive spectrum of topics. www.batimat.com
2. – 7.11.09 Hawa
Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles France Hall 7.1, Stand C8
Prowood 09 Third national Belgian trade show for the wood processing industry. www.prowood-fair.be
10. – 14.11.09 Hawa
Flanders Expo, Gent Belgium Hall 4, Stand 4403
Andreas Deimböck Swissbau 10 Switzerland’s most important trade show for the construction and real estate sector is held every two years and covers the topics Concept & Planning, Outer Shell & Building Envelope, Technology & Construction Site, Interior Finishes. www.swissbau.ch
12. – 16.1.10 Hawa
Messe Basel Switzerland Hall 1.1, Stand C23
34-year-old Andreas Deimböck of Vienna adopted responsibility for projects in the Austrian market in November 2008. His main focus is on nurturing relations with architects and investors. «Hawa is a company with a future», says the father of a three-year-old daughter.
Legal notice Fabrice Tallone
Magazine for Architecture, Design, Retail, Trade
SLIDE, No. 3, September 2009, is published twice per year Published by/copyright Hawa AG Sliding Hardware Systems, CH-8932 Mettmenstetten, slide@hawa.ch, subject to modification Project responsibility Rolf Arnold, Anke Deutschenbaur, Doris Hug Concept/Editing/ Design Basel West, CH-4012 Basel; Editors: Willi Näf, Markus Siegenthaler, Claudio Zemp; Design: Thomas Aerni, Tamara Wittmer Lithography Burki & Scherer AG, CH-4665 Oftringen Printed by ea Druck + Verlag AG, CH-8840 Einsiedeln Languages/Circulation German 5,500, French 2,000, English 2,500 Picture credits Page 1: Image Source/Corbis; Page 2, 11, 16, 17: Frédéric Giger; Page 3, 20, 21: Michael Schmidt Photo graphy; Page 3 – 5: Rhätische Bahn, Andrea Badrutt, Tibert Keller, Peter Donatsch; Page 6/7: Schweizerische Rettungsflugwacht Rega; Page 8/9: istockphoto, Seb Chandler; Page 12: Eternit (Schweiz) AG; Page 13: Forster Rohner AG; Page 14: SIGG Switzerland AG; Page 15: Max Felchlin AG; Page 14, 30: Marc Eggimann; Page 18/19: brida moser architekten; Page 19: Seyr Glasbau GmbH; Page 22/23: Aldar Properties PJSC; Page 24, 26, 27: weber hinrichs design; Page 27: process design Article No. 22044
AWARD WINNER
«I want architects and designers to first think of the quality and know-how of Hawa AG when it comes to sliding hardware», says Fabrice Tallone. The former kitchen specialist has advised architects in France on using sliding solutions made by Hawa AG in designs for living spaces since February 2009.
slide No. 31
Hawa sliding hardware: open for more discretion.
The best hardware solutions are those you cannot see. That is why, from its conception to final construction, Hawa sliding hardware is designed to bring the aesthetic appeal of materials such as glass or wood fully to bear. And to fulfil its tasks with both visual and auditory discretion. One of many reasons they are meanwhile to be found around the world. Even though you may not even realise they are there. Hawa AG, CH-8932 Mettmenstetten, Switzerland, Tel. +41 44 767 91 91, Fax +41 44 767 91 78, www.hawa.ch