Interview with geobra Brandstätter design team

A few short years after the market launch of Playmobil in 1974, geobra Brandstätter became the top-selling toy manufacturer in Germany, and has since been the industry leader. The company’s second mainstay are Lechuza planters. They are produced and varnished at the company’s German manufacturing base. The jurors of this year’s “red dot award: product design” were all agreed: the Lechuza-Delta system ranks among the best products in the entire competition, and thus they awarded it a “red dot: best of the best”.

What inspired the Lechuza-Delta system?
The challenge to create a novel, attractive form for the planters of the system – a form that would be tailor-made for the plastic injection moulding process we use.

What makes the system so distinctive?
The exclusive form demands to be experienced; it changes form when looked at from a distance. A photo cannot possibly capture the spatial beauty of this planter.

What material is the planter made from and what role did ecological considerations play in its production?
All Lechuza planters are manufactured exclusively at German facilities owned by the Playmobil manufacturer, geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co. KG company. The Delta is made in a 2K process from high-impact-resistant polypropylene (PP). PP is one of the most ecologically friendly plastics; it consists only of carbon and hydrogen and is recyclable. All production waste generated during the manufacturing process is recycled. The planters feature an ecologically sound water-based finish.

What design philosophy lies behind your products?
Each Lechuza product has to possess a distinctive character.

How do you see the significance of design in an era of a
globalised economy?
It is crucial for survival.