Interview with Dirk Schumann

Since 1992 Dirk Schumann has owned and operated his own industrial design studio, called the “Büro für industrielle Formentwicklung”. This studio is devoted to the conception, design and development of products for industrial enterprises in the field of consumer and investment goods. Among his clients are renowned companies such as Stiebel Eltron, British Petroleum (BP), VW, Solar World, and Nordwind. The wind power system he designed for Nordwind, which employs a totally new kind of energy transfer technology in an outstanding design, was received with great enthusiasm by this year’s red dot jury, which awarded it a “red dot: best of the best”.

Which innovations form the basis for this wind power system?
The major innovation of the Nordwind company’s new wind power system can be seen in a totally new kind of energy transfer technology. Power transmission to the generator units is no longer accomplished via mechanical gears, as is the general convention, but via a hydrostatic pump system which simultaneously supplies other operational components, such as the rotary drives (azimuths) and other systems. This means that a great number of wear parts as well as internal energy consumers are no longer necessary, which reduces maintenance costs and represents a conservation of resources. Besides simplifying the handling of the technology, there’s also a reduction in operating noise. The level of efficiency is also increased. Investment costs are considerably less than with comparable systems, partly due to the two-bladed rotor design, which also promotes the application of concepts for regenerative energy production. The system’s technical design makes it more compact as well, which reduces its presence in the landscape.

In a field where technology takes such high precedence, how much room is left for design?
A whole lot, actually. I don’t conceive of technical demands as a limitation, but in many cases rather as a challenge. Depending on the project and its complexity, finding a good formal solution can represent a really time-consuming design process. In other cases, though, the constellation of technical components can support a design, or modification of this constellation yield some good solutions, taking into consideration all functionality aspects. But I also don’t see technology as an element which must be incorporated into the design out of pure necessity, but rather as an integral component of an industrial product which also encompasses a certain technical aesthetic. In certain respects, new technologies also open up completely new possibilities for design.

Which design aspects were particularly important for you during development of the system?
The innovative, technological aspects are outwardly expressed by the design vocabulary, while integration into the visible landscape is influenced in a positive way by the design concept. In contrast to the otherwise very pragmatic and constructive impressions given by such systems, the focus for this design was placed on achieving a rather sculptural and emotional effect, whereby characteristics could be discovered which convey a uniform appearance for all variants of the products, which can differ in both size and capacity – and to lend the company an independent image which sets it apart from the others. The flowing shapes in the body of the system are highly expressive and full of character in their curvature, while arrangement of the individual segments endows them with clear structure and distinguish ability. The system’s atmospheric colour scheme connects with the hues of the sky, thus resulting in a slight melding of both levels of perception. This influences the system’s optical impact within the visible landscape.

How do you approach a new project?
Initially by determining all the important aspects which are relevant to the development partner (i.e. marketing, market situation, construction). This is followed by the incorporation of such information into a database which is active in the background and constantly being updated, and finally the concentration on the purely formal appearance, the gestures and character of the design. Then comes the evaluation and comparison of the drafts with those aspects which are relevant for the client.

Which dream project would you like to realise some day?
Projects from the maritime and aviation field.