Picasso, Giacometti, ECAL. Some projects sometimes give rise to what may first seem to be unlikely associations. In this case, it turned out for the best. The Musée national Picasso-Paris challenged ECAL to create new seats, at once practical and discreet and yet with distinctive character, for the exhibition areas. We rose to the challenge.
In order to best respond to the visitors’ needs, ECAL commissioned a group of nine students and graduates to carry out a study on the seats of fifty museums or so in Europe (Germany, England, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland). Inspired by this survey, 2nd year Bachelor Industrial Design students worked with materials of their choice under the guidance of designer and professor Chris Kabel. Isabelle Baudraz’s ‘Tie’ bench was selected from the projects put forward before being assessed in situ to make sure it blended with the architecture of the museum and the works of the Spanish genius. The benches were finally produced by the outdoor furniture company Tectona.
All the project participants worked in a concerted manner and the project was a great success. Picasso and Giacometti can definitely sit easy.
Photographs by ECAL/Calypso Mahieu and Matthieu Gafsou
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BA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
with Philippe Malouin
In collaboration with the renowned cutlery brand, students from the Bachelor in Industrial Design drew inspiration from the iconic Swiss Army Knife to create original and innovative concepts.
BA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
by Damien Barman
Modular Parking Terrace. Designed for restaurants that temporarily occupy parking spaces during the summer, this modular terrace offers a standardized alternative to custom-built installations. It is a reusable solution that can be adapted to different locations and expanded when needed. The terrace is composed of half-parking-space modules that connect together to fit a variable number of parking spaces. It features a fabric roof that unfolds accordion-style along rails using a rope system, allowing it to be opened or closed from the end of the terrace without disturbing users. Fully demountable for easy winter storage, the structure is made of galvanized steel, while the flooring is constructed from maritime pine panels.
BA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
by Laura Cipriano
Roll3 is a universally adjustable pair of 3D glasses that explores a new way of inhabiting vision. Flexible, rollable, and made from a single material, it adapts to different face shapes as well as to the wearing of prescription glasses. It replaces traditional temples with a support system based on gentle pressure at the temples, allowing for quick and intuitive placement, either directly on the face or over other glasses. Made from PET, it simplifies manufacturing and facilitates recycling at the end of its life cycle. In a context where around 640,000 pairs of 3D glasses were used in Switzerland in 2025 and 81% of the population wears some form of visual aid, Roll3 questions the sustainability of these ephemeral objects and their potential for transformation.
BA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
by Benjamin Claus
UKS (Urban Keep Safe) is an urban storage system designed for municipalities and event organisers. Conceived for temporary deployments, festivals, marathons or seasonal installations, it offers a simple infrastructure for users to secure their personal belongings. The flexible bags rely on a stainless steel mesh combined with water-resistant fabric to offer a lighter and more compact solution to traditional lockers, while remaining weather-resistant and theft-deterrent. UKS fits on a standard pallet when disassembled, ready to be stored away and redeployed the following next big event.
BA INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
by Mélissa Da Silva Nicolet
There is someone who lives alone and wants to be a bird. We don't know why they stopped going out. We don't know why they decided to become a bird. It happened gradually. The apartment transforms in silence, in a quiet and luminous strangeness. From this script, three objects were designed, each tied to a scene from this character's daily life: a perch, a bathing object, and a sleep wrap. Each one answers a human need, translated through the logic of a bird's life. The project takes the form of a set built around these objects, an atmosphere, a fragment of the life of someone who chose, in their own way, to live differently.