Master Product Design students from ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne have created, in collaboration with Swiss brand On Running, shoe soles of the future.
Under the guidance of Christophe Guberan, guest designer of MA Product Design and support of Thilo Alex Brunner, head of design at On, students explored within the context of the year 2040, concept shoe soles.
The outcomes range from exploring the use of new materials and processes, to reinterpreting and re-contextualising common place aspects of todays world, all with a focus on future performance.
A select number of the designs were developed into elaborate prototypes and exhibited at On’s new headquarters in Zurich in collaboration with works from other ECAL MA’s photography and Type Design.
Studio project (2022) by Tsubasa Koshide, Stefan Troendle, Clemens Neureiter, Paul Rees, Lukas Lüttgen, Antoine Jacquat, Manuel Steffan
By Paul Rees: HOW TO CREATE THE SENSATION OF EFFORTLESS FLOATING DURING THE RUN?
Inspired by the feeling of jumping on a trampoline, this shoe sole is composed of two elements: a customisable elastic web and a hollow EVA sole. This new construction offers a new running dynamic.
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By Clemens Neureiter : REIMAGINING THE CARBON-PLATE FOR RUNNING SHOES
Pushing the expression of a shoe sole to its limits, this carbon fibre rod sole plays with the elasticity and the resistance of this highly technical material to create a good cushioning and to minimise both material usage and weight.
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By Tsubasa Koshide: HOW TO CREATE A SHOE SOLE WITH A CUSTOMISABLE BALANCE?
Thanks to new multi-material 3D printing techniques, this shoe sole concept offers the possibility to customise material densities across the entire component. Each Shoe can therefore be precisely adapted to each runner.
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By Stefan Troendle: HOW TO MAKE A WOVEN SHOE SOLE ?
Playing with new possibilities of 3D weaving, this shoe sole concept could be produced in one part allowing for both customisable cushioning and efficient production.
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By Antoine Jacquat: HOW TO PRODUCE SOLES WITHOUT MOULDS?
3D printing technologies are offering various new possibilities to the footwear industry; however, processes are often limited by slow production cycles. Instead, this concept uses a heat inflating 3D printed foam to allow for post-printing expansion, making production more efficient and feasible whilst benefiting from the free design constraint possibilities of 3D printing.
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By Lukas Lüttgen: HOW TO CREATE AN ADAPTIVE SOLE?
Composed of recycled TPU, this concept shoe sole is designed to bio-mimic the fin-ray effect whilst being produced by traditional extrusion process.
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By Manuel Steffan: WHAT COULD BE THE LIGHTEST, YET HIGH PERFORMING RUNNING SOLE?
This shoe sole concept utilises a 3D printed thread structure to both reduce the quantity of material required and allow for customisable sizing and compression density.
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MA PRODUCT DESIGN
with Christophe Guberan
‘Stool Story’ invited students to explore innovative, re-contextualised, or intriguing materials and production techniques to create a simple yet fundamentally structural typology: the stool. Each process was documented through a short, vertically formatted video. The result is a range of stools, each demonstrating a unique perspective and approach.
MA PRODUCT DESIGN
with Philippe Malouin
SolarPunk is a design exploration into how increasingly accessible solar energy might shape and integrate into our everyday lives in the near future. Embracing a hopeful vision of sustainability, the movement challenges traditional perceptions of renewable energy by imagining creative, aesthetic, and functional uses of solar power. This collection of work was created by first-year Master’s students in Product Design at ECAL, under the guidance of designer Philippe Malouin. Developed specifically for the Soleil·s exhibition at the MUDAC design museum in Lausanne, the projects reflect bold experimentation and speculative thinking. Rather than focusing solely on efficiency or utility, the students explored poetic, playful, and sometimes unconventional applications of solar energy, highlighting the emotional and experiential potential of this technology. Among the featured works are two standout projects which have been developed and feature in the exhibition: ‘Solar Shade' by Carl Johan Jacobsen, a wearable hat that powers a cooling vest using flexible solar panels, and ‘Butterfly Sunglasses’ by Takumi Ise, simple lightweight eyewear that combines colour, movement, and solar functionality.
MA PRODUCT DESIGN
with Augustin Scott de Martinville
Designed in CH, Made in JP is a collaborative project between ECAL Master Product Design, Karimoku New Standard, and Presence Switzerland. From 13 April to 13 October 2025, representatives from countries across the globe will gather to showcase innovation, culture, and sustainability at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. For Switzerland’s pavilion, MA Product Design students at ECAL were tasked with designing a stackable wooden chair to be produced in Japan by Karimoku New Standard, intended to furnish the lightweight, bubble-inspired architecture by Manuel Herz. Under the guidance of Augustin Scott de Martinville, the class developed ten chair designs, each offering a distinct perspective. Some draw inspiration from the pavilion’s scenography, while others explore cultural iconography or celebrate the symbiosis between two nations—each unique in heritage yet united by shared values of craftsmanship and innovation. Of the ten designs, one was selected to be produced for the pavilion: HUG, designed by Jacob Kouthoofd Martensson and Min Xiyao, is a circular chair that stacks inversely—a feature that not only informs its name but also visually embodies the essence of collaboration. This versatile design accommodates a range of uses, from conferences to general pavilion seating. The final chair will be unveiled both in Osaka in the Swiss Pavilion at the World Expo 2025, and during Milan Design Week 2025, with the full project exhibited at the House of Switzerland.
MA PRODUCT DESIGN
with Augustin Scott de Martinville
Heat pumps are energy-efficient household climate systems essential for transitioning to renewable energy and combating climate change. Typically installed outside close-by to buildings, they are becoming common visual elements in urban landscapes, often resembling air conditioners with limited design variety across brands. To reimagine these essential typologies, Viessmann, a world leading Heat Pump producer, invited MA Product Design students from ECAL to develop innovative concepts, resulting in designs that challenge norms and explore new visual identities of heat pumps.
MA PRODUCT DESIGN
with Thélonious Goupil
During this one-week workshop led by Thélonious Goupil, edits were made to a ‘drop false ceiling’ in Bar Gala Lausanne. By hacking the system, playing with existing elements such as lighting or ventilators, the outdate ceiling was given new life without the need for full renovation.