Thilo
Alex Brunner

Enseignements

Diploma 2017

PRODUCT DESIGN

Diploma 2017

with Thilo Alex Brunner, Augustin Scott de Martinville

Diploma projects 2017.

PUMP – The Punkt. Urban Mobility Project

PRODUCT DESIGN

PUMP – The Punkt. Urban Mobility Project

The Swiss technology company Punkt. invites three leading schools (Design Academy Eindhoven, ECAL, Royal College of Art) to design an e-bike, which expresses the brand’s philosophy of “taming technology”. ECAL Master Product Design students present e-CAL 1020, a plug-and-play electrical engine, which transforms your personal bicycle into an e-bike. The Punkt. Urban Mobility Project  is an educational collaboration between Punkt. and three leading design schools: ECAL (Lausanne), RCA (London) and Design Academy (Eindhoven). The brief: create a personal transportation product that innovates in both style and function, specific to the needs and opportunities found in the cities where the students are studying. Travelling in Lausanne means short distances but steep hills. This retro-fit motor harvests downhill braking energy that would otherwise be wasted as heat, and stores it ready to send back to the wheel the moment it is needed. Under the guidance of Thilo Alex Brunner, Head of the programme, ECAL Master Product Design students created e-CAL 1020, a plug and play electrical engine which transforms your bicycle into an e-bike. It is solely recharged by human effort using a generator similar to KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), a technology used in Formula 1.

Diploma 2016

PRODUCT DESIGN

Diploma 2016

with Thilo Alex Brunner, Augustin Scott de Martinville

Diploma projects 2016.

Diploma 2015

PRODUCT DESIGN

Diploma 2015

with Thilo Alex Brunner, Augustin Scott de Martinville

Diploma projects of 2015.

Appartement 50 Cité Radieuse

PRODUCT DESIGN

Appartement 50 Cité Radieuse

with Thilo Alex Brunner, Augustin Scott de Martinville

Apartment 50 was restored by two enthusiasts, Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart, as close as possible to its original condition. Listed as a historical monument, the venue occasionally hosts exhibition projects. World-renowned designers have already exhibited there, such as Jasper Morrison, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic and Pierre Charpin. Thus, under the direction of Thilo Alex Brunner, head  of the Master Product Design at ECAL, and of ECAL professor Augustin Scott de Martinville, a series of objects was produced over one semester by the Product Design Master students. The project began in September 2014 with a three-day workshop in the Cité Radieuse, allowing students to experience life in the building. Based on their various observations, they created objects to “inhabit” Apartment 50, focusing particularly on the following features: The specific climate of the apartments: the fan creates an air flow on the mezzanine and the cushions are designed to fit both on the living room’s indoor parapets and on the loggias’ tables. The flexibility of interior spaces: the large rotating lamp serves to light either the dining room or the living room in turn, while the small model can be used either on a desk or a bedside table. Tours of Apartment 50 which take place regularly: the carpet, crafted with the support of the Ruckstuhl AG manufacture in Langenthal, displays a map showing how the Cité Radieuse blended in with its environment at the time of construction, while the “unit” metre provides a simple tool to explain the Modulor system. Life in the communal areas, especially the roof terrace which serves as a meeting place: the chair and folding table are designed to facilitate migration from the living room of the apartment, while the  picnic box allows to comfortably carry everything you for an aperitif. In addition to the projects around the above-mentioned specificities, half a dozen other objects can be discovered on the spot or in the related publication. In March 2015, the students of the ECAL Master Art Direction were invited to attend a four-day workshop to experience and document everyday life in the building with a view to editing a publication. Through the architectural spectrum across 52 pages, this editorial project includes portraits of residents or fictional characters inspired by the Modulor system, as well as still lifes and original typefaces echoing the building’s proportions.

Collaboration with Baccarat 2014

DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Collaboration with Baccarat 2014

with Thilo Alex Brunner

Following the collaboration initiated in 2011 around the iconic Harcourt glass and then in 2012 Baccarat and ECAL are continuing their common reflection in 2013. The students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship are all working on the same global project, create a crystal carafe.

Collaboration with Christofle 2013

DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Collaboration with Christofle 2013

with Thilo Alex Brunner

For this collaboration with Christofle the students of the Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship had the opportunity to work on the notion of "bi-material" in order to introduce a new secondary material to the Christofle silver.

Collaboration with Audemars Piguet 2012

DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Collaboration with Audemars Piguet 2012

with Thilo Alex Brunner

For this workshop with the Swiss designer Thilo Brunner, Audemars Piguet asked the students to design small objects that could be offered to the brand's customers. Many projects were developed and prototyped in order to present a large selection of ideas. From the bird call found in the Vallée de Joux, through a topographical representation of the same region, to a glossary of the parts that make up a watch, all the projects draw their references from the universe of the Haute Horlogerie brand.

Research

Aesthetics of Sustainability

Aesthetics of Sustainability

with Camille Blin, Augustin Scott de Martinville, Maxime Guyon, Nicolas Polli Margherita Banchi, Thilo Alex Brunner, Christophe Guberan, Carolien Niebling

Aesthetics of Sustainability aims to explore and define the aesthetics of a new generation of sustainable materials.

Projects

Collaboration with Audemars Piguet 2009

DESIGN FOR LUXURY & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Collaboration with Audemars Piguet 2009

with Xavier Perrenoud

Creation of transformable jewels for Audemars Piguet allowing to highlight hidden parts and thus change their aesthetics. The watch brand Audemars Piguet wanted to create a series of jewels inspired by their oval watches from the "Millenary" line. The aim was to design a collection of discreet jewellery - which could be easily worn during the day - and which could be transformed into more luxurious pieces for special evening events.