Signals & Stats

Dutch Design Week 2015: Volvo's Challenge

Eindhoven – Emerging designer Lilian van Daal’s 3D-printed soft seat was announced as the winner of Volvo’s Design Challenge 2015.

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Shapes of Sweden beat competition from a responsive interiors concept and a striking new wheel design

Lilian van Daal for the Volvo Design Challenge at Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven. Photography by Lisa Klappe

Jólan van der Wiel for the Volvo Design Challenge at Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven. Photography by Lisa Klappe

Borre Akkersdijk for the Volvo Design Challenge at Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven. Photography by Lisa Klappe

Bob Schiller for the Volvo Design Challenge at Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven. Photography by Lisa Klappe

After a rigorous judging process, presided over by Dutch design duo Van Eijk and Van der Lubbe, Lilian van Daal’s 3D-printed soft seat was chosen as the winner, which uses biomimicry and 3D printing to create one solid piece made from sustainable and recyclable material and finished with pine wood.

‘The choice was not easy,’ explains Van Eijk. ‘Lilian van Daal’s concept speaks of the future, but also has a clear connection to the brand. The work is innovative, aesthetically pleasing and offers good prospects for the industry.’

Van Daal beat strong competition for the £7,335 ($11,355, €10,000) grant from designers Borre Akkersdijk, whose concept Surface for Service imagined how interactive materials could make the interior more responsive; Bob Schiller’s Volvo Black Box, a tough carbon fibre rechargeable briefcase; and Jólan van der Wiel’s stunning wheel design, which explores the influence of aerodynamics and gravity on the performance of the vehicle.