alfredo häberli layers perspectives in precision & poetry for BMW

alfredo häberli’s spheres layer perspectives in precision & poetry for BMW
all images courtesy of alfredo häberli / BMW

each year, BMW design partners up with an international creative to deliver a thematic installation on the occasion of milan design week. with past collaborators including the bouroullec brothers, paul cocksedge and patricia urquiola, the collaborative venture for 2015 sees the automotive company’s design team, led by karim habib and martina starke — under the direction of adrian van hooydonk — working with alfredo häberli, who has developed a multi-layered work that interprets BMW design leitmotif ‘precision & poetry’.

the zürich-based designer’s concept is derived from his personal recollections and experiences with cars, in which he elevates the theme of mobility to an associative plane. alfredo häberli investigated BMW group’s development laboratories and model workshops, and guided by his affinity to materials conceived ‘spheres. perspectives in precision & poetry for BMW’. against a background of highly automated control, häberli imbues new meaning to the subject of mobility, rendering it as something tangible within a spatial, concrete dimension in the form of an automotive-cum-sofa-cum-dwelling — envisioning a future way of living and moving.

an abstracted object meant to represent häberli’s future vision of mobility stands at the centre of the work

an abstracted, sculptural object which takes its formal cues from notions of lightness, streamlined and forward motion, will stand at the centre of this realm. through the installation, häberli seeks to address pivotal values regarding the future of automative design and how we could live, citing that ‘technically everything is feasible, the luxury of movement focuses on the core statement, mobility becomes carefree and communicative.’

‘the installation is a three-dimensional discourse on the theme ‘precision & poetry’ – combined with my poetic response to the theme of luxury,’ says alfredo häberli of his work.

‘alfredo häberli approaches our design philosophy with an ingenious passion and conceptual clout. I always enjoy philosophising with alfredo on design and mobility, and I’m delighted to see these ideas now taking shape in an installation as well,’ says adrian van hooydonk of BMW design.

the ‘vessel’ takes its abstracted form from a vehicle which could also function as a living space

the installation has taken häberli more than half a year to develop. over the course of this time, he drafted numerous sketches and models, all of which project the themes of mobility and luxury into the future by means of an intense analytical investigation. liberated from technical constraints and abandoning the material realm, ‘spheres. perspectives in precision & poetry for BMW’ sees alfredo häberli delivering a new comprehension of mobility, and how the car could also offer a place to live and work, that one will be able to experience at milan design week 2015 (via amatore sciesa, 3) in a unique way.

technical drawing that visualizes häberli’s vision of a car morphed into a vessel of the future

lightweight frame of the ‘vessel’ outlines the form of a car, sofa and dwelling melded into one single entitle

‘alfredo häberli approaches our design philosophy with an ingenious passion and conceptual clout. I always enjoy philosophising with alfredo on design and mobility, and I’m delighted to see these ideas now taking shape in an installation as well,’ says adrian van hooydonk.

structural framework

häberli’s concept addresses different aspects of the automobile and re-envisions it for the future

an abstracted form pulls its shape from a car

concept sketches indicating how häberli interpreted the theme of ‘motion’

‘vessel’ concept sketches by alfredo häberli

cross-section concept sketch indicating the elements of the vessel

‘the skin of poetry’

the installation will project häberli’s future vision of a car which also functions as a living and workspace

BMW spheres sees the future car transforming into a lounge seating area

couch concept sketch

concept sketches

alfredo häberli’s abstracted line drawings realized into concrete forms…

‘fragments of a story’ – individual elements of the installation

concept drawing of ‘spheres. perspectives in precision & poetry for BMW’

 
alfredo häberli discusses the tangible concepts he has envisioned addressing ‘motion’ with martina starke 

alfredo häberli going over ideas with karim habib

alfredo häberli showing a prototype model of the ‘vessel’ to karim habib and martina starke

from left to right: alfredo häberli with martina starke and karim habib of BMW design group

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