Continental wins design awards

Continental wins design awards

Continental has won three renowned design awards. With both the AMBIENC3 concept vehicle and the small ContiHome show house, the technology company's surface specialists impressed the 132-member expert jury of the iF Design Awards 2022 and won two awards from the design label. The iF jury evaluated more than 11,000 entries from 57 countries. But that's not all: the ContiHome also won the coveted Red Dot Product Design Award.

 “Our two concepts were extremely well received at the presentation events last year,” says Ralf Imbery, Head of Innovation Transformation and Design at Continental. "The fact that we are now being recognized by international design experts once again underlines that we are on the right track with our future solutions. We have not only further developed trends, we are setting them." Imbery is particularly pleased that these awards primarily honor design. "For us as an automotive supplier and industrial partner, the topics of functionality, robustness and sustainability are often the focus, and this also applies to our two projects. But especially with the AMBIENC3 and the ContiHome, atmosphere and comfort play a decisive role. The design is of course crucial."

The AMBIENC3 concept vehicle was created on the basis of an old VW T2 microbus and combines the emotional retro charm of an automotive icon with answers to the mobility needs of the future. The interior follows the concept of the third room, in which the driver and living area as well as the office merge together. Design, functionality, sustainability and customer orientation support multiple uses. The idea behind it: “With the AMBIENC3 we always had a holistic design concept in mind: with a clear layout, homogeneous styling, a color code to make you feel good and complementary mood concepts consisting of light and sound,” says Imbery.

Furniture, floors, walls, windows, facades and terraces - with ContiHome, the technology group headquartered in Hanover covered and furnished an entire house exclusively with its surface materials. The focus is on sustainable design in terms of look and feel, functionality, aesthetics and comfort. The tiny house is basically mobile and can be taken from A to B with a truck. The idea behind it: Inspired by global trends such as micro housing and minimalism, Continental has addressed the future theme of “living in a small space” and opted for a modern, dynamic, striking and linear approach to the external shape. “‘Less is more’ is key in the design language, especially in the polygonal shapes inside and out,” explains Imbery. Industrial style and nature were also sources of inspiration. "As a supplier to the construction and furniture industry, we want to encourage our customers to think outside the box, because 'small and multifunctional rooms' are a future topic for the living and living sectors."

The 48 international members of the Red Dot jury saw it similarly: The award for the best product design went to the ContiHome. Reason: “The ContiHome impresses with its exposed structure and open design, which, combined with the use of natural-looking materials, looks very inviting.” The organizers counted around 22,000 submissions from designers, design offices and manufacturers from around 60 countries. According to the Red Dot jury, award winners must set new standards in the design industry - and this is exactly what Continental did. Their surface specialists are already old acquaintances at the Red Dot awards: The upholstery materials skai Toronto EN with staynu technology and skai Vyp Lana with laif technology won in 2021, the furniture surface skai colore classico ULTRA in 2020, and the exterior surface skai Jet Black in 2018.