German Design Council China: German Design Council

German Design Council China

The German Design Council further expanded its strong international network in 2019 by starting a subsidiary in Shanghai. The establishment of a network of members in China is a logical extension of the German Design Council’s activities, which have always been focused on international exchange and support.

The members in China gain competitive advantages through mutual exchange on an equal footing and through the knowledge transfer associated with that. Simultaneously, we help our German foundation members achieve more visibility in China, we present them as German brands and we support them in the Chinese market.

Shanghai address:
German Design Council (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
Shanghai International Trade Center, Room 1106
No. 2201, West Yan'an Road, Changning District
200336 Shanghai, P. R. China
info[at]german-design-council.cn

Go to chinese website

Contact person: Lei Wang
lei.wang[at]gdc.de

Lutz Dietzold, CEO German Design Council and Lei Wang, Chief Representative China

German Design Council booth at the Shenzhen Creative Week on 17–21 March 2021

Iconic Conference organized by the German Design Council

RAL COLOURS released its RAL colour trend 2021 »RETHINK + CREATE«, the renaissance of thinking, sensuality and creativity. In a speech about the trend report <link https: www.ral-farben.de en colour-feeling _blank external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>RAL COLOUR FEELING 2021+, business development manager of RAL Colours Asia Ms. Yang explained the theoretical method behind RETHINK+CREATE and how it offers a valuable tool for designers to work with their surroundings, architecture, or a product, in their own brand language.
RAL colour trend 2021 »RETHINK + CREATE« © RAL/IIT

»How to interpret today's thoughtful luxury«

Mr. Du Yun, director and chief architect of <link http: www.blvd.com.cn en>BLVD, examined the design language of different hotel brands from Marriott, Hilton, IHG and Hyatt, as to how to interpret thoughtful luxury in a creative way

Mr. Qiu Huikang, the founder and executive director of CUBE DESIGN, described the creation of a unique space experience based on the combination of cultural characteristics and nature.

In the context of the urbanization of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Mr. Tang Mengchan, the creative director of Tanghua Architects, talked about the Shenzhen Kengzi Cultural Technology Center project.

Mr. Zhou Zheng, the head of the Duscholux Group's China business and the chief creative officer of Bathman China, spoke about the design of many industry pioneers in the past as well as the present life of the German shower »born« in 1966.

Mr. Li Bo, the founder and chief designer of CIMAX Shenzhen redefines smart homes: »Go to smart, do not deliberately use smart as a gimmick, but from the original intention of user experience, integrate smart technology low-key into home and product design. Stay smart to explore a new expression of smart living and smart life. Design can change lives and the world. «

With the continuous development of the city, space has »low resonance«, without emotional intercommunication, »low sensitivity« and lack of memory points. Mr. Qiu Ge, the co-founder and project director of GND Landscape, explores the topic in his practices, starting from the environment itself, combining the characteristics of the site, forming spiritual touch points, realizing systemic features in commercial public spaces, solving social interactions, and releasing contemporary urban human settlements problem.

Mr. Cai Ming, the founder and design director of NOONTIDE DESIGN, uses the 1788 high-end Anhui cuisine fusion restaurant project located in Shanghai Lujiazui to interpret the future trend of dining space design: not to pay too much attention to those floating On top of the »decoration« on the surface, it starts from the core culture of the brand itself, refines the core connotation of the brand, creates a space aesthetic symbol that integrates with the brand culture, and continues to celebrate.

Mr. Claas Wellhausen introduced Studio F. A. Porsche

Mr. Fude Niu introduced Sunon: modern furniture for workplaces

Special Categories »INTERIOR DESIGNERS OF THE YEAR of the Year«.

Design Shanghai 2020

»New Product, New Trend« and »Discover the Digitalisation and Sustainability in Architecture« forum of the German Design Council was successfully presented at design SHANGHAI 2020.

At the end of November, the German Design Council had a booth at the international trade event »design Shanghai 2020«, entitled »New Product, New Trend«. »design Shanghai« is one of Asia’s most important design events. This year, it was held in partnership with Audi, a member of the German Design Council. With this event, the Council offered a forum which enabled enriching dialogue between 14 well-known German brands, Chinese architects and interior designers. The speakers also included Consul Richard Cuntz from the economic sector of the Consulate General Shanghai, and Lei Wang, Chief Representative China at the German Design Council.
As a leading centre of expertise, the German Design Council supports companies around the world with its expertise in design, innovation and branding. It further expanded its strong international network in 2019 by establishing a subsidiary in China.

On 26 November, the German Design Council design forum “New Product, New Trend” and “discover the digitalization of sustainability in architecture” were successfully presented at design Shanghai 2020, one of the most important platforms for design in Asia. Richard Cuntz, Consul Economic Affairs, Head of Science & Technology Affairs of the German Consulate General Shanghai and Holly Lei, President of Covestro China delivered opening speeches. In addition, Dr. Christopher Stillings, head of the Polycarbonates Business Unit's colour, material and finish (CMF) design centres attended the forum. Principal architects from Palmer & Turner Group (P&T Group), Siemens Real Estate, RSAA/Büro Ziyu Zhuang, Lacime architects, GOA (group of architects), logon.design, and Vanke Wansheng Competence Center gave keynote speeches.

On 26 November the German Design Council successfully presented itself with the design forum »New Product, New Trend« and »Discover the Digitalization and Sustainability in Architecture« at <link http: https: www.designshanghai.com external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>design Shanghai 2020, one of the most important platforms for design in Asia.

Lei Wang introduced 67 years history of German Design Council and engagement in China. The German Design Council is becoming one of the world’s leading centres of expertise in communication and knowledge transfer in fields of design, brand and innovation and actively supports German enterprises to use design as corporate strategy both in Germany and in Asia, promotes exchanges between German and Asian designers. At its debut in this year’s design Shanghai, German Design Council showcases 14 Major German brands with a German partnership booth and organizes a design forum.

In his opening speech, Richard Cuntz, Consul Economic Affairs, Head of Science & Technology Affairs of the German Consulate General Shanghai, emphasized the importance of sustainability in the design strategies of companies. Architecture and construction are one of the key industries that consumes high level of energy. For China, as one of the leading construction markets in the world, carrying out sustainability in architecture design was of great significance for the global design community. Mr. Cuntz urged that sustainability in design and improved energy-efficiency using innovation power are highly relevant themes in China. Both German and Chinese architecture and real estate companies should join hands together.

In the »New Product, New Trend« session, Holly Lei, President of <link https: www.covestro.cn en company overview external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>Covestro China, introduced the CMF design solution by Covestro. With its colour, material and finish design and circular strategy, Covestro is dedicated to not only to reduce material waste physically, but also endeavours to make good use of its time and mental energy. Mrs. Lei anticipates that CMF and sustainability in design will bring Covestro to a rapid development in China.

Emily Shi, <link https: www.covestro.com en external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>Covestro Global Colour & Design (CMF), Business Unit Polycarbonates, Business Development Manager, Colour & Esthetics, presented the Covestro's CMF Design Trend 2021-2022 Electronics & Appliances, with four main trend topics and 12 trend colours and textures. Covestro not only provides customers with insights into future design trends, but also implements mass production of polycarbonate materials to provide customers with CMF solutions. Roy Cheung, Covestro Global Head of Sustainability Solutions, Polycarbonates BU, explained Covestro’s journey towards full circularity, including alternative raw material research, innovative recycling and joint collaborations with value chain partners. Covestro is also working on the emerging sustainability topics and has recently drafted a Circular Design Guidebook.

Sunny Qi, <link https: www.siematic.com en external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>SieMatic China Vice General Manager, introduced the latest trend kitchen cabinet, its new style and trend colours. As a well-known luxury cabinet manufacturer, SieMatic pursues its craftsmanship and perfection in material selection. In recent years, SieMatic Kitchen worked hard on sustainability.

Chun Fu, leitender Produktmanager von <link https: www.bosch-thermotechnology.com corporate de startseite.html external-link-new-window internal link in current>Bosch Thermotechnik, führte in die Gestaltung nachhaltiger Entwicklung im Hinblick auf hohe Energieeffizienz und Komfortheizsysteme ein.

In the forum session, seven principal architects shared their practice in digitalization and sustainability. Senior Associate Director Thomas S. Konczynski from <link https: web.p-t-group.com en external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>P&T Group presented projects on the topic of »define the past, design the future«, which revolves around a high-density building environment aiming to create an environment-friendly and pleasant working space in sustainable buildings.

Ziyu Zhuang, Principal Architect and the Partner of RSAA/Büro Ziyu Zhuang, discussed the topic »From Chinese Form to Chinese Narrative « with reference projects in the context of contemporary Chinese space design that are using the extension of new Chinese narrativity and typology. Based on the design principles of the »Chinese narrative«, the studio has deeply examined and adapted to the living habits, behaviour modes and cognitive characteristics of contemporary Chinese people. This way, these projects stand apart from traditional Chinese forms, focusing on telling the story of contemporary life and space in design.

Claus Dierksmeier, Head of Project Management, Asia & Australia from <link https: www.siemens-home.bsh-group.com external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>Siemens Ltd., China Shanghai Branch Real Estate Services Technology & Construction, explained the Siemens commitment to sustainability: the design space is optimized through data analysis and modelling up, while simultaneously a distributed energy system is designed and deployed to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions in line with Siemens’s corporate sustainability strategy 2030.

Frank Krüger, Creative Director and Partner from logon.design gave a keynote speech on the topic »Increase sustainable value through reasonable and excellent design.« The technology of digitalization has evolved as a key role in design, with various smart design being applied to real scenarios. Next, he hopes to build an intelligent and sustainable indoor system in an all-round way.

Zhou QING, vice general manager of GOA, introduced the OōEli in Hangzhou, a top commercial art complex project. The urban complex OōEli is a superblock of 250,000m², serving as the new headquarters of the Chinese high fashion brand JNBY and the local design institute GOA which also offers arts, retail, working and leisure space for the city of Hangzhou. The Prize-winner in 1998, Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), worked with GOA to bring the design to life with engineering ingenuity. This project brings urban planning to the city. It reflects the environment-friendly concept and human-oriented design in its details and benefits from the high criteria of suppliers and construction partners at the same time.

Jingxin Zhao, partner of <link https: www.archdaily.com office lacime-architects external-link-new-window internen link im aktuellen>Lacime architects explained the »Public Art and Exploration of Urban Circular Design«. He introduced art installations inspired by sustainability and presented achievement in protecting and preserving Shanghai’s old historical buildings. These retained traditional spaces have now become the historical treasure of the city.

The guest speakers attended design talks for further discussions. Mr. Haitao Zhang, partner of Vanke Shanghai Wansheng Competence Center, believed that current trend from urban planning to architectural design was to merge the existing urban environment with fresh elements. According to Zhang, architects are expected to hold top-level vision and look at the development of a district or building from the perspective of urban development. Mrs. Zhou QING held the opinion that additionally to technical excellence, architecture also needed thinking in terms of humanistic care. The guests also proposed sustainable preservation of old buildings to maintain the historical context of the city and allowing old and new buildings to coexist harmoniously for a long time.

Panorama picture of the exhibition booth of the German Design Council

Innovative Product Design Never Stops.

Covestro Joins Forces with the German Design Council to host Covestro CMF Design Thinking Workshop in Shanghai

In cooperation with the German Design Council, Covestro hosted its »Covestro CMF Design Thinking Workshop« on September 25, 2020 and November 20, 2020 respectively at the Shanghai 800 Show and at the Shanghai 1933 Old Square. There, Covestro presented the launch of its CMF Trend Reports 2021-2022 for electronic appliances and automotive. The events fostered the cooperation between the German company and its Chinese and global partners and offered a thriving forum for the discussion of the latest trends and upcoming developments in the field of Colour, Material and Finishing (CMF).

Design professionals from the automotive and electronic appliance industries in Shanghai participated in the launch event and the forum discussions. Dr Christopher Stillings from Covestro presented the company’s global CMF team’s method to make full use of globally applied material and R&D resources. He presented trend insights in polycarbonate applications and methods to accelerate automotive as well as electronic appliance enterprises, explaining new opportunities to realize product upgrades and aid the design processes of Chinese manufacturers.

In his presentation, Stillings explained that the research on the application of CMF to innovative product design never stops. Covestro has worked hand in hand with Chris Lefteri Design, renowned expert in the field of materials design from London, UK. The annual CMF colour trend report for automotive and electronic appliance will be released every year.

Cooperation and Brand Development with the German Design Council
China is on the way to become a strong nation in innovation beyond manufacturing. Since local Chinese manufacturers are increasingly involved in CMF design, there is a high demand both for entering the global market and for new aesthetic material solutions. The German Design Council believes that brand-development can be greatly fostered and promoted through mutual collaboration between Germany and China. In her speech, CMF business development manager Emily Shi explained that, due to historical and cultural differences, the preference and interpretation of colour design among different countries can be very different. With the exchange of experience and design expertise between the German Design Council and Covestro’s own design capabilities, she believes that CMF can better adapt to market trends and better serve its clients in the Asia-Pacific region.

About the Covestro CMF Design Trends
With its understanding of automobiles and electronic appliances, the trend report analyses CMF design trends in terms of colour, pattern and texture. The report focuses on materials with a natural texture and aesthetic that provide comfort and relaxation with interesting and rich details. The multi-functional polycarbonate was invented by Covestro in 1953 and has high flexibility to blend with CMF design trend. These material solutions versatile in their functionality but also allow designers to create inspiring visual effects.

Consul Richard Cuntz from the economic sector of the Consulate General Shanghai attended the forum and delivered a speech.

»Covestro has expertise in automotive and electronics & appliance industries, and focuses on the R&D and innovation of materials. For us, this cooperation is an excellent opportunity to expand our market and scope, and to realize the diversified application of materials in the design process«, said Chris Lefteri, Expert for material design, via video at the launch event.

Markus Frentrop, Global President of RAL COLOURS, highly affirmed the outstanding contribution made by the German Design Council in promoting the cooperation between Germany and China. With its series of widely used colour boards, covering design, painting, plastic and hardware industries, RAL COLOURS supplies the colour design requirements of various industries. Through its joint cooperation with Covestro CMF and the German Design Council, RAL COLOURS plans to open up markets in China to supply more Chinese companies with its professional colour solutions.

In the Design Talks on »CMF Trends for Design Inspiration«, Mr. Haitao Zhang (Partner of Vanke Competence Center in Shanghai), Mr. Wenqing Yang (Associate Professor, School of Design and Creativity, Tongji University), Mr. Burt Wong (Deputy Chief Technical Officer and Executive Director of SAIC MOTOR, Commercial Vehicle Technical Center, Design Center), Mrs. Emily Shi (Covestro CMF manager) and Mr. Jed Yang (General Manager of Innovation Center of Korrun Group) exchanged their views from the perspective of architecture, automobile, product and education design, on how CMF design trends and solutions inspire the design innovation.

In the CMF Design Thinking Workshop, Covestro’s Global Color & Design (CMF) team and designers from the automotive, electronics & appliance industries joined the group discussion with participants from different regions, ages and functions via video chat to discuss product design from initial planning, understanding market trends, and alleviating pain points. They also examined how CMF colour design will empower a new generation of products.

Covestro joins the German Design Council Foundation and International membership.

2020 China International Industrial Design Expo

The German Design Council participated on the new platform for Sino-German industrial design cooperation.

From December 11–13, the »2020 China International Industrial Design Expo« was held at Wuhan International Expo Centre under the motto »New Design, New Trend and New Kinetic Energy«. The expo comprehensively showcased the development of Chinese and international industrial design and the latest design achievements of enterprises. It is the industry expo with the highest level and the largest scale in the field of Chinese national industrial design. More than 300 exhibitors attended the expo on its 20,000 square meters of event area.

Design Highlights and Trends
The exhibitors showcased various international design highlights and trends: The German Design Council displayed Braun’s historical photo archive designed by Dieter Rams and other designers. Covestro displayed its 2021-2022 CMF (colours, material and finish) aesthetic sample toolkit, RAL COLOURS presented »Colour Feeling 2021+«, Sennheiser showed true wireless headphones, Dormakaba displayed smart high security door lock, ERCO displayed Lucy LED lamp, Severin with its home appliances and Indeed Innovation GmbH showed its new product design. Additionally, the German Design Council presented selected winners of the German Design Awards from among Chinese designers.

Developing industrial design
Xu Kemin, chief economist of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, attended the opening ceremony. In his speech, he pointed out the important role of a vigorous development of industrial design for the enhancement of China’s industrial basic capabilities, promoting consumption upgrades, and deepening supply-side structural reforms. He further stressed the necessity of three key areas: The concentration of design resources on the improvement of basic capabilities and innovation capabilities of the manufacturing industry in order to strengthen the leading role of industrial design in industrial upgrading. The continuation of good work in cultivating and accrediting of national industrial design centres to cultivate and expand the main body of industrial design.

The China subsidiary represented the German Design Council at the China International Industrial Design Expo with this booth.

Chief Economist Xu Kemin visited RAL COLOURS’ »Colour Feeling 2021+« booth and Covestro’s 2021-2022 CMF aesthetic sample toolkit, and examined the electric car designed by Indeed Innovation GmbH at the German Design Council booth.

Mr Lei Wang, Chief representative of German Design Council in China, held a speech on the topic of »New European Bauhaus Movement: Exploration of Sustainable Design« in the summit forum titled »New Concepts of Industrial Design and New Models Enabling Intelligent Manufacturing«. His keynote speech explained main points of the »New European Bauhaus Movement« recently announced by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for sustainable development.

Professor Jiang Hongbin, executive director of the Institute of Design Strategy and Prototype Innovation of Tsinghua University, gave a keynote speech on »Development Trends in Industrial Design«. Yao Yingjia, vice president of Lenovo Group and chief design officer of Lenovo China, gave a keynote speech on »New Development in Design, Empowering a New Future«.

Mrs Yang Yang, Commercial Director of the Beijing Representative Office of RAL gemeinnützige GmbH from Germany, discussed »reBirth of Culture«. RAL COLOURS presented its Colour Feeling 2021+” on 12 December, developed in cooperation with high-tech polymer material supplier Covestro, for the first time using polycarbonate materials. One of the features of the RAL Colours Trend Report is the self-developed colour matrix, which is a set of unique colour scheme tools. Designers can freely create high-contrast combinations or harmony combinations of tones according to project scenarios and goals.

Visitors showed strong interests