Five Innovative Designs from Kram/Weisshaar

Founded by Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram in 2002, Kram/ Weisshaar is an international studio that is seemingly guided by one mission; changing the game in design. Kram/ Weisshaar Studio plays on the fine line that exists between the physical and the digital and comes up with innovative designs that are redefining standards in the twenty-first century so much so that its founders have been described as ‘the poster boys of a new breed of designers’ in the International Herald Tribune as well as ‘the vanguard of the next generation of digital designers’ in Form Magazine.

The effortless way in which Weisshaar and Kram fuse cutting-edge technology into everyday items to turn them into fresh, modern designs makes them a duo to watch out for in the coming years. Some of their works have been given permanent places in prestigious collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein, the Centre Pompidou, Paris and Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich. Karma/ Weisshaar Studios boasts participation in Exhibitions with their works ‘Multithread’ in the Nilufar Gallery, Milan in 2012 and ‘Economies of Scale’ in Sotheby’s, Vienna in 2008 and an impressive list of clients including Audi, Prada, PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Herzog & de Meuron. The root of this company’s glowing credentials is its genius and contemporary pieces that have taken the design world by storm.

Below are five of the most innovative designs created by the Kram /Weisshaar Studios:

1. SmartSlab Table

Unveiled at the Salone de Mobile in April 2016, the SmartSlab table is a design that may change global perspectives of kitchens forever. This razor-thin table is embedded with discreet electrical connections that allow the table to keep guests’ foods warm, cook a meal and chill a bottle of wine at the same time. Everything was placed strategically on its SapienStone cover to ensure that all three functions can be performed at the same time. Heating elements can be found beneath the plates of diners that keep the temperature at 42.5 degrees Celsius, allowing the food to stay consistently hot but also at a comfortable temperature so that guests do not get burned when they touch the tabletop.

Cooling elements are also inserted strategically along the table allowing some specific portions to cool down to a temperature of -5 degrees Celsius to keep drinks cool. It also features Inductive Cooking which allows for food to be prepared right on the surface of the SmartSlab. All these functions are controlled by a touch command. The SapienStone used for the tabletop is a virtually indestructible material that is insusceptible to fire, frost, thermal shock, scratches, and microbes making it the perfect building block for the SmartSlab Table and a vast variety of other inventions in the near future.

2. PICÓ BLITZ

This invention materializes the power of sound in the form of disruptions in images. It is a mobile bass reflex subwoofer sound system that controls mirror images with sound energy. It uses the vibrations from music playing from the sound system to distort the image of the listener allowing for a very interactive experience. The PICÓ BLITZ was created to be a part of the Picós Project exhibition of sounds systems of Colombia in the Plusdesign Gallery located in Milan.

This piece is merely a retake on the traditional Colombian Picó sound systems used to amplify music in street parties. One face, however, has been replaced with a fluid mirror of some sort. This mirror is made of very thin foil hung on an aluminum frame. When turned on, the bass vibrates the mirror surface causing the listener’s image to blur and vibrate. The Picó Blitz can be purchased from the Plusdesign Gallery in Milan. Sales inquiries should be directed to [email protected].

3. ROBOCHOP

Can you imagine controlling a massive robot right from the palm of your hands? This is the design of the ROBOCHOP by the Kram/ Weisshaar Studio. Online users in Hanover (from March 5th to March 20th, 2015), with a smartphone being their only tool, could design pieces of furniture in real time using the ROBOCHOP robotic arm. The raw material of the furniture was a 40x40x40 cm foam cube which was carved into a custom made piece by use of a floor-mounted hot wire tool.

With the help of only an online app, different users were able to create their unique pieces of furniture by hand gestures on their screens which were translated into a code for the ROBOCHOP to work. Their creations were later shipped to them for free. The ROBOCHOP is foretelling of a near future where everyone would be able to build a specific item that they want with the help of an intelligent system. By taking away all the complications of a supply chain, people will only need a little creativity to be able to manufacture whatever they want. Stools, tables and structural works of art are only a few of what the ROBOCHOP is equipped to build.

4. MY PRIVATE SKY

This seven plate system, entirely customized by the customer, is one of the most groundbreaking designs by Kram/ Weisshaar by far. When the customer places an order, his/ her birth date, time, location, altitude, longitude, altitude, and timezone are required to recreate the exact sky under which he/ she was born by a specialized software. The constellations and the stars are placed exactly and precisely on the hand painted seven porcelain plate system using a plethora of astronomical databases.

The porcelain is pure and refined and made with a particular formula that is cured for three years in Nymphenburg that has not been touched since the 18th century. The elegant art of porcelain painting is combined with cutting edge modern technology in this particular product to produce an excellent piece of art. The master artists at PORZELLAN MANUFAKTUR NYMPHENBURG recreate the image formed by the software consisting of over 500 heavenly bodies with 24 karat gold and platinum by hand. The dull gold is then polished to enhance its brilliance and allow this piece of art to be magnificent and one of a kind.

5. R18 ULTRA CHAIR

Kram/ Weisshaar Studio continually proves that there are no boundaries within design disciplines and that ideas can be applied and integrated to create outstanding effects. The

R18 Ultra Chair is one of the designs that validates this. Weighing only 2.2 kilograms, the body of the chair itself is crafted from a borrowed material from Audi’s Lightweight Design Center. The frame of this chair is composed of carbon composites, high strength Aluminum and carbon micro sandwich. Every factor was considered in the manufacturing of the R18 Ultra Chair to make it as lightweight as it could possibly be. This chair is exhibited at DESIGN MIAMI along with the car after which it was named, the Audi Ultra.

Kram/ Weisshaar Studio represents the future of innovation and design where no boundaries whatever are recognized in the merging of modern technology, architecture, and creativity. They have raised the bar completely in terms of everyday design concepts that exist today. This brand is one to look out for because based on their past inventions, the future looks very promising.