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degree show

STANCE19

May 2019. The Institute of Design held a degree show again. Reminiscent of previous joint exhibitions, not held since 2016, this show was conceptually a rebirth (too many rumours of our untimely death). The title was REBUILT.

All graduating students of 2019 were invited to display their final design projects – and the location was our new campus at ISKU. We wanted to attract visitors curious about our new place, and we wanted to show our own friends that we share this new joint campus with, just what we do in the Design Institute. STANCE19 was integrated with this main exhibition. The event was curated and designed by a large team of talented staff and students. Vehicle Design graduates exhibited 7 graduation projects and one very special production vehicle. Let us start by explaining that one in the words of RMK themselves!

RMK E2

On 1st of February 2019, RMK Vehicle Corporation unveiled their first electric motorcycle, the RMK E2 at the MP19 Motorcycle Show in Helsinki, Finland. The E2 will be manufactured in Finland and production is slated to begin in late 2019.

The E2 packs a punch. 50 kW of power and an instant torque of 320 Nm will guarantee great performance with a limited top speed of 160 km/h. The unconventional motor setup offers a smaller rotational mass and unsprung weight that is comparable to traditional motor setups. The battery gives a range of 200 – 300 km depending on driving style.

You can pre-order your E2 now.

The RMK E2 was designed by RMK with the help of our student Miikka Salovaara. Miikka contributed concept sketches and graphic design, working closely with the small RMK design team to create this bike. RMK are a lean start-up company so all hands were needed to create this radical design. The engineering of the hubless rear wheel and motor is particularly unique. We were very happy that RMK agree to display the bike for a few days at our STANCE/Rebuilt exhibition at Lahti University of Applied Sciences. It is very imposing in the metal.

Aukusti Mokkala

Vision for 2050 Megacity Law Enforcement

This is a VTOL -aircraft designed for rapid deployment of up to four Law Enforcement officers. It takes the manoeuvrability of a helicopter and com­bines it with the structure of a car. The compact design allows it to manoeu­vre and land in within the narrowest spaces of a megacity. It features twin rotors for vertical lift and two auxiliary rotors for thrust, as well as a wide variety of short to long range -sensors for monitoring its surroundings. The bright colours ensure visibility and bolster a strong but friendly presence. My goal was to create a unique, yet believable design that is suitable for movies and games.

Atte Nurminen

Lamborghini Raton, Autonomous Supercar

Lamborghini Raton is an autonomous supercar for the future, featuring advantages of next generation automotive technologies. The goal is to replace the pleasure of driving by new kind of user experience. The low sitting position at the front brings a sense of speed.

The in-turned wheels create a new kind of connection between user and machine. Raton is designed to look like a true Lamborghini with the classic design features of their supercars.

Jukka Ossi

The next D-segment SEAT passenger car

The Spanish car brand SEAT does not currently have a passenger car model in the D-segment. The goal of the graduation work was to design a proposal for a car of that segment based on the research work done. The D-segment includes car models such as: Volkswagen Passat, Opel Insignia and Volvo V60.

Kristian Talvitie

Bugatti AOS

Our world is faster and more connected than ever. The line between the real world and virtual is thinner than ever. This

world has many changing effects on human life and thinking. From an evolutionary perspective point we are at the beginning of drastic change. In this work my intention is to study what kind of experience the future customer of Bugatti needs and to develop concept based on that.

Iiro Laine and Antti Paakari

Northern Multifunction Vehicle

In this graduation project we designed fully electric multifunctional vehicle for Northern environment. In this project we discuss about Northern circumstances and its challenges for vehicles. Our vehicle is designed around electric powertrain and adaptability for weather conditions and needs of the user. In our design process we discuss ideation, sketching by drawing, clay modelling, 3D-scanning and 3D-modeling.

Samuli Maliniemi

Keletric – Design research for Finnish small electric motorcycle.

In my Bachelor’s Thesis I have designed a houseboat for private use. It is suitable for year-round living in Finland’s varied weather conditions. The houseboat strives to solve the challenges of urban living in the future. Urbanization and rising sea levels resulting from climate change can affect the emergence of new forms of living in Finland as well as in the rest of the world. The houseboat I have designed is environmentally friendly and it is also suitable for going at the high seas.

Janne Mustonen

Piaggio P107

As a graduation project I researched the near future of aviation and created a flying boat concept. This project does not reshape the aviation infrastructure but helps to understand it and its challenges. A result is a realistic concept that offers private transportation to remote locations in and outside of the infrastructure.

2019 Stance Award winner was announced later that week, at the Ace Corner venue. We really like our friends at Ace Corner and once again we met for an informal beer & burger chat with our outgoing students. That sunny evening the award for best project was presented to Janne Mustonen for his outstanding work on an electric aircraft project. Janne has a deep passion for aviation, and this project was a true labour of love for him- and the result was quite spectacular and unique.

http://www.muotoiluinstituutti.fi/degreeshow2019/
Official website for 2019 Degree Show

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degree show events

STANCE15 – behind the scenes

June 2016, our second ever Vehicle Design graduation show will arrive.  STANCE16 will follow a similar format to STANCE15, with a public exhibition on June 2nd, following a VIP invitation only night on June 1st. We try to invite all of you who contribute to the automotive and vehicle design business here in Finland and across the world. Apologies in advance if we leave you out- let us know as our contact list needs to expand! First we have to prepare though, and even more importantly our students must complete their STANCE 2015 Public Exhibitionstudies by creating a final thesis and design project. This year we will have a diverse range of projects and vehicles (no spoilers, unless they have aerodynamic function!) and we hope they will prove interesting to any visitors and our followers. 2015 gained us some great press coverage, for which we are very thankful. We bring you this blog post, to show what went into the show preparations last year and to showcase some of the projects once again. Please watch this space for news of this years show, and check your inboxes for those VIP invites!

Last year, students produced a couple of traditional 1:4 scale clay/hard models, another 3D digitally printed vehicle at 1:8 scale, and impressive digitally realised designs. Here is some information from our 2015 graduates.

Graduation works

STANCE 2015 Crawler Pekka Puhakka
Crawler Batmobile on the streets of Gotham

Pekka Puhakka / Crawler – Batmobile

The goal of my graduation project is to study Batman as a hero and the phenomenon and history behind the character. Based on my background studies my aim is to design my own visual concept of the legendary hero-car called Batmobile. The end result will be a written graduation project, finished 3Dmodel and renderings of the model in an environment that is representing Gotham City. After the final seminar the aim is to produce 3D-printed plastic scale-model car to be used in all the possible presentations that are going to be held later on. The work represents my own vision of Batmobile. It has nothing to do with DC-Comics that owns all the copyrights to Batman and Batmobile. This is a student project and it will not going to be used in any kind of commercial purposes in future.

Pekka is now working for Wärtsilä. 

STANCE 2015 HUSKY Viljami Raisanen
HUSKY Hybrid Rescue Vehicle landing/take off

Viljami Räisänen / Husky Hybrid Rescue Vehicle

This is the graduation project of Vehicle Design course made in Lahti Institute of design (Lahti University of Applied Sciences) The subject of the project is a futuristic vision of a “search & rescue” vehicle for arctic regions operating both on land and in the air. In this project one concentrates on search and rescue work in certain areas, rescue methods used in arctic conditions and technology that is used in rescue vehicles operating on snowy conditions. The character of the project is meant to be a conceptual vision of future needs of search & rescue vehicle in arctic regions for a year 2035.

Viljami is now studying Transport Design Masters program at Umea University.

STANCE 2015 Olli Seppala
Michelin Challenge 2015 entry – sketches and design process.

Olli Seppälä / Michelin Challenge

The topic of this graduation project is a competition work to an international automotive design challenge named Michelin Challenge. The Challenge has been organized almost every year and this time the brief is to design a people’s car for an already defined or self-defined market sector. I designed an electric or hybrid powered car and its market sector is South-Asia. In this project I have studied the conditions, roads, traffic and culture that affects the final design. I made a study of old car icons which have reached the people’s car-title in their own time. My concept is meant to be a very light weight and environmental friendly car and in its design process I have focused on the manufacturing. This car’s structure is 3d printed and the manufacturing is meant to happen locally close to the consumers. In this thesis I focused mostly to the car’s basic appearance, exterior and functionality but I designed also the interior to the car. This project includes a 3d-model, clay model and hard model.

Olli is currently teaching at LAMK and working freelance.

STANCE 2015 Porsche 881 Kalle Keituri
Porsche 881exterior design sketch

Kalle Keituri / Porsche 881

Chemistry and nature offer a lot of sustainable solutions to be used. Inspired by reactioms, forms and adaptability of advanced sciences, a conceptional idea for my graduation project was formed. By exploring the history of different car brands, Porsche was fullfilling the needs of my concept perfectly. My aim was to create a connection between Porsche design philosophy and chemistry. The concept idea is to make a bold and pure interpretation of a future Porsche sports car. My project concentrates on exterior design. Together with chemistry inspired innovative technological, material and aerodynamic solutions, the aim is to give Porsche design language another expression. The main focus in this project is the design process from early ideation sketches to an 1:4 sized scale model of the exterior and by this to develop my skills as a designer.

STANCE 2015 PURE Driving Antti Laukkanen
PURE Driving interior design sketch

Antti Laukkanen / Pure Driving

Pure driving is a design study of an autonomous car interior. As it is a study of design, it is also a study of the core idea of driving and driving experience. My concept PURE differs from classic autonomous car interiors as my goal was to cherish the very original purpose of driving. Autonomous car interior concepts are almost without exception closer to normal livingrooms than what we consider automotive interiors. So in my research I focused on finding out what makes a good driving experience and how can I maintain the best possible experience, when we get rid off the steering wheel as it is essential in a contemporary car. I needed to find out what other senses and factors are activated in good driving experience. This concept is made for public use so it should show that it is accessible for wide range of users.

My research incldues the history and evolution of the car industry, its technical solutions from materials to powersources and also a new possibilities that autonomous cars bring along themselves. However, I didn’t want to go too deep in to technical solutions and manufacturability, but concentrate on materials and possible experiences and scenarios.

Big part of the research was the future and user research method, that I used to get ideas what is pure driving and which objects are essential inside the car. With this method I also wanted to show a new approach into future research and show that maybe we have to change our way of thinking about future users.

My first intention was not to brand my product for any brand but as I was doing my research I realized that it fits well in to values of Google. Google also launched their autonomous car concept little while ago so I thought that I have a good chance to show my own perspective of Google’s autonmous car interior.

The final product is presented in 2D renderings and pictures. In my design process I used also physical and computer model mockups as a design tool.

Antti is now studying Transport Design Masters program at Umea University.

STANCE 2015 TOBI Sami Kallamaki
Fully realised CAD model of TOBI

Sami Kallamäki / TOBI –electric assisted trekkind bike concept

Topic of this thesis is electric assisted trekking bike concept. Design target is aesthetic trekking bike for longer distances using todays technology and tomorrows innovations. Design drivers are credibility and clearness.

Sami is still to decide on his next adventure… contact us if you would like to make him an offer!

I would now like to share these exclusive images, which were not released to the press. These are rough images from behind the scenes during the 6 months of 2015 leading to our show. Images from our workshops, our design classrooms and finally setting up and running of our public exhibition in conjunction with the entire Lahti Design Institute in 2015.

Another gallery is needed to show the actual VIP event, and also the public exhibition. Most of these images were published by other news blogs at the time, but now we add some of our own packing up images. We had no idea we would be back at the same place 2016!

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links

Article about our visiting lecturer // Miika Heikkinen

Click the picture for full article (in Finnish only).

 

Miika
Miika Heikkinen on automuotoilun uusi lupaus.

Categories
news

Vehicle Designer interview

Joonas vartola

JOONAS VARTOLA, graduated from Industrial Design in 2006. Graduated from Royal College of Art Vehicle Design in 2009. Specialized in vehicle design

What do you do for a living?

-I’m a vehicle designer at Tesla Motors in Los Angeles. Tesla designs, manufactures and sells premium class electric cars. My main areas of responsibility include exterior and interior design. As we have a small team, I also focus on components to an extent.

Why did you choose this specific field?

-We didn’t engage in designing cars so much in Lahti, but previous graduates from the Institute of Design influenced my decision to get involved. Vehicle design is the most comprehensive and challenging form of industrial design that I know. So many elements need to be considered when designing a car, such as the interior, exterior, details, driveability, appeal, duration, price, aerodynamics, multifunctional interiors… Cars have fascinated me since I was small, but I’m not a car fanatic and can’t even fix one.

What inspires you as a designer?

-I am a passionate follower of minimalism. I get incredibly excited about new structures, and natural forms are an endless source of inspiration to me. I love to draw – it is one of the reasons I chose to specialise in vehicle design, as most of the work is carried out by drawing or sculpting surfaces, textures and outlines. An exterior of a car always aims for perfection.