Luigi Colani - Translating Nature

Colani and Ross Lovegrove argue over how best to redesign Colani's classic 1968 catilevered Ply-COR plastic chair during a talk at the Design Museum last week. Click for larger images

'Yellow egg' city car (2006)

Streamlined bulk tanker truck (2002)

Construction of Colani Supertruck (2005)

Coal-dust powered locomotive (1979)

Photos: Brett Patterson, Colani Design Germany

Colani has some strong views on the mainstream automotive industry: "Amongst today's car industry management there is not one that understands the real problems". Colani believes the whole emphasis on new vehicle development is wrong: "We have hundreds of electric motors to do jobs normally done by human hands. Car design should not be about the small details. It should be about the bigger picture... Cars should be "simpler, less features, streamlined, lightly built." He uses a slogan (in German): "langsam, leise, lustig, liecht" - meaning slow, quiet, spirited, light. Colani believes the mainstream manufacturers are all missing the point, "to build cars to go from A to B with a smile... to give answers to problems of our time".

1968 catilevered Ply-COR plastic chair

Luigi Colani in signature white attire

VTOL (vertical take off and landing) BAE Hawker Siddley Harrier study (1977)

Undersea oil-tanker

Colani Ferrari Testa d'Oro (1989)

We asked Colani if he considered himself to be a designer or an artist. He answers: "I'm not a designer, I'm a 3D philosopher".

Colani sketches a crankshaft from a Jaguar racecar, showing how he modified it with smoothly shaped counterweights to reduce drag within the crankcase. The car went on to win LeMans. Colani explains that he "looks at, and works with the philosophy of the machine", and is often involved in areas some would consider the realm of the engineer, but which really come within the realm of '3D philosophy' and a broader view of the role of the designer. "We need a new generation of thinkers - philosophers," says Colani. He is currently assisting in the development of a new BMW aircraft engine for a Russian commercial airliner.

30 years ago Colani built the first streamlined trucks, during periods of 'fahrverbot' (driving bans) in Germany. The trucks achieved a 25% reduction in fuel usage. In the Shell marathon "we covered 1800km with 1 liter of fuel". Colani is the world record holder since 1991 with a four-seater using 1.7 liters/100km of gasoline.

Colani is currently working on new truck with Siemens, aiming for a 50% reduction in fuel consumption. His prototype build facility in Karlsruhe, Germany, employs between 5 and 30 people depending on the projects underway. Colani lives in a baroque castle in Harkotten.

He is currently on a global publicity trip. He explains that if Europe doesn't react positively to his proposals following this trip, then he will be going ahead with projects in Shanghai, where the Chinese government has offered space and support. Colani has lived in Shanghai for 10 years, and is Professor of transport Design at Tsinghua University.

Commenting on design in China: "Chinese designers will only need 3-4 years more to catch up to world standards". His message to China, as it was for Japan, "Don't copy European influences". Colani believes that China will fast become the most advanced in ecological solutions "because they will have no other choice".

Colani is currently doing research for Air China, for a flying wing airliner. China needs high-capacity passenger aircraft: "There are 12 747's flying in each direction between Shanghai and Beijing every day". A flying wing has 5 times the capacity of a conventional aircraft.

He explains he is looking for "capital to sell his life's work, to stay in Europe, and to found a 'club of Europe's brains', to fight the coming challenge from Asia". "If I go to China, and they jump on me with their ability to build quality... If they can get first hand information on what the world needs, they could wipe out Europe".

At 79, Colani shows no sign of slowing down. His recent projects included a sidestick controller for the Airbus A320, a gas-powered truck for Qatar, police uniforms, and a "logical and healthy (and nice looking)" shoe collection in Japan. Colani says he may get into more fashion work, a field which he regards as "even more stupid" than the other fields of design.

We asked Colani which is his 'favourite' amongst his past work. "All were advanced thinking in their time, but there is not one I love best, the focus is always on the child I am nursing at that time."

The exhibition 'Luigi Colani - Translating Nature' continues until June 17.
Design Museum website: www.designmuseum.org
Colani website: www.colani.de