Architektur Engineering Design - aed Stuttgart

Markus Benz
Chief executive of the Walter Knoll AG & Co. KG, Herrenberg
Wilhelm Knoll founded his “Leather Shop”, where he sold
furniture, as a purveyor to the court of the King of Württemberg
in Stuttgart in 1865. How important are these roots to you?
We draw power from these roots. They create a corporate culture
and a culture of craftsmanship, the heart of every company.
When these roots are ignored, a part of the culture dies. Only
the company itself can close this gap. There, values continued
for generations are retained and interpreted in a modern way.
How can trends be brought into line with durability?
Clever design influences the way of life – it influences happy
feeling, practical, useful and representative fields. We are
aware of this. With outstanding designs we try to re-interpret
these values again and again. In doing this we only follow trends
which correspond to our values, such as quality, durability and
sustainability.
Your most famous product is the FK Schalensessel from the
1960s. Why does this chair represent classic design around the
world up until today?
The FK Schalensessel embodies lasting values. Since Long
Life Design is sustainable design. Already in 1969, when the
chair received the Federal Award “Good Form”, it was a perfect
design, a design of mature minimalism with all features of
timelessness. Functional and minimal. It is an impressive sign
of creative quality and craftsmanship. These values are still valid
today. Thus making the FK Schalensessel a model for design.
The aed will present the topic “Design ist Chefsache” (“Design –
a top-level decision”) in an event in autumn. Is design really a
top-level decision?
At best design is a top-level decision, since all parts of the
company are involved. Thus, economy, technology and communication
are united in the design. The whole corporate culture in
the product. When the top level supports the design idea, this
helps everyone, the whole company. And that’s what counts.