College Exhibition: Strate College Degree Show 2004

Strate Coll?ge is one of the leading European schools for transportation design, and has become a major source of recruitment for automotive design studios in France as well as internationally.

Graduating diploma student Thibaut Doneux presented 'Skin Deep', an interior concept for Renault. Thibaut explains: "In terms of formal language I tried to express the soft touch of the exterior. The theme of the model is based on a skin or a layer surrounding a heart - the interior. At the same time my answer is showing the relationship between the inside and outside. I studied architecture for three years before coming to Strate Coll?ge, and I tried in this project to show my background. My model is like a technical cut into a space to expose different interactions. I used this type of presentation because a part of my reflection was about intelligent textiles and non-aggressivness of the vehicle...That's why my answer is so sculptural and 'biological'. I have tried to express that the technology is coming closer to biology, skin and human being. The soft touch of the exterior is non-aggressive and creates a new and more sensual way of touching and opening a car."

"The free space within the interior is possible thanks to hydrogen fuel cell technology which allows a lot of liberty in packaging. In a world where we don't talk enough, I tried to created a 'talk-space' which allows dialog during the trip. I worked with a teacher in child education to define children's need in a car. To grow up children need to talk and move, and that's why I created an 'appropriated' space. I call my solution Ovonisme as a alternative to cocooning or bunkerism...it's about communication."

To allow children's movements they wear a new type of harness instead of classical seat belts. To allow freedom of position, headrests are adjustable both vertically and in horizontally. And the seats are adjustable thanks to the moving floor. The rear floor is also a playground for children where the tactile aspects are important. This space allow new ways to use the car. On the floor area there is an interface area called 'Volcan' which has connections for a small game-table or 'baby-mobile'. The trunk is in a central position under the seats, to be accessible during the trip from either the front or rear compartments. The driver can be outside of the group conversation or be inside of it thanks to the moving seats. Parents can be seated side-by-side or be in front of each other, allowing one to watch over the children. The main idea of the project is about dialog and communication in the family.

Fanny Lemaitre proposed 'Khad?ja', a family car for North African countries: "Although a car for the American market will be perceptibly different from a European car, the product remains the same in its global concept. But to put them out of place into another culture leads to contradictions and even sometimes to complete nonsense. The aim of my work was to concentrate on the cultural aspect in industrial design. The customs are sources of richness and diversity, beneficial for a multicultural industrial design. Taking this aspect into account can also help to design items suited to their context. This is why I wanted to study a different - in this case Arabian - culture, and in particular the Morrocan, Tunisian, Algerian."

"Khad?ja is a big family car. It has an overall length of just over five meters, and the concept leans on the strength of the maghrebian family ties - care and respect for the oldest, frequent familial meetings and parties - which I translated in my car with the image of the Arabian living room (benches arranged in a U-shape that lets the family gather around a table). Khad?ja can therefore transport up to 7 people. It also provides a huge storage - the car ends with an enormous basket which works like a pickup, and symbolises a certain generosity often found in the Arabian world. Inside, you travel under a berberian tent made of translucent tissue, well protected from the sun."

Instead of using window glass, the body of the car is perforated with a pattern referring to the traditional moucharabieh. It lets the air circulate around the interior tent, and protects at the same time the privacy of the family. As a passenger, you can see out without being seen from the outside, a feature is often used in the traditional architecture. When the car is stopped, you can unfold another canopy to provide shade for people sitting outside. You can also modify the configuration of the cabin, and slide the seats down independently of each other, to turn the way of sitting from an occidental style into a maghrebian one. You are then immersed in a new universe, seated on an oriental carpet at midnight, or snuggled in a corner while drinking a mint tea kept warm in the heating box.

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