Christoph Behling

Christoph Behling is a product designer and founder of Christoph Behling Design, an award-winning product design studio he established in 2004. Behling also founded SolarLab Research & Design in parallel, a company exclusively focused on solar-powered transport and architecture. Both offices are based in London.

Biography

Early

Behling was born in 1970 in Geneva, Switzerland and was raised in Germany.

Education

Behling completed a Diploma in Industrial Design in 1995 at the Art Academy in Stuttgart, studying under Professor Richard Sapper.

He was a Masters-level teacher at the Royal College of Art in London, where he taught the course for Design Products from 2004 to 2009.

Christoph Behling has lectured and been on the judging panels of design competitions across Europe and the United States. [1]

Career

He has achieved international success across a variety of industries, including communication technology, fashion, luxury goods, watches, water sanitation and transport working with clients including TAG Heuer, Nokia, Dior, Versace, Fred, Lacoste, and Geberit.

SolarGrass, exhibited at Expo 2000 in Hanover, Hamburg

In parallel, Behling formalised his passion for sustainable design [2] by starting SolarLab Research & Design Ltd. SolarLab has created and developed a range of award-winning solar-powered transport and architectural designs. Behling’s designs are supposedly based on the belief that seduction and creativity is the key to stimulating a global acceptance of sustainable products and lifestyle choices. [3] SolarLab is responsible for the world’s biggest Solar Ship, the Hamburg SolarShuttle, as well the Serpentine SolarShuttle which has become an international icon of sustainable design, winning awards from global design competitions including CondeNast Design & Innovation and Travel & Leisure magazine.[4] Currently working on water and land based transport for the Olympic games 2012, as presented in a Discovery Channel documentary, July 2008.

Behling’s studio is the leading designer for TAG Heuer, a collaboration which has become one of the most awarded in the industry, winning the prestigious Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve, iF Design and Red Dot awards numerous times. For Behling, watches are a great sustainable product as "their automatic movements are powered while writing a letter, without batteries, they are locally produced, they will work for many generations with their value rising over the years… We need to be smart and design products which use the minimum to create the maximum value for as long as possible" (Christoph Behling, lecture at 100% Design, London 2008).

Since 2007, Behling has been the creative director of the Modelabs Group, a Paris-based mobile telecommunications communications company, after working on various designs with Nokia. The collaboration with Modelabs has resulted in the creation of the TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone as featured in Wallpaper magazine. Behling has also been responsible for the designs of Modelabs’ Levi’s phone and the concept for the 'My Dior' phone.

Geberit, Europe’s leading sanitary technology manufacturer, launched Behling’s series of modern dual flush toilet flushers in 2008. Behling and Geberit are jointly fielding a study on reducing water consumption in the domestic environment and have dramatically reduced the amount of water used per flush through the dual flush technique.[5]

Recognitions

• • Exhibitions
    • World Expo 2000, Hanover, Germany and Lisbon, Portugal
    • The Design Museum, London 2008 (Design of the Year 2002 [6])
    • The Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, New York 2002
    • The Science Museum, London 2006
    • Royal College of Art, 2006
    • So Watt! Exhibition: Du design dans l’energie, Paris 2007 [7]
    • 1.618 Sustainable Luxury Fair, Palais de Tokyo, Paris 2009 [8]

• • Awards for Product Design
    • Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2008 (Ultimate Sports Inspired Timepiece TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph)[9]
    • Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2006 (Best Sports Watch TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 360)[10]
    • Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève 2005 (Best Ladies Watch TAG Heuer Diamond Fiction)[11]
    • iF Design Award 2007 (TAG Heuer Monaco Calibre 360 LS Concept Chronograph)[12]
    • iF Design Award 2006 (TAG Heuer Professional Golf Watch designed in collaboration with Tiger Woods)[13]
    • Red Dot Award 2009 (TAG Heuer Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5[14] and Grand Carrera Calibre 36 RS Caliper Chronograph)[15]
    • Red Dot Award 2006 (TAG Heuer Calibre 360 Concept)[16]
    • Red Dot Award 2005 (TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Concept)[17]
    • Australian International Design Award 2009 (TAG Heuer Meridiist mobile phone)[18]
    • Salon International de Alta Relojeria (SIAR) 2008 (Best Chronograph of the Year Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph)[19]
    • Fortune Design Award, China 2009 (TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph)[20]
    • Wallpaper Design Award 2005 (Best Watch TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Concept)[21]

• • Awards for SolarLab Research + Design
    • Responsible Tourism Award 2006 (Highly Commended Best Transport Initiative Serpentine SolarShuttle)[22]
    • CondeNast Design & Innovation Award 2007 (Winner Sustainable Category Serpentine SolarShuttle)[23]
    • Travel & Leisure Design Award 2007 (Best Transportation Serpentine SolarShuttle)[24]

References

1. The Royal College of Art."Christoph Behling"
2. The Observer Ethical Awards. "Judging Panel"
3. Matchbox magazine interview."The Sun King"
4. Telegraph Magazine interview."Eco Hero"
5. The SolarShuttle."Travel & Leisure Design Award 2007"
6. Geberit."Water saving"
7. The Design Museum."Designs of the Year"
8. SolarLab Research + Design."Exhibitions"
9. 1.618 Sustainable Luxury Fair. "SolarLab"
10. TAG Heuer news archive. "Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph"
11. TAG Heuer news archive. "Carrera Calibre 360 Chronograph"
12. TAG Heuer Diamond Fiction. "Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 2005 "
13. TAG Heuer news archive. "iF Product Design Award 2007"
14. TAG Heuer news archive. "iF Product Design Award 2007"
15. Red Dot Design Award 2009. "Aquaracer 500M Calibre 5"
16. Red Dot Design Award 2009. "Grand Carrera Calibre 36 RS Caliper Chronograph"
17. TAG Heuer news archive. "Red Dot Award 2006 Calibre 360 Concept"
18. Red Dot Design Award 2005. "Monaco V4 Concept"
19. Australian International Design Awards 2009. "Meridiist mobile phone"
20. TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph. "Salon International de Alta Relojeria (SIAR) 2008"
21. TAG Heuer Grand Carrera Calibre 36RS Caliper Chronograph. "Fortune Design Award, China 2009"
22. TAG Heuer Monaco V4 Concept. "Wallpaper Design Award 2005"
23. First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. "Serpentine SolarShuttle"
24. Foster+Partners news archive. "Serpentine SolarShuttle"
25. Serpentine SolarShuttle. "Serpentine SolarShuttle"

External links

• "SolarLab’s website"
• "TAG Heuer’s website"

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