Behind Xbrick is the development and design team of wd3_spatial design. Since its founding in 2016, wd3 has been designing furniture and spatial structures for work environments, educational institutions and the home, always in close consultation with the clients who share the wd3 team‘s passion for durable, sustainable and functional furniture.
Michael Daubner is a trained master carpenter, wood technician and was a master student of Arno Votteler. He has over thirty years of experience in the development of modular spatial structures and lightweight construction concepts and was at the helm of an internationally oriented medium-sized company for many years.
Armin Scharf: Design is often reduced to the external form of a product. You say that is not enough.
Michael Daubner: Exactly. Design, as we understand it here, goes deeper, to the core of a product. We deal with materials, with manufacturing processes, and are always looking for new materials that offer us and our customers new possibilities. And we look very closely at the impact a product can have on users.
Armin Scharf: You also talk about adaptive products.
Michael Daubner: In my opinion, that is a very important product feature. The more flexible and universally usable a product is, the better it is. I don’t think much of products that are monofunctional or only reflect a very narrow usage model. Such products are no longer up to date. They probably never were.
Armin Scharf: What does that mean specifically?
Michael Daubner: Good design must allow, permit and encourage adaptations by users and also signal this. You have to quickly recognize how a product works and what you can do with it. Easy access is just as important as triggering a positive impulse in users. I see this as an impact beyond the actual product that can trigger other behaviors. This in turn has an impact on the design language – if it is reduced, situational adaptation is easier. To achieve this, we work our way to the core of a product. Of course, we always keep our customers’ potential in mind.
Armin Scharf: In what way?
Michael Daubner: We always think about what options our customers have, what is actually feasible for them. A great concept is of no use if it cannot be implemented or requires high investments in production processes. On the other hand, medium-sized companies in particular are looking for new ways to use their expertise, but are trapped in their perspective. This is where we come in as development partners, with our ideas, our agile way of working, our desire to test new ways and of course with our deep technical know-how. We think in terms of opportunities and beyond the day for our customers. In short: We see ourselves as developers, as partners for design, technology, implementation and research.
Armin Scharf: Are you an innovation driver?
Michael Daubner: You could say that. We are always looking for new possibilities, such as materials that are more sustainable, save resources, and allow for lighter constructions. We are also driving this forward ourselves, such as the mycelium-based materiality we are currently doing. The fact that we are on the right track is shown by the many design awards we have received.
wd3_spatial design was founded in 2016 by Frank Westermann and Michael Daubner. The Stuttgart office develops innovative systems – for Karl Westermann GmbH + Co. KG in Denkendorf and of course other customers who are looking for new ideas.
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