Roadmap stahl 2025

Roadmap to 2025 for transportation, home furnishing and fashion

three scenarios for the future

exploration

In this presentation we will go over three future scenarios that are very likely to happen simultaneously in the next 10 years.

The first story - Exploration - is about the fact that the majority of people will live in cities, from medium size cities with hundreds of thousands of people to mega cities with way more than 10 milllion inhabitants. This has a great effect on how we will move around in our daily life, but also where we will want to go on holiday, possibly trying to break free from the pollution or hustle and bustle of urban areas.

The second story - Individualization - stems from the same insight about urbanization, yet focuses more on the living situation. Our homes - however small - will become our castles, or maybe even bunkers, totally adjusted to our highly personal needs and preferences.

Finally, Sensation talks about our urge to create amazing experiences rather than just money. This theme focuses on how we will use all our senses both consciously and unconsciously - to add a new dimension to our lives, especially for relaxation and leisure time.

individualization

sensation

Exploration

urbanization in numbers This graph from the United Nations shows very clearly that the pace of urbanization is getting faster.

Currently, 50% of all people already live in an urban area, but in the next decades this will increase to 70%.

urbanization in numbers We will have more mega cities of 10 million people or more, especially in Asian countries and this is the focus of many future forecasts. Yet realistically we also find that the blue area in the graph is still the largest, also in 2030, meaning that a little less than half of the urban population will still live in fairly small cities with less than 500000 inhabitants. These can also be suburban areas between larger cities.

what are the biggest markets in the future The urban population will increase by 2.5 billion by 2050, but this graph clearly shows that only a few countries will be responsible for a major part of this growth: India, China, Nigeria and Indonesia.

In the Western wold we often tend to forget that in a few years time countries in Asia and Africa might dominate the world economy, at least in terms of population. This means that we will have to develop more products for much warmer climates than we have in Europe or the US and for people with a different cultural background and taste.

Automotive

the future of car ownership in numbers When it comes to car ownership, we find very different developments in the bigger markets. For instance, these numbers from the Dutch Central Statistics Office show that the number of people that get their driver’s license is decreasing, especially among younger people, and this seems to be similar for other Western markets.

the future of car ownership in numbers These numbers from the New York Times show a similar development: less people actually own a car. This has to do with more than just financial reasons. Culturally it is also seen as less important to own a car - we could also share one with others - or make use of public transportation or a bicycle if the circumstances permit that. This also makes the car less of a status symbol than before.

the future of car ownership in numbers However, this graph from the Indian statistics agency shows quite the opposite: car ownership will increase steadily over the next years. India is in a different state of development and there cars are still very much seen as a status symbol. This means we will need different strategies for different markets and it also opens up new markets for Stahl, such as upholstery for innovative kinds of public transportation that will replace the personal car in the West.

luxury market the return of craft and decoration e The market for luxury cars will grow most strongly in Asian and African countries where cars are still the ultimate status symbol. However, these countries also have a different taste than Western countries, showing a much greater appreciation for decorative elements, leading to interiors like this Japanese Rolls Royce.

upholstery: luxurious ultra personalized hand crafted artfully decorated bejewelled luminescent soft to the touch tactile interface adjustable colour/ print

mass market decorative but small e We will see the same need for decoration in more mainstream cars. It is likely that smaller cars will become more popular, like this smart Forvision concept car, to avoid further congestion in larger urban areas.

This design also shows an Asian influence in the interior, using white combined with shiny elements and coloured lighting, much more ‘fancy’ and outspoken than is generally sold in Western countries at the moment. The white interior also has a more cooling effect.

upholstery: lightweight sustainable affordable cooling energy generating easy to clean dust repellent luxurious looking adjustable to personal taste

autonomous pod cars that could possibly be sharede With many people living in cities we will see a different need for transportation, making the car more like ‘private public transportation’. The general expectation is that we will have some kind of small, smart, autonomous, electrical pod cars that you can either own or share. People will see a car more as a service than a product that you will want to own. This will also create very different needs for upholstery.

upholstery: lightweight shock absorbing sustainable affordable energy generating anti-bacterial self cleaning self healing dirt repellent/ resistant tactile interface temporarily adjustable to taste

Possible scenario google transport With cars becoming more of a service, future car brands can come from very different backgrounds and use completely different business models. For instance, we could envision this scenario where online giants like Google provide transportation services that are paid by advertisements and data.

This is certainly not unlikely, since Google is investing heavily in online taxi service Uber to get data about the way consumers move around in urban areas and has already produced a prototype for an autonomous car.

The cars has no windows. The view is projected on Ultra-HD screens so that personalised ads can be shown linked to your location. Use is free. You pay with your data.

Omni-directional autonomous vehicle

Vehicle is called with google+ profile

Public transportation

Potential new market: high-end shared transportation

Growing urban areas are also creating a need for better public transportation and we feel this could be a very interesting new market for Stahl. Buses and trains will become much more sophisticated and the market will be open for private shared transportation services like LEAP, a concept for high-end commuter buses that already exists in San Fransisco.

the comfortable commute public transport redesignede Shared transportation services will become more like mobile offices and/or bars, creating a need for upholstery that is very similar to home or office furnishing, yet more durable and easy to clean. In fact, we expect that there will be much more overlap between Stahl’s automotive and home furnishing departments in the near future, perhaps even making it one department.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable lightweight shock absorbing sustainable highly durable anti bacterial self cleaning self healing dirt resistant energy generating tactile interface

high-speed trains long distance transportation Besides buses, for short commutes in the city, we will also find high speed trains for longer trips. These are even supposed to replace air traffic as much as possible. This graph shows how Europe and Asia - except India - are investing greatly in new highspeed railways.

high speed trains the new airplanese The interiors of high speeds trains will become much more luxurious, like a mobile hous and/or office. We will also still find different classes of transportation within the same train, providing various options for upholstery.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable lightweight shock absorbing sustainable highly durable anti bacterial self cleaning self healing dirt resistant energy generating sound absorbing tactile interface

Air traffic the real growth market Even though most focus in the media is on increasing sustainable types of transportation, we wanted to include this chart to show that air traffic is still the real growth market around the world.

We will find more consumers getting the possibility to travel internationally and we will see that more business people will start seeing private air traffic as a very convenient option to escape the congested streets and have more time more meetings and/or leisure.

private helicopters like flying luxury carse As streets are getting more and more crowded with traffic, it is no surprise that both consumers and car brands are taking to the skies. We do not see flying cars becoming mainstream at all in the next ten years, but we do see private helicopters becoming like flying luxury cars, like these examples by Mercedes Benz and Versace.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable branded decorated ultra personalized lightweight shock absorbing insulating heating/warming sound absorbing sustainable highly durable energy generating tactile interface

the private jet becoming more attainablee Private jets used to be only for the super wealthy, but with air traffic becoming more popular for relatively short corporate trips we see new players come to the market for pivate airplanes, such as this HondaJet.

super deluxe air traffic corporate airplanese In the market for luxury air travel we also see an increasing overlap with home furnishing, especially for super deluxe corporate airplanes like these. For instance, we will find windowless airplanes that will be like flying panorama restaurants or highly specialized coporate planes, like this design for Nike, meant to fly top athletes to tournaments.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable branded decorated ultra personalized lightweight shock absorbing insulating heating/warming sound absorbing sustainable highly durable energy generating tactile interface

Home furnishing

tourism trends the new nomadism With most of us living in crowded urban areas, the need to escape becomes stronger and this also has an effect on housing, both our own permanent homes as well as more temporary vacation housing.

When we look at trends in tourism we already see a shift in focus from ultra luxury and convenience to experience and adventure. Especially a younger audience is looking to gain unique experiences and stories. They are looking for this in longer holidays, but also for short (weekend) trips outside of the city, seeking peace, quiet and a sense of freedom in more natural rural areas, creating a new kind of nomadism.

tourism trends connected, authentic, green Hotels are also shifting their focus to what the modern consumer values most. Free wi-fi is much more essential for most travelers than a mini bar, for instance. With the need for unique experiences comes are revaluation of local, authentic apsects.

Urban areas will all become much more alike over time, so people will want to find unique destinations that show craft and culture.

Last but certainly not least we see that customers expect a sustainable, green environment.

the new mobile home to enjoy naturee The need to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and to accumulate experiences leads to a new kind of mobile vacation homes that remind of nomadic ways of living, yet with modern looks and luxury. We find architects coming up with ‘eco pods’ that can move or be moved to any location, so you can enjoy different natural surroundings.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable eco looking natural fibers ethnic elements minimal packable lightweight insulating heat regulating easy to clean or self cleaning waterproof insect repellent

luxury travel market nomadic objectse The new nomadism trend is also making its way to the luxury home market, as you can see in projects like this by Louis Vuitton. At Salone del Mobile in Milan they presented their “Objets Nomades’, a collection of ethnic-inspired, packable and collapsible holiday home furniture made in collaboration with a range of established furniture designers.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable eco looking veg tan leather natural fibers tactile ethnic elements packable/foldable lightweight

luxury travel market ethnic inspiratione These are some more examples of Vuitton’s ‘Objets Nomades’, clearly showing the ethnic inspiration in shape, colour and material.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable eco looking veg tan leather natural fibers tactile ethnic-inspired packable/foldable lightweight

budget travel market smart nomadse We find the same trend in packable, foldable furniture for the more mainstream budget travel market, yet made in different materials, emphasizing practical aspects instead of luxury and craft.

upholstery: minimal eco looking packable lightweight insulating easy to clean or self cleaning anti bacterial waterproof insect repellent

business travel market ultra practicale We feel this new trolley bag shows another potential market for Stahl: luggage. With more people traveling we are finally seeing some more practical, smart luggage, like this Kickstarter project called Barracuda.

This suitcase is a hybrid of a trolley and a mobile work station.

upholstery: lightweight indestructable foldable easy to clean or self cleaning waterproof anti-odour energy generating shock resistant connective fashionable

Fashion

luxury fashion market coatings for extreme weathere As luxury adventure travel increases, we also see new kinds of fabrics that are meant for that or are inspired by it. These look like ordinary fashion fabrics, yet they have invisible (nanotech) properties, making them totally resistent to the elements, for instance.

The examples on this page are by a brand called Norwegian Rain that makes deluxe outer wear for men and women using technical fabrics that are normally applied in hardcore outdoor gear.

materials: luxurious/ fashionable resitant to extreme weather invisible finishes natural looking lightweight insulating heat regulating easy to clean or self cleaning no need to iron tactile/soft sustainable

mainstream fashion market new rainweare For the more mainstream consumer we already find the trend in outdoor-inspired fashion on quite a large scale, but we expect it will continue. We will find new fashionable plastic rainwear and padded materials that look and feel like a wearable sleeping bag.

materials: fashionable padded waterproof windproof lightweight insulating easy to clean transparent

interactive fabrics for safety and privacye Apart from the ‘big outdoors’-inspired outfits we also see a fast growing need for materials that are meant for the specific demands of life in an urban area. A lot of these have to do with the need to be visible or invisible. So on the one hand we find fabrics that are reflective or have interactive leds, while on the other hand we find materials that will make you invisible to cameras, for instance.

materials: fashionable interactive illuminating reflective invisible ‘flash back’ easy to clean heat regulating energy generating

luxury fashion market ethnic crafte The luxury nomadic story is also highly directional for fashion, so we find the same need for decorated luxurious leathers with a strong ethnic influence. Of course Stahl is already making great efforts in this area with Aduu Mal. This principle can be expanded to various other developing markets that Stahl is working with.

materials: luxurious/ decorated eco looking veg tan leather natural fibers ethnic-inspired artfully crafted authentic tactile

Materials

generating energy with transparent solar cellse Throughout this first chapter we often mentioned that materials should generate energy and/or be interactive. Possibilities for this are greatly increasing as solar cells are getting smaller and thinner and can now even be transparent. For instance, the roof of the Forvision car has transparent solar panels. The green foil you see on the balcony is solar energy foil and the stylish clothing by Pauline van Dongen also features solar panels that you can power mobile devices with.

generating energy with piezoelectric materialse There are also other ways to generate energy, for instance through piezoelectric materials. These are materials which generate electricity with mechanical strain. In the case of Stahl this could happen as you move in your seat or as you walk in shoes made with piezoelectric finishes. We also find energy generating floor tiles, which could be another potential new home furnishing market for Stahl. The piezoelectric function is invisible. For instance, Rico recently introduced a piezoelectric rubber with a transparent finish that converts pressure and vibration into electric energy.

You can also use bacteria to generate electricity as Neri Oxman does in her experimental luminescent pieces.

ultralight materials with special propertiese We have also mentioned the word lightweight almost everywhere. This is one of the main leading features in research anyway. We notice new kinds or aerogels and foams that are not just ligthweight but could also have other special properties. For instance we find ‘meta materials’, such as very special ‘oxatic’ stretch textures that are extremely shock absorbing and/or can be programmed to change function depending on the circumstances. These materials can be very interesting as new high performance substrates.

Individualization

inner city life your own personal bubblee Even though a substantial part of the global population will still live in fairly small towns of about 500000 people, we do find a growing number of people living in crowded megacities of several millions of people. Here space is scarce and we will find tiny apartments that are very close together. It is very likely that these will be inhabited by singles or tiny family units that turn their habitat into their own little bubble, completely catered to their preferences.

size of family and housing in numbers The graph on the right shows the development in family size. As you can see the number of children per family will decrease to less than 2.1 for most families, meaning that we either find singles or people with one or maybe 2 children, no more. This has to do with the fact that we have an ageing population - leaving many single elderly people - and with social changes.

We now find that younger people get married much later in life, if ever, and also have children at a much older age.

This is in conjunction with the size of housing; as you can see in the other graph, housing in countries with a high population density in cities, like China, is considerable smaller than is other places.

number of children per family

Automotive

my car is my castlee Since people will want to create their own personal ‘castle’ they will want to have that same feeling in their car, so we will see a big overlap in automotive and home furnishing upholstery. We even find luxury city apartments where the parking problem is solved by taking the car into the elevator and into the home. As cars become autonomous we will find that car interiors will look ever more like living rooms, since you also use them the same way if you do not have to drive yourself. If cars are shared you can temporarily customize your car to your preferences using the interactive upholstery that acts like a computer screen. This can include the outside of the car as well.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable home = car branded ultra personalized lightweight shock absorbing insulating heating/warming energy generating interactive tactile interface

designer furniture for the care For the luxury car market we see that this development of wanting your car to be like you house leads to a surge in deluxe leather upholtery that reminds of home furnishing, using fashionable padding and decoration.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable home = car branded ultra personalized leather shock absorbing insulating heating/warming energy generating sound absorbing tactile

home furnishing for the care For the more mainstream market we find new ‘homy’ looking upholstery, in cosy colours and patterns that you would not have seen in cars before.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable home = car colourful prints ultra personalized lightweight shock absorbing insulating heating/warming energy generating interactive tactile interface

mobile living rooms autonomous carse In the further future we find that cars will be autonomous and could literally function as a mobile living room. These various concept cars already show very different seating arrangements, for instance, with passengers facing each other as you would do at home. We will also find very different interiors in cars, featuring home-like elements, such as couches, beds, tv screens, small kitchen facilities etc. This will change demands for upholstery, making it the same as home furnishing.

upholstery: luxurious/ fashionable home = car cosy ultra personalized lightweight shock absorbing insulating heating/warming energy generating interactive tactile interface

future scenario the ikea care Again we have translated the developments we mentioned in this story into a cohesive scenario.

If the car basically becomes part of the home and automotive upholstery is the same as home furnishing, we could imagine furniture companies like Ikea offering solutions autonomous cars as well, producing home furnishing that is also good for on the move, like recliner seats that can click to the floor and have seatbelts.

animal hair proof materials so you can bring your pete Products for pets were a huge trend at the previous Salone del Mobile and this inspired us to think about pet-proof materials for the car as well. If cars become like living rooms, it is very likely that people will want to bring their dog more often and maybe even their cats too. An anti-static finish that would prevent animal hairs from sticking to the upholtsery would certainly be welcome then!

Home furnishing

my home is my gardene As noise and pollution increases in the bigger cities, people will feel the need to change their home into a peaceful and healthy place, so we expect an increase in the need for natural, organic home furnishing that is sustainable, feels and looks very relaxing and even function as a natural air filter.

upholstery: soft/relaxing eco looking sustainable natural fibers minimal lightweight insulating heat regulating easy to clean sound absorbing air filtering

solutions for sensitivitiese Speaking of pets: a lot of people are allergic to them.

And not only to pets, but to a whole other array of substances. The number of people with allergies is increasing. Therefore it is no surprise that we find designers and companies developing solutions for this, such as this hypo-allergenic rug and these chairs with an anti-bacterial nano copper finish.

But you can also be sensitive to intangible nuisances, like noise, which is not uncommon in a city. Acoustic noise reducing finishes could be a new market for home furnishing.

upholstery: hypoallergenic anti bacterial sound absorbing

natural substrates for the homee Leather will become less popular for the home because of price reasons, but also because of sustainability and animal cruelty concerns. So it is not coincidental that we find designers experimenting with plant fibers or other animal - but not mammal - based materials. Cork is already a very common example, but how about Pinatex, a new leather alternative made from pineapple fibres, vinyl made of cacao or plastic made of crab shells? It would be wise for Stahl to look into bio-based materials and expand the team with biologists to find solutions that can be used on a larger scale.

upholstery: new plant fibers cork varieties bioplastics

personalized flooring through online appse Customization will be important for pretty much all products but through digital technology it will expand to segments that did not have it before, like flooring.

Through new online apps you could upload your images and have them cut out of vinyl.

new home decoration using new materialse At a recent graduatuon show from Design Academy Eindhoven we discovered these decorative ‘carpets’ that were made in a new kind of plastic with liquid inside that appeared to be moving. We could image more of such designs, especially since these are also hypeallergenic. A project like this can also be great for marketing, positioning Stahl as an innovation leader. This perfectly fits: “if it can be imagined, it can be created”.

3D printed home furnishingse 3d printing does not just offer a high level of customization, it is also a way to reintroduce decoration in design. The main reason why we did not see elaborate decoration in design or architecture for a long time is that it was too expensive for today’s standards. But with 3d printing technology it can be introduced again and that is what we see happening.

Material options are still limited though and that is why we feel it would be a great new market for Stahl to develop finishing for 3d printing.

Fashion

designing for change natural finishese As designers are seeking solutions to combine the consumer’s need for constant change with sustainable manufacturing, we find that they come up with natural finishes that change over time. Algaemy for instance, is a brand that dyes leather and fabric with algae. The natural colour spectrum that can be created changes over time under the influence of sunlight. The colours do not really fade, they just change. Green could become blue, yellow could become orange. The poster is another example: this is a finish created with molds, so that it changes over time. Most people will find that yukky, yet with more experimentation you could get it to look pretty.

materials: natural colours natural ingredients meant to change

new homewear tactile and relaxede As we start cocooning more inside our bubble, and can also work from home, we find a new kind of homewear.

It is comfy yet luxurious and can also be worn outside the home, should you need to go for a meeting or shopping.

upholstery: soft/relaxing eco looking sustainable natural fibers anti-bacterial minimal lightweight insulating heat regulating easy to clean no ironing unisex

individualized fashio through 3d printinge 3d printing has the same effect on fashion as it has on home furnishing, perhaps even more so. We now find the first brands implementing 3d printed consumer goods, or at least partially 3d printed. Brands like Sols present a glimpse of what the future could look like, since they predict fully customized and breathable interactive 3d printed shoes with gyroscopes that provide constant air circulation. They have recently accumulated many millions to actually produce this dream. Again: a great opportunity for Stahl to create finishes on 3d printed substrates. We highly recommend conduction serious research into this market and would be glad to help with this.

Materials

products as interfaces oled screen materialse Now that computer (oled) screens have become super thin and flexible we can start using them as materials for footwear and other on other curved surfaces, such as skins for cars. Basically all products can become computer interfaces. This will be a huge step forward in easy customizaton. Instead of having to send your Instagram pictures to Adidas to have them printed on a shoe, as you can do now, you can just download them directly and change them in a second. This will also make customization for shared cars totally feasible.

It is a possible threat to Stahl, since it could decrease the need for optical finishes.

interactive wall covering cuddle your home The oled screen developments will certainly also affect the home, but we already have other technologies, using sensors and led lights that create interactive walls and ‘touchy feely’ interfaces. This shows how the fact that our environment will turn into a gigantic interface can also be an opportunity for Stahl. It means that people will become more and more used to touching and swiping things, and of course they want that to be a pleasant sensation, so we will find textile interfaces. At the same time they want these to be clean, so they need to be anti-bacterial too.

Apart from digital technology we also see an increase in the use of thermochromatic inks for the home, such as these interactive tiles. It will be necessary to try and make these less toxic for home use.

Sensation

Potential new market: virtual reality decors

In this final story we do not make a distinction between automotive, home and fashion, because there is none! This is about the new digital world that stimulates all senses. One new potential market for Stahl are the upcoming virtual reality gaming centers, like The Void, that build actual decors, that visitors touch, yet they see a whole different world with their VR glasses. This opens up a whole new market for spectacular tactile finishes.

tactile finishes that create new sensations With people touching their surroundings all the time to active interfaces, tactility because of great importance, yet we also want clean surfaces. This video - that is a forecast for the wellness industry - shows how we can take inspiration from cosmetics for the creating of new textures.

visualizing the unseen new functional interactive finishes

Lauren Bowker of London based design studio The Unseen is a lighting example of a new breed of designers that combine technology and aesthetics. She is trained as a chemist and a designer and now designs new finishes that reveal the unseen, like inks that respond to wind or brainwaves. Not just for aesthetic purposes, but also fur fuctional reasons. Would it not be great if you could see if someone is about to have a ceasure through colour patterns?

visualising the unseen through interactive coatingse We have seen thermochromatic inks before, yet now we will find finishes that respond to a much wider range of variables than just temperature. For instance, the crystals in the cap on the top row show brain waves and so does the dress on the left. The jacket on the second row on the right responds to wind. The materials on the bottom row respond to toxicity - to identify dangerous substances - and to pollution, showing the level of CO2 emission in the air. This opens up a whole new market for Stahl. It would be worthwhile to research what people might like their finish to respond and what to reponse should be.

e-inks changing colour with electricitye As we are using more e-readers, we also get better e-inks, so we can see colour on a screen without harming our eyes because of the backlight. As e-inks can look matte - and do not emit so much light that they will look like a lamp - we will see them used for new applications, such as home decoration.

interactive environmentse We do not know of any places yet that actually use all surfaces as computer interfaces already, but this club in London shows what that could look like. They used led lighting and projections to continually change colours and images on the walls and the furniture.

automotive upholstery on the outside With surfaces becoming interactive we will find new interactive ‘skins’ for the outside of the car; another great potential market for Stahl!

feel the flavour edible coatingse As we are creating new multi-sensory experiences, we are also including the sense of taste, through finishes and materials that are made with food substances - such as 3d printed sugar and chocolate paper - or though finishes that look very tasty!

sense the smell scented finishese And last but not least this also includes scented finishes, such as scratch and sniff. Since these finishes usually loose their function over time, we also find designers working on more nanotech solutions that will create permanent smell.

expect the unexpected: high performance fashion

New digital and biological finishes will have profound effects on performance clothing. We can create a whole book about this, but this video shows a great example. What you see is NOT you get!

the carless driver new auto sportse Cars that need a driver might become extinct, but that could also open up a new market in auto sports. Just like the horse was used for sports after it was used for transportation, so might the driven car become a nostalgic toy that can be driven in special designated places once we all have autonomous cars. This also opens ups new possibilities for upholstery.

lab grown leather bioprinted materials American company Modern Meadow claims that they will launch the first commercial lab grown leather in 2017. As their graph shows, they still plan to grow sheets of the material, but we reckon the next step should be to grow it in the shape of the product, ommitting any waste.

Another option that is often overlooked is that through bioprinting - which is basically 3d printing with living cells - you could also create entirely new kinds of tissue, with completely different combinations of properties that you would never find in nature.

It remains to be seen of their claim that it is ‘harmless to animals’ is valid, since for now bioprinting requires foetal bovine serum - blood plasm from dead cow foetuses - to give the cells nutrition to grow. We do expect though that growing materials in the lab will become the truly disruptive technology of the future.