Michael Schmidt, product designer, Code2Design 

Michael Schmidt is an internationally active product designer. In 1989, he graduated from Stuttgart University as an engineer before going on to do a postgraduate course on capital goods design at Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design. He spent the first years of his career in industry at Mercedes Benz and DesignworX where, in 1994 he created the new design for AUDI's brand logo. In 1996 he founded his own design studio Code2Design in Stuttgart. Michael Schmidt sees himself as a design author who translates stories into products. In 2011 he was awarded the Aqua Cultura Prize for his services to bathroom culture. 

Our society is becoming older and more heterogeneous. The number of over 50s is increasing rapidly. In the coming decade, every second person in our society will already be more than 50 years old. A multitude of studies confirm that 'living at home' is people's preferred accommodation option for their old age. More than two thirds of today's over 50s want to live independently in 'normal' accommodation and in their familiar environment for as long as possible rather than moving into e.g. a retirement home.  

The debate about 'housing for the elderly' and the associated requirements that have to be met by architecture and design is thus developing into a paradigm shift. Whereas for a long time bathrooms and bathroom furnishings were merely user-friendly, they will in future be planned and built to be increasingly barrier-free and thus suitable for all generations. On their own, the 'safety' and 'disability-friendly' criteria are no longer enough.  

 

It is safe to assume that, in many areas of life, DIN 18040 will establish itself as standard and the Universal Design approach will assert itself in the development and design of products, product systems and processes. The great challenge facing designers, architects and the industry can thus be summed up in the question: What will the bathroom of the future look like if it is to permit unrestricted usage in old age whilst simultaneously ensuring that the men/women/children who use it feel totally and utterly at home? 

 

 

Lecture: Universal design – barrier-free bathroom design 

Speaker: Michael Schmidt, Code2Design 

Date: Wednesday, 13. March 2013, 12:15 - 12:45 

Location: Hall 3.0, booth D95, ISH Frankfurt/Main 

 

A complete overview about the schedule of the ISH you will find here. 

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