Playful precision: Pip by Richard Lampert

Getting a piece of furniture ready for series production requires an eye for good, durable design, plenty of time, and the courage to take risks. Often it also means crossing technical and formal boundaries. If successful, this approach results in the creation of unique, meaningful products such as Pip, the modular, fire-resistant (A2-S1 d0 fire protection standard) furniture system, suitable for emergency escape areas.

The Daniel Kern-designed Pip system makes an immediate impression thanks to its strong, highly-individual looks, its modular functionality and its technical sophistication. With Pip, Richard Lampert has opened up a new field of expertise and, for the first time, launched a series-produced seating system for emergency exits in large buildings such as libraries, schools, universities and government offices.

Pip is not made of the usual metal, but of gypsum fibreboard with a terrazzo-like surface finish. The result is furniture with a pleasantly warm feel and a surprisingly elegant look. A further advantage is that Pip can be individually printed and electrically connected.

The system is easy to assemble – almost like a stacking game that children play with. It consists of a well-organised selection of flat core-elements, which can be connected together in countless configurations and covered with slip-on, fire-resistant covers (FR B1). This creates an infinite number of possible combinations. The system’s core material is fireproof, has a classification rating of A2-s1 and can therefore be used without restriction in the areas around emergency escape routes.

THREE QUESTIONS FOR DANIEL KERN

Which came first: Pip as a furniture system or the idea of designing furniture using a new material?

Daniel Kern: I like the concept that an idea can simply materialise. At the same time, I almost find it a bit depressing. In any case, with Pip, the sequence proved to be the right one.

How did the idea of developing a piece of seating furniture from a new material come about?

Daniel Kern: We had the idea of putting together discs to form a chair. The whole thing was to be implemented in a radically clean and uncomplicated way. Originally, the elements were completely covered with fabric. This appealed to Richard Lampert, but, of course, he was concerned that the production costs for such furniture would be too immense. Additionally, the businessman in him insisted on targeting specific requirements. We can therefore say that the extremely courageous decision to use an unusual material was the result of entirely rational considerations.

Does the material have special properties that need to be considered in the context of furniture?

Daniel Kern: Gypsum fibreboard can be processed with great precision. This starts with the fact that all boards are first calibrated on both sides. This precision is a basic requirement for Pip, because if such a simple design is presented with unsatisfactory joints and connections it no longer has any appeal.

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