Deividas Juozulynas and Denis Orlenok of Desdorp, the design studio behind the award-winning station, say that this is one of the most important competitions in the world of design, as it impacts global design rankings. They say the urban environment itself was a key inspiration for the design of the Inbalance charging station.
„The concept was dictated by the changing city and modern office buildings, which are characterised by a balance between form, function and material. The station blends in with the architecture of the city, fitting in the streets of the old town or the city centre, next to new business centres, in car parks or in the surroundings of private houses. At the same time, the minimalist design helps the user to focus on function, to get to know the product faster and to start using it,“ says D. Juozulynas
Each year, the A’ Design Competition jury selects and awards the best entries in six categories – space, industrial, communication, fashion, systems design, and art and literature. The main aim of the competition is to encourage and empower designers, businesses, and brands to create better products that contribute to the common good of humanity.
Nerijus Šiaulys, chief technology officer and co-founder of Inbalance, which develops smart charging solutions for electric vehicles, notes that the task of fitting a large number of innovative solutions into one sustainable product with a minimal CO2 footprint was a challenge for the whole team.
„Although electric car charging stations are a utilitarian product, their form is as important as their function. Thoughtful design ensures that the charging station fits in the city, is aesthetically pleasing and does not create additional visual pollution. For these reasons, in addition to smart solutions and innovations, we also looked for the right ‘body’ for our product development – a minimalist element for the emerging city of the future,“ says the co-founder of Inbalance.
He is delighted that the joint efforts of the Lithuanian start-up and the industrial design studio have been noticed by design professionals, academics, journalists, and key industry experts – all of whom form the core of the A’ Design Award panel. The synergy between Inbalance and Desdorp proves that Lithuania is seen around the world not only as a country creating advanced products but also designs that match them.
The A’ Design Competition award is not the first recognition of the exceptional design of an electric car charging station: Inbalance and Desdorp’s work has already been recognised at last year’s Lithuanian Design Week, where it received the Good Design Award in the Product Design category.
The design also reflects future trends in urban design
According to co-founder Šiaulys, while charging electric cars should be a simple, easy activity for the user, a lot of homework is needed to ensure smooth functionality. As cities and travel transform, the need for charging stations will only grow, and it is, therefore, essential to look for „light“, visually appealing, sustainable, and easy-to-develop solutions.
„My team and I set out to make the user experience as seamless as possible, with the most important information being presented to the user both in the form of light indicators and on the screen of their smartphone. The charging stations are resistant to extreme environmental conditions, so they can be installed practically anywhere – in parking lots, in the backyards of apartment buildings, in garages,“ he says.
According to Desdorp co-founder D. Orlenok, the most important point of reference for a city is the individual and their needs – lifestyle, mobility, aesthetics. Therefore, technology must help the urban infrastructure to accommodate them.
„The city is a constantly changing living organism, adapting to trends and the rhythm of people’s lives. Cities need to become not only more comfortable but also greener, with greenery meaning not only vegetation but also the use of environmentally friendly means of transport and alternative ways of getting around. Following the European Green Deal and similar initiatives, it seems that sustainability has become a very important part of environmental design and that a focus on people and their needs will be a key element in the design of the cities of the future,“ said Mr Orlenok.
