High-Fiber Design

design awards

	GOLD AWARD
	Category: International Designer Exhibitor: Eternit AG Design: Astrid Bornheim Architektur, Berlin, 49-30-4403-7735, www.astridbornheim.de Fabrication: Zeissig GmbH & Co. KG, Springe, Germany, 49-5041-649-0, www.zeissig.de Show: Bau, 2009 Budget: $405,000 Size: 66-by-51 feet Cost/Square Foot: $120

hen Eternit AG introduced a new line of products at Bau 2009, a building-materials show in Munich, Germany, the company didn't just display those products - it also built a booth out of them.

With the help of Berlin-based design firm Astrid Bornheim Architektur, the building-materials company created a structure that continued an Eternit tradition of bringing its fiber-cement products to life by building its exhibits from the strong, versatile material.

The exterior of the booth was as white as an Arctic landscape, comprising a series of panels made from white fiber cement. The interior, however, featured dimly lit rooms made using black fiber-cement panels. A large central lounge at the core of the space returned to the exterior's stark color scheme with more white panels and bright lighting. The focal point of the lounge area was a bar stretching more than 33 feet across where attendees enjoyed refreshments and snacks.

A small alcove just off the lounge, called the "Hall of Fame," told the story of Eternit's history in the building industry through the use of 3-D photographs. Each picture showed one of the company's iconic products, a view of its corporate headquarters, or an image from a past building project.

Throughout the exhibit, color was used sparingly. In fact, the only elements that offered a splash of color in the entire 3,366-square-foot space were benches and a glass table in the central lounge, which popped in primary hues of red and green - Eternit's corporate colors.

"They've created an environment that uses these fiber-cement panels in very imaginative ways," one judge said. "A person walking through this space would have a very tactile experience with those panels - and therefore with the company's products." E

Brian Todd, staff writer; btodd@exhibitormagazine.com

Black and White
With the booth divided into dark and light spaces, Eternit AG gave attendees a place to experience the company's new building materials in the darker rooms and reconnect with staffers and fellow attendees in the lighter lounge area. After enjoying refreshments, visitors perused 3-D photos of Eternit's products and past projects in the "Hall of Fame" alcove.