Fresh Paint
orees will receive a paint-drop-shaped
HUE glass sculpture and $5,000 cash
prize. Besides Amy Wax, they include
Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design, New
York, for Residential Interiors; Envision
Design, Washington, DC, for Contract
Interiors; and Allen + Philp Arch-
itects/Interiors, Scottsdale, AZ, for
Contract Exteriors. All competed in their
categories against a total of nearly 150
entries from around the U.S.
honor will go for the first time to an
interior design firm, Diamond
Baratta Design and its principals
William Diamond and Anthony
Baratta, of New York City. A HUE
Special Achievement Award will go
to Eikona Studios, of Cleveland, OH,
HYUNDAI I-FLOW CONCEPT CAR
FEATURES LIQUID METAL COATING
At the Geneva Motor Show held last month Hyundai and
BASF presented their jointly developed i-flow concept
car. The technologies and materials involved have not
been combined in automobiles to date and illustrate possibilities for mobility in the future, according to BASF.
For example, the interior of the i-flow offers a revolutionary seating concept, and the high-gloss liquid metal coating is not only eye-catching but also environmentally
friendly due to the use of a waterborne paint system.
A concept for the seat frame of the i-flow provides an
example for how lightweight construction materials can
help conserve resources. It features Ultramid Balance, a
polyamide that consists of 60 percent of renewable raw
materials, as well as other thermoplastics and energy-absorbing foams. The joint goal was to save as much
weight as possible by using plastic components.
Elastollan, a thermo-plastic polyurethane elastomer, can
be used for high-quality surfaces. It is abrasion-proof and
can be produced in a wide range of both light and dark interior colors. The BASF polyurethanes material Elastoskin is
used for the dashboard and for interior automotive parts.
The i-flow’s energy concept in its modern diesel engine
is encapsulated with a rigid foam polyurethane insula-
tion system that protects both the engine and the envi-
ronment. On short trips and in city traffic especially,
engines are slow to reach the optimum operating tem-
perature or cool down quickly. The thermal engine insu-
lation lessens this effect, reducing both emissions and
fuel consumption. In addition, a harvesting system using
the thermoelectric effect converts heat from the exhaust
gases into electrical energy that helps power auxiliary
systems. This results in significant fuel savings.
