Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen
red dot design museum in Germany and in Singapore
red dot design museum in Germany –
a special type of museum
With more than 1,500 exhibits, the red dot design museum in the former
boiler house of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex houses
the largest exhibition of contemporary design worldwide. The exhibition
has a very long tradition that reaches back as far as the mid-1950s. It was
the Krupp company that founded the predecessor to the Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen, the “Industrieform” association, together with the
BDI [“Bundesverband der deutschen Industrie”: Federation of German
Industries]. In 1955, the “Permanent Industrieform Exhibition” was opened
in the ”Small House” of Villa Hügel, the legendary abode of the Krupp
family in Essen. The consumer goods exhibition was considered a standard-
setting presentation that served as a model for industry and consumers. The
exhibition attracted around 450,000 visitors in the first two years alone.
Today there are more than 4,000 square meters of exhibiting space showing
only contemporary products. Visitors will recognise many of these consumer
goods and will maybe even have one or two of the products at home. The
exhibits share a very special feature that distinguishes them from other
everyday items, namely their excellent design.
Good design – par for the course in the design museum
But what is good design, and what makes the industrial products on
exhibition special? Each exhibit has a special shape that is generally
designed to match the specific task of the product. Good design stems from
a balanced combination of four qualities: the quality of the function,
aesthetics, use, and responsibility.
Every year, design experts from all over the world decide which products
will be displayed in the red dot design museum. They make up the jury for
one of the world’s most important design competitions: the red dot design
award. In the course of long sessions, they test and discuss the products,
assess their innovative design quality based on different criteria depending
on their task and purpose, and ultimately decide which items from the wide
variety of areas – living, traffic, kitchen, bathroom, leisure, work, health,
communication, and many more – have earned the ”red dot” mark of
quality and thus a place in the museum.
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Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen
The red dot design museum offers its visitors an overview of excellent
contemporary design with the aim of promoting an understanding and an
appreciation of the quality of products. The products on show in the
museum testify to a developed contemporary product culture that plays a
key role in shaping life in our modern society.
The contrast between old and new – product culture and architecture
The house has a museum character that is exuded mainly by its impressive
architecture. The former boiler house of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine
Industrial Complex is often reverentially referred to as the “cathedral of
industrial culture”. Built between 1928 and 1932 by the Bauhaus-inspired
architects Fritz Schupp and Martin Kremmer, it served as the powerhouse
of the Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex for many years. The
complex, which was abandoned in 1986, is viewed as one of the most
significant industrial monuments of the 20th century, and was listed as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine
Industrial Complex was thus added to the list of protected cultural
monuments including such prestigious monuments as the Egyptian
pyramids and the Taj Mahal. In 1996, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein
Westfalen decided to move together with its exhibition – now the red dot
design museum – from Essen city center to the attractive Coal Mine
Complex.
The Design Zentrum commissioned the British architect Lord Norman Foster
to convert the boiler house. He designed the new domicile, transforming
the boiler house into an inspiring location for exhibitions and events. The
new architecture with glass and concrete achieves a subtle blend with the
old structure made of glass, red steel structure work and brick. The path
leads along the steel girders, past pipes and fired tiles to the ‘floating‘
gallery level that never ceases to provide new and exciting views of the
exhibition.
Nowadays the red dot design museum provides a breathtaking backdrop for
contemporary industrial products, making them protagonists in an
environment that has been redefined from a former place of production to
a room for communication. In the past, just three men worked here for
every shift, but now thousands of people flock to the red dot design
museum each year.
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Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen
Design on stage
Making good design tangible, exhibiting the quality of daily objects and
making these available to the public, thus providing some direction and
encouraging an appreciation of quality – these are the tasks of the red dot
design museum.
The permanent exhibition, which presents new products each year, is
complemented by different special exhibitions relating to the topic of
design. In addition, all winners of the product design competition are
displayed in a special exhibition every year in summer before they are
integrated in the museum. The prizewinners of the communication design
competition are presented every year in December at another special
exhibition.
For information on further exhibitions and events, please visit:
www.red-dot.de/museum.
Opening times of the red dot design museum
Tuesday to Thursday 11 am – 6 pm
Friday to Sunday, public holidays 11 am – 8 pm
Entrance fees
Adults EUR 5
for special exhibitions EUR 8
reduced rate EUR 3 / EUR 5
Groups of 15 or more EUR 3 each
Groups with a guide EUR 3 each
Children under the age of 12 Free
Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children): EUR 15
Club card
(one year’s free entry for 1 adult + 1 guest): EUR 30
Visitors to the Ruhr Museum and persons who take part in guided tours by the
Stiftung Zollverein receive a reduced rate for entry to the red dot design museum
when they present a valid day ticket.
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Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen
Guided tours
Pre-booked guided tour (max. 25 persons per tour):
1 hour EUR 120
for schools and universities EUR 100
1.5 hours EUR 180
for schools and universities EUR 150
Public tour (subject to prior booking):
Every Sunday at 3 pm Free
Guided tours can be booked by telephone from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm at:
+49 (0)201 30 10 4-0
red dot design museum
Zeche Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex
Hall 7
Gelsenkirchener Str. 181
45309 Essen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)201 30 10 4-0
Fax: +49 (0)201 30 10 4-40
E-mail: museumsservice@red-dot.de
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Design Zentrum
Nordrhein Westfalen
A creative center in the heart of Asia –
red dot design museum in Singapore
A second red dot design museum was opened in November 2005 in
Singapore. It is housed in the red dot traffic, an impressive colonial-style
building that was once the headquarters of the traffic police. The
building is painted bright red and is the creative center of modern
Singapore. The red dot design museum is the main attraction. In addition
to the red dot design museum, the red dot traffic houses creative firms
such as advertising agencies and design studios.
For the winners of the “red dot award: product design”, the red dot
design museum in Singapore offers the unique opportunity to present
their award-winning products to the Asian public in Asia’s hub, in the
heart of the booming city-state of Singapore.
Opening times
Monday, Tuesday, Friday 11 am – 6 pm
Saturday, Sunday, public holidays 11 am – 8 pm
Wednesday and Thursday Closed
Entrance fees
Adults SGD 8.00
reduced
(Children under the age of 12, students, OAPs) SGD 4.00
red dot design museum Singapore
28 Maxwell Road #02-15
red dot traffic
Singapore 069120
Phone: +65 6534 7194
E-mail: info@red-dot.sg
Press contact
Astrid Ruta
Communications Manager
Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen
Gelsenkirchener Str. 181
45309 Essen
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)201 30 10 4-33
E-mail: ruta@dznrw.com
www.red-dot.de/press
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