“We use design to deal with waste,” Czech idea maker Jindrich Fialka told ArchiExpo e-Magazine.
“We are a team of designers that give leftover materials from industrial production a new lease of life. We think it’s essential to be part of the solution to a growing problem.”
The Thought Bubble
It began with a dream, Fialka explained. He quit college, spent twice the money he had at the time and turned his dream into reality. In 2013 Fialka launched the startup Contiqua. He went to several companies, gathering leftover materials.
Fialka acquired remnants from leather upholstery manufacturer Wollsdorf, for example. While Fialka uses design, he doesn’t claim to be a designer: He’s an idea maker. It’s his savvy team of designers who come up with a product based on his detailed idea description. From leather remnants, they made wallets for their first product line. It doesn’t stop there.
“I was at a traffic light one day,” Fialka said, “and I imagined the unique shapes that would remain from the metal cut-outs used to hold the light.”
Lo and behold, a light fixture was designed by Matyas Fuchs.
Emotional Connection
Branching out to jewelry, Fialka pondered materials and ecology. With wood in mind, he decided he could make earrings from the remains of pianos. This idea was not strictly “green” focused, but an attempt to evoke an emotional connection to history.
“The most important part for me is the story behind it.”
A simple element can ignite a dream, like the traffic light. Fialka takes his idea, and then writes up a design brief for the designers. The brief identifies the product and cost and selects materials and technologies.
“I avoid saying what it should look like—shape, colors. That’s the designers’ work.”
Companies are turning around and commissioning Contiqua to design products for them. Fialka is thrilled.
“It’s still the same process, just designing for someone else.”
A short video about how 3M Česko and the Contiqua company collaborated to make a unique light from possible waste material:
What’s next?
Contiqua has been asked to design the trophy awarded to the top women of the Czech Republic this January 2016. The object’s form echoes the tiny bay leaf berry earrings worn by the late Emmy Destinn on the 2000 koruna Czech bill. An opera singer in the first part of the 20th century, Destinn remains one of the most prominent female figures in Czech history. Jindrich’s Contiqua is also developing a relationship with the megalith enterprise Skanska.
Consistent with its daringness, Contiqua is advancing its tech smarts with another startup, designing an electronic longboard made entirely of carbon fibers. ArchiExpo is eager to hear what Fialka will connect to skateboarding, but for now that’s another story.
