Whenever Hans Hansen talks about HPL from Duropal, his eyes sparkle: “I am fascinated by such an honest form of material.” The designer from Arnsberg (Germany) has worked with it for two years. In the meanwhile he has brought out a whole series of furnishings made of HPL-Solid – with great success. His international customers are delighted, the jury of the renowned “red dot design award” is impressed: Hansen has won the coveted “red dot design award” for his “Library” modular storage and shelving system made of high-pressure laminate from Duropal.

“Library” features a minimalistic design, which is Hansen’s trade mark: Symmetrical and simple, made of eight-millimeter-thick HPL with a shining white surface and distinctive black edges, it is of pure elegance. “Both robust and hard wearing,” comments Hansen. Before he discovered HPL-Solid from Duropal for his design work, he had been working with sheet steel for a long time. “I was able to build on that experience,” he explains: “I work with HPL-Solid in the same way as with sheet steel – with the difference that HPL doesn’t dent.” Hansen also works with wood, steel and stainless steel, often in combination with HPL-Solid, “an ideal supplementary material.”

But HPL-Solid has many advantages also in its “pure” form. Hansen’s “Library” is the best example: With minimum thickness, the material has maximum stability. At the same time, HPL-Solid is water resistant, scratch proof, easy to clean and thus also suitable for outdoors. The designer shows the letter from the jury of the North Rhine Westphalia Design Center, which awards the “red dot design award:” The high quality of the shelving system’s material was the ultimate criterion for the award.