In 2004, only one year after the MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award was founded, BODUM AG and designer Masato Yamamoto received the award in the Product category for the ASSAM and PAVINA drinking-glass collections. Looking back more than two decades later, the decision demonstrates how early the competition was able to identify products with lasting design and market potential.
At first glance, a drinking glass appears to be a simple everyday object. ASSAM and PAVINA, however, transformed it through the intelligent use of material. Their double-walled construction made from borosilicate glass allowed hot beverages to be held comfortably without a handle, while helping hot drinks remain hot and cold drinks remain cold for longer. The insulating space between the two glass walls became part of the product’s visual identity: light, transparent and apparently floating.
This combination of material performance, functionality and distinctive aesthetics perfectly reflects BODUM’s design philosophy. Founded in Copenhagen in 1944, the family-owned company developed into an internationally recognised provider of glassware, coffee and tea makers, kitchen products and consumer goods. Its products combine Scandinavian clarity with an approachable, often playful aesthetic – based on the idea that good design should be functional, attractive and affordable.
The long-term success of the award-winning concept is particularly remarkable. PAVINA remains part of BODUM’s product range today and is still presented as one of the company’s bestsellers. The glasses have therefore survived changing design trends and become a recognisable part of the brand’s visual world.
The 2004 award also says something about the strength of MATERIALICA itself. Since its premiere in 2003, the competition has consistently focused on the interface between material development, engineering and aesthetic as well as functional design. At a time when these disciplines were often evaluated separately, MATERIALICA deliberately brought designers and engineers together.
More than two decades later, this approach is more relevant than ever. New materials, intelligent processes, sustainability and excellent design must work together to create products that succeed in the market. BODUM’s ASSAM and PAVINA collections are an early and enduring example.
Is your innovation capable of shaping its market for many years to come?
Submit your development to the MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award 2026.
Late Application deadline: August 31, 2026
https://www.emove360.com/awards/materialica-award/
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