Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli by Davids Klavins

Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli by Davids Klavins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Mea Kani Competition Category.

KalaMea Kani· 2021

Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli

by Davids Klavins

Client: Nils Frahm

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Mea Kani Category

550,204

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #122682

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli

ʻO Una Corda he piano kani maoli i kūkulu ʻia me ka ʻole o ka pahu lako hale. ʻO ka hoʻolālā hāmama e ʻae ai i ke kani e neʻe manuahi i ka mea hoʻolohe. Hoʻokahi kaula o kēia mea kani no kēlā me kēia leo, he kīʻaha kila kūpaʻa, a me ka papa kani pālua. Mālama ka kīʻaha kila kūpaʻa i ka piano me ka māmā, ʻaʻole e like me nā kīʻaha hao i hoʻohana ʻia ma nā piano kuʻuna. ʻO ka leo i puka mai he palupalu a maopopo. Hoʻokani ʻia ʻo Una Corda e like me ka piano kuʻuna, a hōʻike nā ʻāpana mīkini i ʻike ʻia i ke ʻano o ka hana ʻia ʻana o kēlā me kēia leo. Hana lima ʻia ka piano a ʻaʻohe kemika i hoʻohana ʻia.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Una Corda Piano Piano Kani Maoli e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Una Corda piano represents an open design, without a furniture "box", which serves for its sound to freely travel. It has only one string per tone, a stainless steel frame, and a double-layer soundboard, these features setting it aside from any traditional acoustic piano.
Dimensions & Packaging: 1330 mm x 670 mm x 1170 mm
Tags: Una Corda, Una Corda Piano, Klavins, Klavins Piano, Piano Innovation
Production Technology: The Una Corda design is strictly defined by the acoustic and technical properties of the piano, utilizing materials that serve best for each particular function. Stainless steel for the static frame serves for the lightness of the design, versus the heavy designs of traditional pianos, which all are equipped with cast iron frames. The Una Corda is completely hand-crafted, utilizing industry manufactured parts only for the action. The Una Corda is essentially a "green"product, no chemicals used.
Design Challenge: A major challenge was to define the most suitable material for the main frame of the Una Corda. All traditional pianos utilize a cast-iron frame, which was prohibitive for the Una Corda, for reasons of weight and cost. After thorough research of alternative materials like steel and aluminum, stainless steel showed most suitable, to pick up the string tension that sums up to 49 kN. Historically there has never existed an open-design acoustic piano, but in light of the rather open-minded public of the 21st century it seems appropriate to offer an innovative product design.
Research: Materials and design research, the objective being to design a piano that reflects the 21st century feel. Investigating existing piano designs by Internet search and based on years of experience with traditional piano design, as well as meticulous analysis of all factors pertinent to piano sound. Building a first prototype, evaluating its weaknesses and applying needed improvements. The final result constitutes a disruptive, strictly functional piano design, aiming to appeal to a public open for innovation on a field of generally rather conservative attitudes.
Inspiration: Frequently clients were asking for a softer sounding piano, compared to the traditional acoustic pianos. In the course of researching piano acoustics, I decided to strip the piano from any and all unnecessary features, invent a new, softer soundboard, and to build a piano by the strict principle of "form follows function" - the one-string-per-note Una Corda piano.
Project Duration: The project was started in February 2014 in Balingen, Germany, and basically finished by May 2015 in Germany, though it was finally completed in every detail only in December 2020 in Kuldiga, Latvia.
Operation Flow: The Una Corda technically is played like traditional pianos, though based on its open design the player can follow the mechanical process of each note pressed. The sound character differs from any other existing piano by means of softness and clarity of tone, because of the one-string-per-note principle, the specific soundboard design, and the specific hammer felt. The action is modified to play faster than typical upright piano actions allow for.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Davids Klavins, 2021
Image Credits: David Klavins
Video Credits: Native Instruments, Berlin