Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノ by Davids Klavins

Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノ by Davids Klavins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award 銀賞 in 楽器デザイン Competition Category.

銀楽器· 2021

Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノ

by Davids Klavins

Client: Nils Frahm

A' Design Award 銀賞 Winner in 楽器 Category

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Colors

The Design

About Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノ

ウナ・コルダは、家具のような外装ケースを持たないアコースティックピアノです。開放的な設計により、音は遮られることなく聴き手へと届きます。この楽器は1音につき1本の弦を張り、ステンレススチール製のフレームと二層構造の響板を備えています。従来のピアノに用いられる鋳鉄フレームとは異なり、ステンレススチール製フレームはピアノを軽量に保ちます。それによって生まれる音色は、柔らかく澄んだものとなります。ウナ・コルダは従来のピアノと同じように演奏でき、露出したメカニズムによって、それぞれの音がどのように生み出されるのかを目で見て理解することができます。このピアノは手作業で製作され、化学薬品は一切使用されていません。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀賞

Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノは、見事で印象的なハイエンドのデザインに授与される、非常に権威ある評価である A' Design Award 銀賞の受賞作品です。銀賞の受賞作品は、きわめて輝かしく創造性に富んだ作品であり、デザイナーの傑出した専門知識、才能、洞察力を示しています。Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノは、素晴らしい代表作であり、驚くほどプロフェッショナルで、深く革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銀賞を受賞したデザインは、非常に注目すべき称賛される発明であり、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術の境界に寄与し、それを前進させます。Una Corda Piano アコースティックピアノは、多くの人に羨まれる創造物であり、欲求を呼び覚まし、前向きな感情をもたらし、驚きと感嘆を灯します。

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