Happy winnwers. From the left: Ole Petter Næsgaard (SINTEF), Margrethe Engan Gjære (Protex), Tore Christian Bjørsvik Storholmen (SINTEF) and Jens Christian Hernes (Protex). Photo: Jarl Reitan.

SINTEF wins design award

For the sixth time, product designers Ole Petter Næsgaard and Tore Christian B. Storholmen have received the Award for Design Excellence by the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture.

The award relates to the design and development of the Ragnarok clothing concept which consists of a complete range of work clothing specifically designed for fish farm workers in the aquaculture industry. Both designers currently work at SINTEF’s Health Research department, and are specialists in functional clothing. The Ragnarok range is produced by the textile manufacturer Protex which has its head office in Ålen, Norway, and manufacturing facility in Tallinn.

Here are the jury’s comments and reasons behind its decision:

 

The jury’s comments:

Each year, huge sums are invested in fish health by the fish farming and aquaculture industries, which represent a key sector within the Norwegian economy. However, the clothing worn by personnel who work to maintain the health of the fish has largely gone unnoticed. Protex and SINTEF launched a two-year research and development project to commercialise a new and improved work clothing concept, and the Ragnarok range was the result.

Reasons behind the jury’s decision:

An important product for the rapidly growing aquaculture sector. From the base to the outermost layers, these clothes provide an integrated and holistic design language inspired by sports and other work clothing concepts. Wearing this highly functional range of work clothing makes you feel both stylish and professional. The clothes are light, but robust. They are comfortable and allow for free movement, promoting personnel efficiency and safety while working along the sides of the fish cages. This has an obvious social impact. The clothes exhibit many excellent and functional details such as ideally-placed pockets, hidden zips to prevent damage to the fish, PVC-coated front panels to facilitate cleaning, and integrated knee pads. The entire range is based on using wool for the base layers against the skin and in intermediate layers, and synthetic fabrics in the outer layers. This principle represents a template for the effective use of clothing in harsh weather conditions. A proper and significant new development for the aquaculture industry.

 

MT003_bilde1_foto_stian_holmen_lein

Photo: Stian Holmen Lein

Company:

Protex AS

www.protex.no

Design:

SINTEF Technology and Society (Health Research)

www.sintef.no

 

Project team:

Project Manager: Tore Christian Bjørsvik Storholmen, SINTEF

Project Team Member: Ole Petter Næsgaard, SINTEF

Functioning Board Chair: Jens-Christian Hernes, Protex

Sales Manager: Martin Gregersen, Protex

Managing Director: Margrethe Engan Gjære, Protex

Production Manager Arve Olav Lervåg at Lerøy Midt AS acts as testing coordinator at the fish farm facilities and has a seat on the project’s steering committee

Senior Project Manager Guttorm Lange at ACE AS (AquaCulture Engineering) has a seat on the project’s steering committee.