Polestar opens dedicated design studio in Gothenburg
Polestar has opened a key part of their growth with a new design studio for up to 120-strong team in Gothenburg
Feb 24, 2023
Much like the cars, Polestar’s new design studio in an environment that combines modernist architecture with the brand’s clean, minimalistic Scandinavian aesthetic.
The importance of a dedicated design studio for a car company cannot be understated. It’s a hub that, perhaps unlike more conservative areas of the business, breeds and nurtures the creative process, freedom of expression and explores new boundaries of style. Nestled in a dense forest in Sweden adjacent to the brand’s global headquarters, Polestar have opened their new design centre which will be responsible for the next generation of vehicles from the electric carmaker.
The dedicated facility isn’t a new building, it was originally a former Volvo facility completed in 1984 by Italian Romaldo Giurgola and local architect Owe Svärd, but has now been fully upgraded while maintaining its unique architectural character, based on drawings by Polestar’s Head of Design, Maximilian Missoni.
The complex provides a specialist home for up to 120 design team members, led by Missoni, where the Polestar Design team will continue to build on the brand’s new design language, previewed by the Polestar Precept and electric roadster concept cars, and carried into production with Polestar 3 which launched in October 2022.
Prime materials and details from the original 1980s construction sit juxtaposed alongside a high-quality, modern Scandinavian design from plans drawn up by Maximilian Missoni. The new facility includes a specialist showroom area, clay working station, material and colour lab, auditorium and multiple digital studio spaces, management offices, VR rooms and meeting spaces.
“When such care, attention to detail and material quality was so carefully considered at the point of construction back in 1982, it was important to me that we respected the original intentions when integrating our studio into the building. We deliberately showcase the original structure and detailing, respecting the very fabric that gives it its unique character.” Said Missoni of the facility.
We wanted to respect tradition, but we also wanted this to be a state-of-the-art home for our growing Design team. So, alongside the glorious views out west of the Gothenburg archipelago, the studio features the latest equipment on the inside to make our jobs easier and produce better results in the most efficient way.
The redesign of a building has similarities to designing a car. There is creative opportunities to explore, but also technical hardpoints that dictate the outcome. In the Polestar 3 for instance, Aerodynamics were key to shaping the SUV for the electric age. The overall design, with its powerful and wide stance, and low, sweeping roofline, is introduced by the SmartZone and front aero wing. Signifying the shift from ‘breathing to seeing’ as the age of electrification intensifies, Polestar 3 also presented designers with a challenge – to impart a sense of intelligence.
A dedicated design studio is vital to getting that balance of form and function just right.
“In today’s age of advanced product design it’s quite easy to display emotions like aggression and sportiness in a car. But try conveying intelligence in design – it’s not so easy. This is something we have spent a lot of time considering, to express the leading technology and sophistication of Polestar 3. It is distilled to the essence of an SUV but at the same time clearly shows a step into a new era.” Says Missoni.
Polestar 3 goes into production in mid-2023 with availability in New Zealand toward the end of 2023, Polestar New Zealand are taking orders now.
