karuun®
Natural Perfection
Using highly energy-efficient technology, we transform the rattan’s natural structure into a material which is both versatile and innovative. We call this new material karuun®. As a non-timber material, these characteristics place karuun® at the forefront of
natural alternatives to plastic. The combination of outstanding versatility and an eco-friendly lifecycle make karuun® thoroughly deserving of its indigenous name, “the hidden treasure”.
karuun® is the start of modern material thinking, be part of it now!
From Rattan to karuun®
A cross-section of rattan looks like a bundle of tubes. These tubes are in fact capillaries which allow rattan to transport water up to 200 metres. out for space utilises this natural attribute for its one of a kind, patented technology.
When the capillaries are injected with various bulking agents, rattan is transformed from a non-timber product with limited use into a versatile, innovative material – karuun®.
With a variety of applications in different fields and industries, karuun® is at the forefront of natural alternatives to materials like plastic.
Products
Processing karuun® rods into blocks opens the door to a multitude of new applications which harness the material’s natural flexibility and light weight.
The homogeneous structure of the fibre is unique. Depending on the direction in which it is cut, three different karuun® products with various possibilities can be created.
We sell semi-finished products made of karuun® to industries which manufacture custom products with karuun®.
karuun® stripe
Superior Aesthetic Standard
The tube-like structure of karuun® allows surfaces with custom dimensions to be manufactured in a process which leaves no visible joints or offcuts. This web of capillaries can also be injected with any colour variation and processed into a karuun® surface. karuun® stripe is perfect for use as on flat surfaces such as boards or panels, its applications in interior design are boundless, while its sustainability as a material captures the current zeitgeist.
The aesthetic elegance of karuun® stripe expands the horizons of design in both traditional and high-tech industries.
Features and benefits of karuun® stripe
- available in almost every colour
- post-formable into shapes with extremely tight angles
- can be joined without leaving any visible transitions
karuun® shine
Translucent Wooden Board
The structural composition of rattan is utilised to produce karuun® shine: a lightweight material which is simultaneously permeable to both air and light while also being strong and pleasant to the touch. Besides, the highly stable end-grain is also extraordinarily formable.
The unique capillary structure sets the foundation for application areas ranging from tailor-made, high-tech acoustic protection on one end of the spectrum, to futuristic lighting design and innovative flooring on the other.
Features and benefits of karuun® shine
- translucent
- permeable to air and light
- sound absorption
- malleable
karuun® 3D
Three-dimensional Shaping
The natural fibre structure lends the material its all-important pliability; the combination of capillary treatment and a special nonwoven viscose fabric means that the innovative surface boasts unprecedented three-dimensional formability.
Spherical objects from as small as a button to as large as a deep-drawn formed component can be manufactured without having to worry about splintering. Something which, until now, was only possible using artificial composite materials.
Features and benefits of karuun® 3D
- outstanding spherical objects
- comparable to artificial composite materials
karuun® Products
Specification
We sell semi-finished products made of karuun® to modern material-thinking companies.
We believe that active protection
of the environment can only work
if the local population benefits.
Profile
karuun® embodies the ability to combine community, economic and ecological interests. This balance is in tune with the times and provides an excellent angle to all industries who can use karuun® to challenge the customer requirements of today and tomorrow.
The main cause behind deforestation is the local population’s need for resources and a better livelihood. out for space believes that sustainable reforestation and active protection of the environment can only work if the local population benefits.
Help make the world a greener place:
Rattan Cultivation
An Almost Forgotten Aspect
karuun® is processed from rattan, a climbing palm which grows quicker than trees and whose cultivation provides significant advantages over other types of wood and non-timber products.
Rattan relies on biodiversity and cannot flourish in a monoculture, so supporting its cultivation actively helps preserve our planet’s rainforests and gives the local community a sustainable income. Purchasing karuun® products directly contributes to the health and preservation of earth’s rainforests.
Rattan naturally forms a symbiosis with neighbouring trees; it needs the rainforest to thrive. As a natural raw material, it grows like a liana and is harvested in the most eco-friendly way – by hand by local farmers. Growing and harvesting rattan benefits these farmers, so protecting the environment is in their best interest.
The karuun® Cycle
Based on Partnerships
Driven by globalisation, the steady growth of the global economy poses major challenges, especially to our ecosystem. Future-oriented companies are already responding to these challenges and reacting to changing consumer behaviour. This shift in attitude spurs us on to take responsible ecological and social action.
out for space actively embraces these changes, which is why we’ve developed the karuun® cycle. Together with our partners, Fairventures Worldwide and the VIVERE Group, we’re spearheading projects to guarantee local people a long-term income by monitoring existing rainforests and promoting reforestation.
Meet the first karuun® farmers on the island of Kalimantan using the Fairventures web map:
Pak Situ
Pak Peterson
1.8
Test area
Hectare
200
Seedlings
Amount
Jan
2018
Planted
1.3
Test area
Hectare
300
Seedlings
Amount
Jan
2018
Planted
Pak Garson
Pak Wandri
3.1
Test area
Hectare
400
Seedlings
Amount
Jan
2019
Planted
3.6
Test area
Hectare
400
Seedlings
Amount
Dec
2019
Planted
If you’d like to know more about the important work being done by our partners Fairventures Worldwide and VIVERE Group, please visit their websites.
Cases
karuun®’s innovative and award-winning characteristics have attracted several well-known companies to cooperate with us for customised material and product development.
karuun® is not only special on account of its technical properties, it is also in tune with the public’s growing awareness of the importance of conserving our rainforests.
Confidentiality:
Maintaining customer confidentiality is of the utmost important to us. No images or information relating to ongoing projects will be shared.
Applications
karuun® defies classification and unlocks a wealth of innovative and creative new applications in diverse areas such as the transportation
sector, interior and furniture design, sports industry, interaction design and consumer goods to name just a range of possibilities.
Automotive
“Inspired by the future” –
karuun® is part of the VISION AVTR
karuun® significantly influences the interior of the VISION AVTR showcar by Mercedes-Benz and the AVATAR team,
which was presented in January at the CES 2020 in Las Vegas. karuun® gives the interior warmth and radiates naturalness.
Interior
karuun®| Heimat Spa in Kisslegg – world’s
first wellness area featuring karuun
The first karuun®| Heimat Spa opened at Hotel-Gasthof “Zum Ochsen” in our hometown, Kisslegg. The saunas, acoustic ceilings and wall panels throughout the
hotel’s wellness area are all finished in karuun® materials, creating a special atmosphere in which to rest and recharge.
Automotive
karuun® is part of NIO’s futuristic
mobility design – the concept car ‘EVE’
Chinese-automaker NIO’s ‘EVE’ concept car showcases the future of autonomous driving and uses karuun® stripe on the
steering wheel and a folding table living room-like interior. The electric car is to be launched first on the American market.
Furniture
karuun® is minimalistic and poetic – kinetic
object for form magazine by Uli Budde
Berlin-based designer Uli Budde has designed a minimalistic and poetic kinetic object using an innovative rattan material, karuun®, which is bent into shape by means of heat-steaming, for form
Edition #5. The green-dyed capillaries provide a graphical surface and on the grooves of the turned edges, they show off the structure of the material particularly well.
Interior
New foyer revealing interior aesthetics of
karuun® – elobau in Leutkirch
This project was planned and executed in cooperation with f64 Architekten and Fendt Holzgestaltung. The counter, walls and floor are all finished in karuun®
materials while the custom acoustic ceiling panels provide the high-ceilinged space with a pleasant sound atmosphere.
Interior
A kitchen made of karuun®– a natural
but calmer charisma than wood
The cabinet fronts are finished in karuun® stripe natura while depth is added to the minimalist, recessed cabinet handles with
karuun® stripe black. The project was planned and realised by the carpentry company Frick.
Co-Lab Network
Awards
Shop
karuun® embodies a truly novel aesthetic character. The new and unique process enables customers to give the material almost any colour and form. This allows us to serve the needs of a variety of applications and branches. Discover the current semi-finished product line: karuun® stripe, karuun® 3D and karuun® shine.
If you need help finding the right product, want more information or have questions about your order or payment, then you’ve come to the right place.
Contact us:
If you’re interested in working with us, would like to test the material to find out which karuun® is most suitable for you or have questions about karuun® and out for space, please contact us at info@outforspace.com
karuun® shine
Various thicknesses and colours available,
prepolished
Thickness: ~2.3/4 mm
Dimensions: 800-1200 × 330-350 mm
karuun® stripe
Various thicknesses and colours available,
with nonwoven backing, prepolished
Thickness: 0.6 /0.8 mm
Dimensions: 2530 × 330 mm
(custom sizes upon request)
karuun® 3D
Various thicknesses and colours available,
with nonwoven backing, prepolished
Thickness: 0.8 mm
Dimensions: custom sizes upon request
karuun® samples
Our sample box contains an extensive selection of all karuun® materials in various colours, shapes and finishes.
There are only a few boxes available.
Sample box dimensions:
160 × 160 × 160 mm
karuun® Lab
The karuun® lab is a digital workshop for all designers, architects and engineers who want to experiment with karuun® virtually or physically to develop future-oriented products.
Information:
Please understand that we can only undertake projects with a high degree of implementation.
Textures for CAD and 3D programs, data sheets and tutorials are available here.
We look forward to working with partners who want to support the development of karuun® as a valuable, intelligent and innovative material.
karuun® Processing Technology
Our processing technology takes advantage of rattan’s characteristic vascular bundles, making it possible to treat the entire cross-section of rattan rods for the first time.
It is unique among processing techniques, as the treatment is carried out from the inside to the outside via the vasculature. This not only ensures the material is permeated effectively but it also requires very little energy. It’s possible to treat the material with active substances, which before now could not be effectively incorporated into the cell structure of conventional natural material.
The materials of the future are significantly influenced by trends, as well as economic, political and societal conditions. Our task at out for space is to anticipate, understand and integrate the future material needs of customers into innovative technologies and products. If you also work on this wavelength too, we would gladly develop a new karuun® with you.
karuun® Texture
Here you find the textures for karuun® shine and karuun® stripe/karuun® 3D, each in bump, color and normal map, ready to be implemented in Cinema 4D, Rhino, Grasshopper or any other common 3D program.
Through continued improvements to karuun® and our manufacturing processes, karuun® has the potential to become relevant as a new and innovative natural non-timber material.
Therefore, we’re on the lookout for designers who are keen to implement karuun® materials in their new designs and create new applications.
Download the karuun® textures:
Working with karuun®
Tutorial and Datasheets
The mechanical characteristics of karuun® vary corresponding to the specifications. For best results, we suggest you test karuun® in advance, depending on the purpose and use.
It’s also worth downloading the datasheets and the processing guidelines for each karuun® variation or watching our tutorial as karuun® may act differently to conventional materials.
Download datasheets as PDF here:
Contact
out for space GmbH
Jägerstrasse 23
88353 Kisslegg
Germany
Sales Germany
Stephan Vidic
+49 179 531 653 9 Tel.
vidic@karuun.com
+49 7563 913 8401 Tel.
+49 7563 913 8402 Fax.
info@outforspace.com
Sales International
+49 7563 913 8401 Tel.
info@outforspace.com
