When Architecture Becomes Something You Can Feel.
During 3daysofdesign, Gradas was lived in, used, tested, occupied, and shared.
The XL version, in particular, became a gathering point throughout the week. There was always someone sitting on it, confirming the very essence of the project: a way of sitting that is free, intuitive, and inherently social.
It was also on Gradas that the conversation with Ben van Berkel took place, exploring tactility, materials, architecture, and scale.
Warm, approachable, and with a great sense of humour—even when refusing to reveal some of the studio’s “secrets”—van Berkel was joined by Esther Castaño, CEO of Sancal, and Stina Löfgren, designer at UNS who was closely involved in the development of Gradas, together with Mijke van Ballegooijen, CEO of Byborre.
One idea resurfaced throughout the discussion: the importance of detail. It is precisely there that projects find their true identity. These almost invisible decisions are what set the direction and allow an idea to evolve with coherence.
The architect illustrated this point by explaining how UNS goes as far as designing door handles and developing bespoke solutions tailored to each project. In doing so, the studio embraces the role of the classical architect—someone who conceives a work in its entirety.
This holistic vision also reclaims the value of sensory experience. At a time when much of our relationship with design happens through images, van Berkel championed the importance of texture, emotion, and physical contact with objects.
“The beauty of working on a smaller scale is that you can actually touch it,” the architect remarked. The statement encapsulates his approach to product design: a direct relationship between people and objects, between touch and materiality, bringing a deeply human dimension that architecture on a larger scale cannot always provide so immediately.
This philosophy naturally finds its expression in GRADAS, the first collaboration between UNS and Sancal. More than a sofa or a seating collection, Van Berkel and Löfgren describe it as a spatial system designed to foster human interaction.
Inspired by grand staircases and public squares, the project stems from observing how people connect in these spaces—even as strangers—and how architecture itself becomes a place for gathering. The bench (Grada XL) came first, followed by the sofa (Grada M) and the armchair (Grada S), translating the generous scale of the original concept into both residential and contract settings.
Amid jokes and a genuine sense of camaraderie, van Berkel also hinted that the collaboration with Sancal could continue to grow, with new pieces potentially joining the family in the future.
During the conversation, he also highlighted what makes Sancal particularly distinctive in his eyes: a company deeply committed to quality, willing to take risks and explore unconventional paths in design. He singled out the use of colour as one of the Spanish brand’s most recognisable signatures—an element that goes far beyond decoration to become an essential part of its language.
The discussion also featured Byborre, whose three-dimensional textiles added another layer to the notion of tactility that ran throughout the conversation. Together with UNS, they have developed new textile proposals that further reinforce the close relationship between space, materiality, and sensory experience.
The talk ultimately left us with a reflection that runs through the studio’s work as a whole: architecture does not end with a building, and product design does not begin with an isolated object. Everything belongs to the same ecosystem, where materials, colour, texture, scale, and detail interact to create meaningful experiences.
Perhaps that is why, in an age dominated by screens and images, it is worth remembering something simple: objects are meant to be touched, and spaces are meant to be lived in. They only come to life when people engage with them.
