Five designs make it to the Habitare Design Competition final
This year, five designs, out of a total of 64 entries, have been chosen for the final of the Habitare Design Competition. The designs will be set up on their own stands at the Habitare fair from 12 to 16 September 2012. The theme of the competition, organised by the Finnish Fair Corporation and the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, is ‘private space’, and new designs are sought for retreat, relaxation and taking a break. The grand prize of the 11th Habitare Design Competition is 10,000 euros.
The contestants were required to create the overall concept of a private space and related items from the point of view of artistry, architecture and design. The judges paid special attention to the quality, sustainability and clarity of the entries, and their functional and structural characteristics. The entries, submitted under a pseudonym, were of high quality and evenly matched, and, contrary to earlier information, the panel of judges chose five, not three, designs for the final. The finalists will be presented at the Habitare furniture, interior decoration and design fair at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre from 12 to 16 September 2012.
The finalists are:
Kuuro (Rain)/ Mirka Uski and Heidi Siitonen
Musta aukko (Black Hole)/ Hanna Jahkonen and Tomas Nordström
Lyhty (Lantern)/ Erkko Aarti
Sunset camera/ Leo Lindroos
PopUp WrapUp/ Mari Sollman and Kairit Sõlg
All the finalist designers study at the Aalto University.
“Despite the high overall quality, the judges drew attention to the fact that the entries failed to use new materials. This may be related to the design and architecture students being somewhat unaware of the new materials available. Nevertheless, fair visitors will see an interesting display of designs in the final,” comments Professor Helena Hyvönen, the chair of the panel of judges.
In the first phase of the competition, in addition to the chair, Helena Hyvönen, the panel consisted of the following members: Professor Mikko Heikkinen, architect; Professor Jouko Järvisalo, interior architect; Professor Pentti Kareoja, architect; Timo Sairi, designer and interior architect; and Professor Timo Salli, designer – all from the Aalto University – as well as Päivi Kukkamäki, programme manager at the Finnish Fair Corporation.
Boris Berlin to be head judge
The Danish designer Boris Berlin has been invited to be the head judge of the competition, and he will choose the winner from the five finalists. The winner will be announced at Habitare on 12 September 2012. The grand prize of €10,000 is donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation.
The Habitare Design Competition is now being organised for the 11th time. The theme and head judge of the competition change every year. The previous themes have included “Outhouse” (2011, winner Yoshimasa Yamada), “Recycled seat” (2010, winners Arttu Kuisma and Janne Melajoki) and “Sauna” (2009, winners Ville Hara and Anu Puustinen). Previous head judges include Mikko Heikkinen, Alfredo Häberli and Sami Rintala.
More information on the competition:
Competition secretary Timo Sairi, the Aalto University, tel. +358 40 582 6505, timo.sairi@taik.fi
More information on Habitare:
Communications officer Johanna Suni, the Finnish Fair Corporation, tel. +358 40 515 4216, johanna.suni@finnexpo.fi
Habitare, the largest furniture, interior decoration and design fair in Finland, will next take place from 12 to 16 September 2012. The event offers everything for the interior design and function of homes and public spaces. The fair will be open to professionals from 12 to 13 September and to the public from 13 to 16 September. Ticket prices: professionals €30, public €15/€10. Habitare is part of the official programme of World Design Capital Helsinki 2012. For images of Habitare, visit http://mediabank.finnexpo.fi.