The Winners!
URBAN EXPERIENCE
First Prize Winners
Pranav Raghavan & Tsz Kiu Wong
UK
Second Prize Winners
Inès Romy
France
Inès ROMY, aged 20, is currently in her third year at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture of Lyon, pursuing university training with the goal of obtaining the State Diploma in Architecture. Despite being a novice, she has always been passionate about artistic activities such as piano and dance. Her inclination towards creation and design manifested at a young age; at barely 6 years old, she was already crafting small paper models on her grandparent's kitchen table.
Please introduce yourself briefly and provide some insights into your background in design.
I am 20 years old. Currently in my third year at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture of Lyon, I am following university training with the aim of obtaining the State Diploma in Architect. Novice but always passionate about artistic activities such as piano and dance, the taste for creating and shaping already appeared to me when I was little. Barely 6 years old, I was already making small paper models on my grandparent's kitchen table.
Could you give us an overview of your winning street furniture design?
The idea of my street furniture is based on an inclusive and appropriable principle of the simple bus shelter. With an eco-responsible and cultural concern, the idea is to be able to make a place often neglected and abused with a pleasant waiting space. Through reading and a rotating wooden envelope, interconnection is created between individuals. They can read, interact and pass on a taste for reading to each other and to other bus shelters.
Urban street furniture plays a crucial role in enhancing the cityscape. How does your design take into account the specific needs and aspirations of residents, visitors, and people with disabilities in urban settings?
In my opinion, taking into account the site as well as the individual are the first considerations that the project manager, whoever he or she may be, must make. Designing urban furniture is a subtle approach to the urban landscape but above all functional for its users. This is why the structure of the street furniture is intended to be minimalist in its aesthetics: two walls covered with a green roof so as not to detract from its environment. The installation of a seating and bicycle parking system allows individuals to relax during this waiting time and to be covered in the event of bad weather. Due to its small footprint on the ground, the device is accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Sustainability is a key focus in this competition. How did you incorporate sustainable design principles into your street furniture design?
It is certain that the building sector occupies a central place in ecological issues. Representing 43% of energy consumption, our architectural training as well as our collective conscience invite us to acquire sustainable and eco-responsible thinking. It therefore seemed logical to me to integrate it into my project. This sustainable dimension results in a small footprint of the furniture. The choice of materials used focuses on wood in its entire envelope. The green roof provides a significant island of freshness for its users but also produces natural ventilation since it remains open throughout. Finally, the choice of a reinterpretation of the traditional bus stop into a friendly and inclusive place calls on its curious users to favor public transport rather than their cars within the city.
Can you walk us through the stages of your design process? How did you approach the initial ideation, development, and refinement of your concept?
The design of my project starts from a simple skeletal reflection of the traditional bus shelter. As a daily user of these places, my first intentions refer to questions concerning its strengths and faults. What factors make this place popular and yet individualistic, sometimes trashed and a translator of urban impatience? The first sketches allowed me to rethink the partitions as a human and physical barrier. This is why my intentions focused on a rotating system in order to manage this common environment to everyone’s taste. The best representation of this urban system seemed to me to be the model. A representation tool that I particularly like, it allowed me to perfect the conceptual idea by physically manipulating it and reworking the structural defects of the two pivots.
Street furniture is a part of the urban fabric. How do you envision your street furniture design positively impacting individuals, communities, and the overall urban environment?
Yes, street furniture is part of the urban fabric. This scale solicits not only its users, but also its passers-by and multiple social structures: social groups, workers, families, couples, elderly people, adolescents, children or a single person. Integrating the principle of the library and therefore that of reading is a response provided by access to culture. An integrator of sharing and intergenerational knowledge, the book translates a time of break and well-being for its inhabitants within the bustling city. This principle creates interaction and the transmission of new collective social values, that of urban living together.
Drawing from your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring designers who are passionate about creating innovative and sustainable street furniture solutions?
Being curious and concerned about our environment is essential to becoming aware of the environment in which we live. This is a first essential aspect for doing architecture, urbanism, and design. Passion comes next. Observing, manipulating, making good use of one's senses allows one to take into consideration the needs of its inhabitants. Questioning our environment allows us to aim fairly and judiciously for answers to the issues around us. Finally, travel, let yourself be carried away by external inspirations, open your mind in order to keep this source of architectural passion that drives you.
Winning the Urban Experience: Street Furniture Design Competition is a significant achievement. How does it feel to be recognized for your outstanding work?
Winning this competition is an unexpected opportunity for me. Still a novice in the field of architecture, urban planning and design, being recognized for my work and my visionary thoughts about the city is extremely rewarding and promising for the future. I deeply think that this work is proof that our young generations are overflowing with creativity and will to make our lifestyles more pleasant, and make our cities more viable; which is very promising for the coming years. Therefore, winning this competition is not only a personal accomplishment, but indeed the reflection of a collective oratory.
Third Prize Winners
Shailee Bhatt
India
Shailee Bhatt, Professionally, she is an Architect with a postgraduate degree in Urban Design. Her design ideology is based on socio-economic principles for the community. She has worked on the master layout of housing, complex hospital designs, and urban redevelopment projects in India and Europe. Currently, she is focusing on her research topic in sustainable planning and design in architecture.
Please introduce yourself briefly and provide some insights into your background in design.
This is Shailee Bhatt. Professionally I am an Architect with postgraduation in Urban Design. Design ideology is based on socio-economical design for the community. Worked on master layout of housing, complex hospital design and Urban redevelopment projects in India and Europe. Working towards my research topic in sustainable planning and design in architecture.
Could you give us an overview of your winning street furniture design?
The Reform Wave a concept is contextual design algorithm of an infamous ocean site: Mumbai City in India. Main purpose of design is to elaborate the function of space and usage by giving local and recycling idea to execute. Financially giving importance to contextual waste and transferring into a reuse element to work in any site with various dynamics of community expansion. Including distinct functions with pure environmental footstep towards pollution. Planting air purifying vegetation and energy saving elements are enhancing the design of an urban street art.
Urban street furniture plays a crucial role in enhancing the cityscape. How does your design consider the specific needs and aspirations of residents, visitors, and people with disabilities in urban settings?
Reform Wave: Near Mumbai marine drive, Veer Nariman road as per Bombay Municipal corporation the spine of five-meter road is full of green trees and proposal is asking for street furniture for beautification of a historic spine of a Victorian architecture. Providing shelter with usage of contextual materials with accessible approach to neighbourhood and retailers.
The design itself a shape of a form of a wave which is open from all directions to use, to sit, to lay down, either stand or using dustbin or putting phone for charging. Dustbin is depicted through tactile to understand by physically challenged people.
Sustainability is a key focus in this competition. How did you incorporate sustainable design principles into your street furniture design?
Through this design, I aim to incorporate the idea of reusing old materials for a new purpose, to create a sustainable design for multiple uses, and justice for reestablishing a legacy towards green designs. The design is inspired by natural ocean waves, as well as the choice of materials, which are recycled plastic from the sea and transformed into seating. Use old containers to renovate, redesign, or recycle to separate design and basic form.
Can you walk us through the stages of your design process? How did you approach the first ideation, development, and refinement of your concept?
The location was chosen based on its history and progress in reducing water pollution by removing plastic from the ocean. Local small businesses, such as Re Bell: Econiture, isolate the same amount of plastic for manufacturing recycled furniture. This brand is gaining clients and notoriety in the green market as part of the corporation's Better India programme. Collection of plastic trash, segregation of plastic by colour, processing of waste into small particles, and usage of these particles by moulding them into any shape of any design without any colour, metals, or particles. After the design has been set up, durability testing is performed. Container debris from the Port yard of Marine Drive was used as a sustainable material in the construction of urban structural walls.
Government of India has launched small 5g cell design as per TRAI for less wiring and easy internet for users.
Design is taking a shape of curve form in respect to provide wide audience to enjoy the space at a time. Incorporating 5g small cell and solar panel for energy consumption while provision of internet which is a key aspect of working anywhere. To keep hygiene, designed a dustbin in respect to collect a dry waste and recycle it for other purposes.
Use of Solar panels for collecting solar energy for charging pots in the shape of flower with parametric design.
Street furniture is a part of the urban fabric. How do you envision your street furniture design positively impacting individuals, communities, and the overall urban environment?
Visitor in a store nearby can charge their mobiles, take a break, and relax, wait for their partner outside the store underneath a solar panel roof pole shelter structure.
Reform Wave is an inviting street furniture to its nearby retails, stalls, parks, and commercials as they shop through the area and relax for their break or trip. It will attract various people, enjoy their free time, and take a break to avoid traffic on crossroads.
It’s shape and materials can be change as per the location of requirements. Ambiguities opportunities for use in Parks, open plaza and connecting street furniture.
Drawing from your experience, what advice would you give to aspiring designers who are enthusiastic about creating innovative and sustainable street furniture solutions?
In my opinion, upcoming new designers should focus on issues and their solutions. Generally, you can find it overlooking besides the idea of how you produce. Creating innovations through new techniques along with old materials ad try to make something new rather than making entirely new which will not last more than 5-10 years. As Urban designer, Public wants fresh and unique ideas which is fast and easy.
Winning the Urban Experience: Street Furniture Design Competition is a significant achievement. How does it feel to be recognized for your outstanding work?
This is my first ever experience in winning an award for my solo entry for a design competition, which made me astonished at first and am very honoured and humble to my mentors to given me the strength to achieve. I did not believe that I won a third prize, quite a surprising moment. It gave me confident.
Special mention
SubinJung, Haeun Lee
South Korea
We are Haeun Lee and Subin Jung, college students currently attending Konkuk University located in South Korea. We are majoring in Landscape & Forestry and studying how to design sustainable landscape, more than just as a means of making money.
Although this competition wasn’t about Landscaping, we thought Street Furniture was deeply related to Landscape architect. So we caught this great opportunity to design urban facilities, designing not only external functions but also internal functions, for example, eco-friendly factors, safety facilities and etc.
As this was our first time participating in a global competition, we didn't expect to win a prize, but surprisingly we won a Special Mention and we are greatly honored about it. In the future ahead of us, we will continue to take part in various activities to fulfill our goals, and we would like to say thank you to ARCHIOL for providing a step forward in achieving our dreams. We hope students like us participates in ARCHIOL competitions and grab their opportunities in subjects which they are interested. We are sure that this will be a meaningful opportunity.
Honorable mention
