Hugging Root, the most innovative use of space

Hugging Root, a design by Miracle Hui, Kenneth Hung and Sam Hui, year 2 students of BA(Hons) in Design (Environment & Interior), has recently received “The Most Innovative Use of Space Award” at the Nurturing Interior Design Talents competition organized by The Mira Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Interior Design Association. The competition was organized to provide a platform for future designers to showcase their talent in hotel furniture design.

Hugging Root is a furniture design project that demonstrates the most imaginative and interesting interpretation of spatial arrangement. It was selected among the projects from subject SD3531 E&I Design Studio 2.2 earlier in Oct. Special thanks to the teaching team: Horace Pan, Peter Hasdell, Sjoerd Hoekstra and Manfred Yuen.

The Hugging Root together with other award-winning projects can now be found on the 3/F of The Mira, Tsimshatsui, until tomorrow (21 Nov), and will then be showcased at the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards gala at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 22 Nov.


Mr Horace Pan (bottom left) and the award-winning team

Concept and Story of the Hugging Root

Being in the Hugging Root is like living in your mother’s arms. It will always give you protection and warmth, there always feels safe. The root surrounding them will give them a feeling of being enclosed, wrapped and hugged. When they play inside the root’s openings, rest or sleep there, they can always feel embraced.

The Hugging root concept is developed with orphans in mind. The structure of the root is like the mother’s arm keeping many orphans under her arms and her arms link all together to become a big family. The Hugging root provides many spaces, pockets and places you can snuggle in, each one different and each one giving the feeling of hug whatever they are doing. It can be used as an indoor play structure or children’s furniture piece.

The Hugging root uses felt to provide a soft feeling for its users. The system of construction is developed as a soft structure through the folding of felt, layering and stitching provide strength and flexibility and allow each sitting space or pocket to be folded in a way to squeeze in or hug when someone sits there through the action of the persons weight.

BrailleWise as top selection of 2012 Successful Design Awards – China

Prof Michael Siu and the Public Design Lab brought us good news from Shanghai last week. The Ceremony of the 2012 Successful Design Awards – China was held on 4 November where BrailleWise (飛機共融衛生間) won the Diamond Award, the highest among the Top 16 Selections. Smart Electrical Vehicle Charging Station (SEVCS), a collaborative project with EE, IC and FMO of PolyU, impressed the judges with its highly innovative and user-friendly design for empowering electrical cars. It was selected as one of the China’s Successful Design Award winners.

“The awards honor entries with excellent design strategy, process and outcomes. They are expected to bring creative and meaningful contributions to the society and industry. BrailleWise has done a good job on all these,” Prof Michael Siu told us. “It is encouraging to receive one of the judges’ compliment that our design did not only overcome a difficult problem with long history, but also provided an inclusive practical solution.”

Conferred by the Shanghai Industrial Design Association and Shanghai Creative industry Center, the 2012 Successful Design Awards, one of the most privileged award presenters in China, granted prizes to 124 distinguished designs out of 454 entries. Other Top Selections are ROBAM-810 sterilizer, Philips Soundbar Home Cinema Speakers, interior design for Mong Kok Post Office, Haier WSGIG refrigerator, Nokia Lumia 800 and then some. Members of jury panel included David Carson, Kevin Mc Cullagh, Shiz Kobara, Ali Grehan, Robbert Van Nouhuys, Bryan.e.nesbitt, Sotamaa Yrjo, George M Beylerian and Cathy Huang from all over the world.

Earlier in March, BrailleWise was given the Runner-Up Award for the Industrial Design & Technical Concepts category of the Crystal Cabin Award, the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, held in Hamburg. SEVCS was the Bronze Award winner of the 2011/12 Spark Concept Award in New York.


BrailleWise assists the visually impaired to access aircraft lavatories easily and independently.


SEVCS is a smart charging station for electrical vehicles

Read more:
BrailleWise
SEVCS
The 2012 Successful Design Awards

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