KODW 2013 started off with the Include Asia Conference, a 2-day program focused on inclusive design. The biennial conference debuts in Hong Kong since its launch in 2001 in London, partnering The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design (PolyU Design), the Royal College of Art (RCA) and Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) for the first time. This year’s theme ‘Global Challenges and Local Solutions in Inclusive Design’ spurs participants to explore and respond to concerns such as ageing population, climate change and rapid urbanisation for individuals and communities.
Held at Hotel ICON, the program welcomed keynote speaker, Kathryn Firth, Chief of Design at London Legacy Development Corporation. Also speaking at the conference was Paul Thompson of RCA, Keiji Kawahara of International Association for Universal Design, and Dan Formosa of Smart Design, who also held workshops.
As tradition, the Include Conference committee recognises members of the inclusive design field for their contributions to the community. This year’s recipients of the Champion of Inclusive Design were Yasuyuki Hirai (Kyushu University, Japan), Joseph Kwan (UDA Consultants Ltd.), and our very own, Michael Siu Kin Wai (PolyU Design). We would also like to congratulate Susan Barnwell and Jasmien Herssens on winning the Best Paper Awards.
(From lower left: Mr Manfred Yuen (PolyU Design), Mr Sjoerd Hoekstra (PolyU Design), Mr Jonas Schuermann (Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong), Mr Byron Wong (Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group), Dr Kacey Wong (PolyU Design), and Mr Horace Pan (PolyU Design).
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) joined hands with the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong in organising the “Hotel of the Future” competition in celebration of the hotel’s 50th anniversary.
A total of 39 year-two Environment and Interior Design students from PolyU participated in the seven-week programme from 25 March to 14 May this year, forming teams to design certain areas of the hotel, including “rooms and suites”, “lobby and reception”, “spa”, “food and beverage outlets” and “function rooms” with the theme of the next 50 years. Their designs incorporated the history of Hong Kong, the surrounding area and the design elements of this iconic hotel which ultimately presents “a sense of place” to the guests.
The shortlisted teams presented their designs to the management of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, the Head of Design of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and the faculty of PolyU School of Design (PolyU Design) on 14 May. Lee Kwok Kwong and Mak Chu Leung were selected as the winning team. With the concept of “Spreadism”, Kwong and Leung elegantly centred on the phenomenon of Chinese ink spreading out in water and on paper. They created a multi-functional zone in the double height area of the hotel with the use of spreading-out ink stones commonly seen in Chinese paintings. The stones are used to form an exhibition area or stage for jazz performances according to the purpose of space, and to allow guests to interact with not only each other but also the space.
“I was truly impressed and delighted to see the enthusiasm of not only the students but also the professors,” said Mr Jonas Schuermann, General Manager of Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong. “What struck me the most was how the students captured the essence of the brand and were able to visually capture what luxury means to today’s affluent travellers.”
“The PolyU Design’s visionary proposals were supported with serious analysis and imagination. The students’ ideas possess ample intelligence with a refreshing sprinkle of innocence,” added Mr Byron Wong, Head of Design of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group.
The winning prize is a three-night “Travelling Scholarship” to another iconic hotel in the group, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, where the team will submit a travelling report. The eight finalist projects will be put on display from 1 July to 4 August at the Clipper Lounge and an award presentation will be held at the PolyU Design Annual Show opening ceremony in August.
Education at PolyU emphasises work-based learning experience and collaboration with the industry to help students better appreciate what they have learnt in class, so as to integrate theory with practice, to enhance all-round development and to make better career plans. The teaching team at PolyU Design who led the student project included Horace Pan, Kacey Wong, Manfred Yuen, Peter Hasdell and Sjoerd Hoekstra.
Learn about the design concept of Spreadism and read more…
With immense pride, the School of Design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU Design) – Asia’s best among the world’s top 25 design schools – is thrilled to announce that Professor Roger Ball has been named one of only eight recipients of an endowed professorship in PolyU’s first-ever Endowed Professorship Scheme.
At a special inauguration ceremony held on 29 May at the PolyU campus, Professor Ball was singled out for his outstanding academic and research achievements and officially awarded the Eric C. Yim Professorship in Asian Ergonomics. Mr. Eric Yim, who founded the highly successful design firm POSH Office Systems and serves as its Chairman and CEO, generously underwrote the professorship.
Professor Ball has won international recognition for his trailblazing work at SD’s Asian Ergonomic Lab, founded in 2003 and soon after awarded a multimillion dollar grant for its first major project, SizeChina. An innovative 3D survey of Chinese heads and faces, SizeChina helps designers make consumer products that properly fit Asian body sizes. 90% of all consumer products are based on body shape data from Western people.
Professor Ball’s work has resulted in significant funding awards, consultancy projects with leading corporations, and most recently this prestigious endowment. Professor Ball and his team at the Asian Ergonomic Lab have boosted PolyU’s rising reputation as an influential world-class research institution.
Professor Ball’s primary research is to collect through digital scanning the full range of sizes and shapes of the Chinese population, such as their hands, feet and ears. The data from SizeChina is already poised to be used by diverse faculties within PolyU, including Health and Social Sciences, Engineering, Applied Science and Textiles, and Nursing.
Whether designing new respiratory protection products or paving the way for better-fitting eyewear, shoes and automobiles, Professor Ball has tremendously contributed to both academic and industry interests. The SizeChina Project led to the first-ever digital database of Asian head and face sizes for extensive use by manufacturers and designers.
SizeChina is training the next generation of designers with cutting-edge technologies. PolyU Design as a whole has developed practical workshops, curricula and textbooks, positioning its graduates and partners in Hong Kong and across the globe to create truly revolutionary applications in popular industries such as electronics, fashion, transportation, furniture, and medical devices, to name just a few exciting possibilities.
The School of Design joins everyone at PolyU in extending heartfelt congratulations to Professor Ball and his pioneering team at the Asian Ergonomic Lab. Their fascinating work is inspiring and meaningfully changing our everyday life for the better.
Three teams of young creatives from advertising agencies were recently selected to represent Hong Kong in leading international awards shows (Young Creative Section) this year. Each winning team was formed by two members, among which one worked on art direction, another copywriting. All of the art directors are Advertising graduates of PolyU Design.
They are:
Wong Ming Lun, Alan, Class of 2009 (Art Director, TBWA Hong Kong)
Tse Kin Wai, Donald, Class of 2010, ‘Best of Show’ (Assistant Art Director, Publicis Hong Kong)
Shum Wing Yan, Rita, Class of 2011 (Associate Art Director, JWT Hong Kong)
The teams from TBWA, Publicis and JWT will compete in the Adfest Young Lotus in Thailand in March, Cannes Young Lions in France in June, and Young Spikes in Singapore in September respectively. They went through a strict judging process by the HK4As’ team of professional judges. The achievement has laid a tremendous stepping stone for their future career and international exposure.
Read more>>
With the impressive design concepts of their final year projects, PolyU Design students from Interior and Environment, and Industrial and Product Design swept five awards from two competitions as 2012 came to the end. The list of award winners is as follow:
The 20th Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards
http://www.apida.hk/2012/
Mr Tommy Yeung Kwun Ting
BA(Hons) in Design (Environment & Interior), Class of 2012
Project: Seaweedscape
Supervising tutor: Valerie Portefaix
Award: Student Category Bronze Award
2012 Perspective Awards
http://www.perspectiveglobal.com/perspective-awards
Mr Gideon Lai Ming Ho
BA(Hons) in Design (Industrial & Product), Class of 2012
Project: High Walker
Supervising tutor: Scot Laughton
Award: TROPHY (First Prize 冠軍) of Product Design, Student Category
Ms Chloe Yau Chiu Ting
BA(Hons) in Design (Environment & Interior), Class of 2012
Project: Stilt Walker-A New Cultural Hostel Experience in Tai O
Supervising tutor: Horace Pan
Award: Certificate of Excellence of Space, Student Category
Mr Tai Ka Cheong
BA(Hons) in Design (Industrial & Product), Class of 2012
Project: Sounds Amass
Supervising tutor: Benny Leong
Award: Certificate of Excellence of Product Design, Student Category
Mr SO Ho Lung, Bosco & Mr CHO Hing, Nathan
BA(Hons) in Design (Environment & Interior), Class of 2012
Project: Greenshaft (note: This is not a final-year project but an assignment on Redemptive Landscape Architecture.)
Award: Certificate of Excellence of Architecture, Student Category
Click here to read project details>>
Two fresh graduates of BA(Hons) in Design (Visual Communication) (class of 2012) recently received awards with their final year projects under supervision of Hung Keung, Assistant Professor of PolyU Design.
With the project “MINGLE”, Ms Karen ZHANG Xiaowen was named the winner of Honorable Mention Award of 2012 Adobe Design Achievement Awards, announced at the DesignThinkers 2012 conference in Toronto, Ontario.
Ms Quai CHAN Wing Kei, impressed the judges with a contemporary Almanac “Not a Theory”. She won the CreateSmart Young Design Talent Special Award 2012 and received a sponsorship of HK$250,000 for overseas work attachment.
Congratulations!
Read more>>
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.
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
Led by Prof Michael Siu, the Public Design Lab recently received the Runner-Up Award for the Industrial Design & Technical Concepts category of the Crystal Cabin Award held in Hamburg. The Award is the only international award for excellence in aircraft interior innovation, hosted by the Hamburg government. The participants competed in six categories: Greener Cabin, Health & Safety; Industrial Design & Technical Concepts; Material & Components; Passenger Comfort; Premium Class Products; and Visionary Concepts.
There were 58 entries from all over the world shortlisted. Public Design Lab’s design “BrailleWise”, as the only entry from university, was one of the three Finalists for the category of Industrial Design & Technical Concepts. The design team was invited to present the work to 23 international experts of the Judging Panel. BrailleWise was rated as the 2nd top scores in the category, beat down by one of the globally biggest design firms producing aircraft facilities. The design was also exhibited in the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2012 in Hamburg on 27-29 March 2012.
The design team considers and respects the needs and preferences of the visually impaired. BrailleWise assists the visually impaired to access aircraft lavatories easily and independently. The design fits different lavatory configurations and its installation does not detract from the appearance of the lavatory environment. BrailleWise is easy for maintaining a hygienic lavatory environment and minimises the requirement of Braille information on different individual facilities. It also promotes the positive and caring image of airlines.
(click to enlarge)
More about the Award: http://www.crystal-cabin-award.com/
Sharon Lee Chun-man, the graduating student of BA(Hons) in Design (Industrial & Product), won the first-place prize at the WADI World Design Challenge on her graphic design which best presents the characteristics of the product and expresses its socio-cultural acceptability. The product is a sustainable, autonomous, cost efficient and energy-self-sufficient tool, which helps to trace the progress of solar water disinfection in a PET bottle, detecting and calculating the relevant UV-rays of the sun, indicated by a status bar and smiley face.
“I was grateful and honored to be selected as the champion. I feel like I am moving forward to the dream of making the world a better place to live in,” Sharon shared her joy with us.
The competition received over a hundred entries from all continents of the world. The winning designs will be used for the foil imprints of the WADIs in different regions. www.helioz.org
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