Winner of 4th Caesarstone Student Design competition

Front row: Rene Kotze, Wouter Basson, and Janina Masojada. Back (L-R): Jonathan Anstey, Dorothy Van’T Riet, Lisa Younger and Darren Bester.

This year's theme, Real & Simple was conceptualised by Janina Masojada of designworkshop:sa. The brief was to conceptualise a single space of mixed-use and multi-functionality; a place to sleep, eat, live, and work. It did not dictate the maximum or minimal usage of the product but asked students to create spatial and visual solutions by breaking preconceptions.

The judges were:

• Jonathan Anstey - Stauch Vorster Architects
  
• Darren Bester - It Is Design
  
• Janina Masojada - designworkshop:sa
  
• Lisa Younger - Activate Space
  
• Dorothy Van't Riet - DVR

Commenting on the winning entry, Masojada said, "In the winning scheme, the strongest thing is how simple the big idea was and how it has been carried through in the outcome of the detail. There is not a huge range of materials which is one of the judging criteria. We wanted the space to be the primary experiential generator. This scheme is clever because it does not respond most obviously to what the brief has set out. The strong points of this scheme are the social conscience and individual choice."

Other winners

A merit award of R5000 for the second prize winner went to Tarquin van der Westhuizen from BHC School of Design Department of Interior Design, the lecturer being Marga Nagel.

Van't Riet comments on the merit award, "Very interesting and well-articulated. The design issues were resolved extremely well and that it met the brief in an uncluttered process. The client and designer met because the client was a piano player and a professional surfer - two people's minds and souls coming together under one roof. The black and white piano keys were so cleverly used in the architectural scheme in horizontal and linear lines. There was wholeness in design."

A special mention award of R3000 was given to Eloise Van Dyk, from Tshwane University of Technology Department of Architecture - her lecturer being Marinda Bolt.

Commenting on the special mention, Bester said, "This is a concept of a client who is an environmentalist and a civil engineer and taking the two different spheres and bringing them together. This project is architecturally very sound. It is built up of the five boxes but it has taken the product to the next level. So basically it was with experimentation that hatched to develop a certain product so within each one of these spaces, the product had been used to the optimum to give the experience."

Trevor King, marketing director of Caesarstone concludes, "The emerging design talent is an inspiration for the industry and this year the entries set a new benchmark. The thought processes and respective applications stretch beyond the expected work of tertiary design students."