This year's HI-MACS Design Contest focused on Urban Furniture, and received over 500 projects in the two categories - Professional and Student - from the most mind-boggling to fabulous avant-garde ideas.
Of the five hundred projects, a selection was made based specific selection criteria: usability, commercial marketability, creativity, aesthetics, innovation and of course the use of HI-MACS properties. 4 top projects were selected from each category bringing a total of 8 finalists for the 2011 contest. The eight finalists will be exhibited on a dedicated HI-MACS stand at the 100% Design show.
The winner for each category will be selected by a jury of renowned designers and architects during the show, and will be announced on a dedicated ceremony.
S Urban bench
Veronica Martinez - Madrid, Spain (Professional)
Inspired by the letter "S", this public bench is a perfect demonstration of the malleability of HI-MACS. On its own or in conjunction with other materials, it can seat a number of people while remaining aesthetically pleasing.
The designer based the shape of her project on spiral motion she observes everywhere, from the infinite elements such as galaxies and chains of DNA to the growth of plants, flowers, how water flows down the river, the movement of hurricanes and the formation of clouds. Nature is the creator of this wonderful way to symbolize the constant movement and regeneration.
The design of "S" is to capture the essence of that movement with two fine lines. Thanks to the malleability and durability of HI-MACS it is possible and "S" can be made with a single mold, its presentation is perfect with a minimum production cost. "S" can be placed outdoors, in squares, parks, streets, and indoors, in airports, hotels and fairs.
E-Moke
Daniel Abendroth - Stuttgart, Germany (Professional)
Energy will be more scarce and expensive in the future - this project delivers solutions to simple but important problems. E-Moke is an innovative static bike-like object for public places, which allows users to recharge their mobile devices while cycling. It is made from HI-MACS in white and green colours, but of course it can be customized - thanks to the wide range of HI-MACS colours available - to match the colour identity of companies or cities. The Front cover has a USB connector where you plug in your mobile device.
Striking and savvy, E-Moke puts an end to worrying about running out of battery!
Linked
Cinzia Naticchioni - Rome, Italy (Professional)
'Linked' is a bench for outdoor use. 'Linked' is inspired by the concept of versatility: the way in which an object can interact with walkers and be used by them. Not the usual bench to which every user must conform, but a seat that can be used on two different levels, for elderly, children, adults....... depending on the needs of the individual.
The concept of versatility is combined with the idea of a unique object; a seemingly continuous piece furnishing squares, streets and gardens, highly recognizable, but different in each view, solid but light, smooth, but fully functional.
The project name comes from the shape of the bench: a single element moving in space and turning on itself creates two seats at different levels (+40 cm and +60 cm) linked together, 'linked' in fact.
The thermoforming properties of HI-MACS and its seamless joints have helped inspire a fluid shape, curvey and continuous, to an object that becomes a sculpture in its simplicity, which would have been difficult to produce with other traditional materials.
The Community Bench
Branimira Ivanova - Sofia, Bulgaria (Professional)
With silhouettes that seem to be holding hands, "The Community Bench" invites its users to mix and to communicate, thus creating their own community - by using HI-MACS colours for social colour therapy.
The inspiration for the project is the "communication" between individuals. Nowadays, everyone is very busy and deeply immersed in the daily routines. People have almost no time to communicate with the other people.
The designer created "The Community Bench" for different communities to stimulate the connection between people: the black version is planned for Administrative building's lobbies, with black as an indicator of power. For schools, the community bench uses Fiery Red, Banana and Florida Orange to encourage children to make easy conversations as these colours activate the energy system of a person. The cylinders are translucent with the help of the HI-MACS colour Opal S 302. The hands of the silhouettes symbolized the message: "I want to communicate with you".
Urban Box
Mark Benstead - Edinburgh, Scotland (Student)
This small box, full of humour and simplicity, explores the thermoformability potentials and simple manufacturing of HI-MACS to come up with a chair that is both attractive and functional for its users.
Urban Box is a simple and playful design for urban seating created from HI-MACS. The design explores the importance of form in contrast with material aesthetics originally inspired by a humorous take on the throw away nature of our society.
Urban Refuge
Geraldine Dumont - Geneva, Switzerland (Student)
The "Urban Refuge" is a structure in which people can find shelter from bad weather or high temperatures. It can also function as a hospitable place for people to meet up in cities or parks. Up to seven people can be accommodated within its 230-centimeter diameter.
This refuge is primarily intended for smokers, who are now practically banned from public places. It protects its users come rain or shine, whilst providing them with a reassuring environment as it lights up at night-fall.
After nightfall this bright urban fixture creates a reassuring environment, providing a sense of security. The structure is illuminated while respecting the environment through the use of solar panels installed on the roof. An armrest and an ashtray are incorporated into the base section of the structure.
The shape of the "Refuge" is inspired by vegetation and so integrates harmoniously with its environment. The degree of curvature is made possible through the highly flexible nature of HI-MACS. The light is diffused thanks to the translucent properties of HI-MACS Opal.
En Pause
Marta Tardieu de Chorro - Madrid, Spain (Student)
This bus shelter with clean lines demonstrates the range of uses of HI-MACS starting with its functionality and flexibility. The project is designed with functionality in mind, providing large information panels, non-slip flooring and with consideration for disabled people.
"En Pause" follows a timeless design that, far from being in conflict with the urban landscape, actually completes it. The pure lines structure allows a geometric parallel to that of the buildings encircling it. It is principally based on two continuous pieces that visibly demonstrate the properties of HI-MACS with which they are constructed. One of the pieces is closed forming a perimeter in which another piece is inserted to form the bench. The second piece also acts as a stand for the bus timetables.
The base of the unit is covered by a non-slipping material and buried at ground level to facilitate access. Behind, the bus stop is covered with a crystal with a HI-MACS's rectangular plate on it, in which the bus route information is included in braille. This way, it becomes more accessible for visually impaired people.
Naked Lamp
Mario Fuentes - Barcelona, Spain (Student)
The "Naked Lamp" street lamp is intended to bring colour as well as light to towns. Its luminescent base is available in a variety of warm and vibrant colours to brighten up the city, breaking the concept of the traditional surrounding objects.
In the modern grey and polluted city appears a shining and colorful streetlamp, pure, bare, full of light and full of colors.
The main part of the product is molded from Solid Surface HI-MACS thanks to the thermoforming process.
Two 'Naked Lamps' can be created using just one sheet of HI-MACS, in just a few steps, no join is needed so this product saves material, time and money.
It uses LED technology for the lights, the top light is a bright white LED and the bottom light is a low intensity RGB LED pattern that can create a huge range of colors that offer color-therapy for the passerby.
'Naked Lamp' also has a solar panel on top, to emphasize the purity of the product, its sustainability and its respect for the environment.
It can be used in parks, squares, walking areas, streets, promenades, city centers as well as private uses like hotels, swimming pools or gardens.