Weaving a connection between city spaces and urban furniture.

Background

As our future mega-cities are defining themselves every day with bustling streets and soaring skyscrapers, a city still craves for many things but mostly - an identity. The 21st century from its onset is rapidly changing how we live and how we perceive the definitions of a city rampantly. 

‘Urbanscape’ is the manifestation of the built environment of cities. It not only refers to the configuration of built forms but also the elements that define interstitial spaces. However, what we see today is the progression of ever-increasing skyscrapers that dominate the memories of a city, overpowering smaller elements. 

The built mass may define the image of the city, but public life defines its inner workings. This competition is an endeavour to turn the tables on how urban furniture work in cities. From changing them to a mass-produced piece of utility to a more thoughtful in terms of their presence. To root them more on originality and utility, building a symbiotic relationship between the elemental and the whole. 

 

 

The Jury

The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows: 

Philip Staszewski, Co-founder, IVY STUDIO, Canada | Gabrielle Rousseau, Co-founder, IVY STUDIO, Canada |  Fernando Mastrangelo, Owner, Fernando Mastrangelo Studio, New York, USA | Javier Gonzalez, Principle, Balmori Associates, United States | Dr Markus Jatsch, Partner, Design Director, Martha Schwartz Partners, New York, USA 

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The basket of best works:

Winning project: 1x1 Industrial Urban Furniture

By: Mykolas šečkus & Antonio Gandolfo

Description: 1X1 is a modular urban furniture system designed to be adaptable and responsive to the situation. The birthplace of the system is Refshaleoen island in Copenhagen, which is proud of its industrial heritage and mixed-use facilities. The modular system is based on a 3D grid of 1x1 meters with a vertical pipe structure working as a frame for the modules.  

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Honourable Mentions: URBAN BUBBLE 

By: Sysy Ma

Description: We focus on high-density areas in NYC, from lower Manhattan to Central Park, discovering subway stations around the main public spaces, to further create a Bubble Landmark combined with the subway system. On one hand, it could provide cover for the subway station entrance. On the other hand, it is a station for bubble sharing and recharging.

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Honourable Mentions: Towards a New Symbiosis: The Death and Life of Delirious Sharing Bikes

By: Lin Wei, Ruixiang Liu & Xueqing Wang

Description: Due to the delirious expansion of the shearing bicycles and the rude handling of the regulatory authorities, the abandoned bicycles piled up like graves in metropolitan areas such as Shanghai. Thus, we design a set of street furniture with abandoned bicycles elements. 

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People’s Choice Award: THE METRO BOWL

By: Xirui Zhang, ziqing chen & Xiang zhao

Description: References to the understanding of stress and relaxation, the design chooses a special material to accomplish a series of softness in the city, which people can release the pressure when they need to face this hard city life.

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People’s Choice Award: + US

By: Alea Reid & Isabelle Jackson

Description: This collection allows all community members and visitors to reclaim, enjoy and engage with unique spaces. The designs fulfil the potential of the interstitial spaces created by a network, and engage pedestrians through increasing appeal, providing opportunities for interaction between pedestrian and object, and interaction between one another.

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Shortlisted: 3 AM

By: XINYUE LI, Yuru Chen & Summer wang  

Description: Tianguang Market, also known as Ghost City Tianguang Market is located in Haizhu Bridge, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China. The crowd is mainly composed of tramps, and the contents are used for trading and selling some daily necessities or antiques. 

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Shortlisted: Deja - Vu 

By: Sun Qiyang, Gong Xi & Minghan Li 

Description: Gray space, a medium of traditional cultural activities. In Chengdu, using a new furniture-scale medium to reform the grey space created by the squeezing of old and modern cities to activate the possibility of traditional cultural activities.

 

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Discover the full results here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/urbanscape-symbiosis/entries

Discover the design brief here: https://uni.xyz/competitions/urbanscape-symbiosis/info/about

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