Meet the winning designs

‘Meet your seat on the street’, was the challenge for design and architecture students throughout Europe. So who came up with the most successful combination of fresh and original design, Cradle to Cradle thinking and practicality? Whose design impressed the international expert jury, and which design gained the hearts of the voters for the Public Prize? Meet the winners below...

First prize


Laissez-Faire
Anne Caroline Müller
Anne Caroline Müller of the Fachhochschule Niederrhein in Krefeld (Germany) was unanimously declared the winner of the VelopA Design Award 2008|2009 for Laissez-Faire. Her design was inspired by a sheet of folded paper. It's an elegant, comfortable bench that offers an unlimited range of possible seating positions. As one juror noted: "The more you look at it, the more you realise just how well this design was thought through". Anne Caroline wins a cash prize of € 2,500, and VelopA will consider taking Laissez-Faire into production.



Second prize


Cyclist
Henriette Gruber
Cyclist earned Henriette Gruber of the Weimar University in Germany second prize, worth € 1,500. It combines a sofa-like seating element with a place to park up to four bicycles, according to the designer "a statement to encourage a bicycle-friendly city". The jury found its design elegant, characteristic, and felt Cyclist has great market potential both in its own right and as the starting point for a whole product line.



Third prize


Pierre
Sam Peeters
Of all the participants, Sam Peeters of the Artesis Hogeschool in Antwerp (Belgium) provided the most extensive and convincing exercise in Cradle to Cradle thinking, earning him the third prize (€ 1,000). Pierre is made out of bricks produced from locally dredged-up river silt, which are connected by compostable, bio-plastic connector pieces. Its construction method also gives landscaping architects great flexibility to create different forms and sizes.

 




The five honourable mentions below are listed in random order. Each winner receives € 500.
Honourable mention


Hill
Lukas Jungmann
Lukas Jungmann from the Fachhochschule Joanneum in Graz (Austria) was awarded an honourable mention because of the sheer charisma of his design. The jury acknowledged that Hill very much fulfilled Lukas’ ambition to "teaching the crowd what design is all about", praising its "intriguing, organic shape, a clear departure from the traditional concept of a bench".



Honourable mention


Multamicus
Henriette Gruber
Second prize winner Henriette Gruber also bagged an honourable mention for Multamicus. The jury appreciated its "conceptually strong" design. It can be used as a traditional bench, but the backrest doubles as a picnic table or open-air desk, while passers-by can also simply lean against it. Its multifunctional character fitted the competition’s brief to design a seating element appropriate for all kinds of different users.



Honourable mention


360°
Daniel Krafft
This bench, designed by Daniel Krafft of the Fachhochschule Niederrhein in Krefeld (Germany), can be revolved, unsuprisingly, a full 360 degrees. The jury praised the interesting combination of materials (wood and concrete), and liked the "unlimited range of perspectives" users can enjoy



Honourable mention


Bagseat
Sonja Hoppe
Sonja Hoppe of the Fachhochshule Niederrhein in Krefeld (Germany) receives an honourable mention for Bagseat: a seating element that looks like what it is made of - used plastic bags. "A fun idea", according to the jury, which also liked the idea of free-standing seats, which can be picked up and moved by users. "That allows you to see how people have used the seats."



Honourable mention


Sculp
Jef Van Campenhout
With Sculp, Jef van Campenhout of the Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg in Genk (Belgium) caught the jury’s attention because of its innovative, "almost Gaudi-like" design and its interactive qualities. Unlike the classic bench, on which people sit side-by-side, this seating element encourages people to sit face-to-face, looking each other directly in the eye.



Click here to download the report of the jury (pdf)

VelopA
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