Kiepaus and Kuusio shared the main prize at Habitare design competition

Pipsa Pokkinen and Sanni Sipilä (Kiepaus) and a working group comprising Heikki Konu, Erik Lindahl, Sami Markkula and Minna-Maria Salonen (Kuusio) won the 14th Habitare Design Competition.

'A seat hanging from the ceiling brings to mind a weaverbird's nest. When sitting in the chair, the feeling of privacy and isolation is surprisingly strong,' says Juhani Pallasmaa as he assesses the Kiepaus submission.

'Kuusio, on the other hand, is a startling version of the six-piece burr puzzle. Rather than being stacked like ordinary chairs, the six chair units interlock inside a compact cube. After assembly, the cube functions as a table. The basic idea of the work is compelling and puzzle-like in nature,' outlines Pallasmaa.

The theme for this year's competition was Burr, with the purpose of finding a solution for a situation in which an unexpected but welcome guest comes for a visit. In other words, the task was to design a space, piece of furniture, object or accessory that could easily be extended, enlarged or expanded.

Over the years, the design competition has put the spotlight on many young students of architecture or design. This year the jury decided to select five finalists rather than three, because so many solutions with development potential solutions were submitted. The other finalists were Pahkat by Heidi M. Huovinen, Pinot by Sanelma Hihnala, and Visa by Otto Honkamaa and Lassi Luotonen. All five of the finalist designs were produced by Aalto University students.

The head judge for this year's competition was Architect Juhani Pallasmaa, who is known as an opinion-maker and one of the most influential people in architectural dialogue. The assessment focused on artistic, architectural and design quality as well as functional and structural matters.

The two-stage design competition is organised in cooperation with the Expo & Convention Centre and Aalto University School of Art, Design and Architecture, and it was open to students from all design institutes in Finland. The Finnish Fair Foundation donates the main prize for the competition, which is worth 10 000 euros.

The finalist designs are on display 9–13 September 2015 at the Habitare fair.