Team of Interior Architecture and Contemporary Design students won the Habitare Design competition 2023

The team of Lennart Engels, Karolin Kull, Ágnes László, Julia Postrzech and Valenti Soler won the design competition with their work HABIT. HABIT is a fireplace suitable for a modern urban milieu, making it possible for people to gather and look for connections. The pieces were created with a low-tech process, enabling the use of construction waste as a new material source.

The head judge of the competition, designer Harri Koskinen thanks the team for their innovative work: “What's particularly great about this piece is the research and development of the material, creating something sustainable, long-lasting and communal out of construction waste.” By replacing cement with with geopolymer, concrete can be produced with a considerably lower carbon footprint. Local secondary materials can be revalued and given a core position for social purposes and for community gathering, as showcased with the winning work.

“The theme of our exhibition focused on the narrative of a refreshed concept of an old habit: creating new forms of togetherness in open space, and it is linked to the reuse of construction waste/ brick waste,” the team describes their exhibition at Habitare. “The result is practical and aesthetic and meets the theme of the competition and all the judging criteria," Koskinen explains.

source for the news: https://habitare.messukeskus.com/nayttelyt/habitare-suunnittelukilpailu/