Aalto students won Habitare Design Competition

The head judge of the competition, the lead designer and founder of the Inside Outside design agency Petra Blaisse, chose the winners from among four finalists. The winners share the grand prize of 5,000 euro, which is donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation. The four finalist designs in the competition will be on display at Habitare in Helsinki, from 12 to 16 September 2018. The competition was now held for the 17th time.

The theme of the Habitare Design Competition, organised by Messukeskus and the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture was Puzzle, and the brief was to design a communal meeting place for residents. The idea was to find a solution that uses an element resembling a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. The realisation of the element was to be of high quality, and the design was to be easy to replicate. The winning design was to be located in the Postipuisto area of the northern Pasila district in Helsinki, in which Bonava Finland is developing an urban block.

Ariane Relander’s Organized Chaos straddles the middle ground between a spatial installation and a sculpture. Made of aluminium tube, the design plays with kinetic and optical art, and provides seating and shelter for communal gatherings.

Janne Pärssinen and Tony Yau’s Spotti is made up of modular elements, this piece of wooden furniture enables a variety of different experiences and uses. You can sit or lie on Spotti, or use it as a playground element. The design also acts as a visual screen.