Ahmad Alkattan From United Arab Emirates Wins The World Final Of The Roca Master Design Challenge
The winners of the 13 editions of the Roca One Day Design Challenge, Roca’s express design competition, which were held in 12 countries in 2019, came together last month in Barcelona, a benchmark in design, to celebrate the first edition of the Master Design Challenge, with the support of the BCD (Barcelona Centre de Disseny) and the collaboration of the We Are Water Foundation.
The awards ceremony, presided over by Xavier Marcet, Councilor of Tourism and Creative Industries, and Xavier Torras, Roca Brand Communication Director and Director of the We Are Water Foundation was held on Wednesday, 22nd January at the Saló de Cent of the Barcelona City Council, after two days of activities carried out by contestants in different spaces of the city of Barcelona.
Xavier Torras pointed out that, “As director of the We Are Water Foundation, I also try to analyze the projects by bearing in mind the Sustainable Development Goals and we are really proud to say that all submitted projects have aligned with some of them, thus showing the awareness these future designers have of global problems. Likewise, Xavier Marcet highlighted that, “Barcelona is especially sensitive to any initiative that drives responsible creativity and this is exactly what Roca’s competition does.”
The briefing faced by contestants challenged them to propose a new type of basin with an additional functionality that provided value to the product.
Ahmad Alkattan, from Heriott-Watt University in Dubai, EAU, won the award to the winner among winners, a group made up of 22 participants from the 12 countries where the competition has been held. His project proposes a mobile basin that facilitates basic hygiene without having to move. Featuring wheels and two water tanks (fresh and grey), it can be operated with the mobile phone. Isabel Pintado, Regional Managing Director at Wilson Associates, pointed out that “the project changes the static concept of bathroom products, incorporating a moving piece that can be used even outside the bathroom space.”
Apart from the global award, during the ceremony other prizes were presented to the best projects carried out during the different activities and workshops attended by contestants in these three days in Barcelona:
- Award to the best sketch; Award to the best presentation; Award to the best concept:
- Ahmad Alkattan, United Arab Emirates.
- Award to the best render:
- Desislava Petrova and Liliya Ivanova, Bulgaria.
- Award to the best Materials project:
- Wioleta Pertyinia, Poland
- Aleksei Lukianov, Russia
- Rita Yang, Australia
- Funi Di, China
- Award to the best architecture photography
- Miguel Ángel Fernández, Spain
- Award to the best IOT project
- Fellicia Amanda, Indonesia
- Aresha Suraya, Malaysia
- Alicia Simón, Spain
- Miguel Ángel Fernández, Spain
The consuls of some of the participating countries, such as Poland, Argentina, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria and China have also attended the ceremony to support the young talent of their countries.
The international jury also attended the ceremony. The members of the jury have been João Bessa, designer and founder of BESSA; Josep Congost, Design and Innovation Director at Roca; Kenneth Koh, founder of Quarters Architects; Isabel Pintado, Regional Managing Director at Wilson Associates; Vladimir Pirozhkov, president of the ‘Astra Rossa’ industrial design and innovation center; Isabel Roig, general director of BCD (Barcelona Centro de Diseño); and Xavier Torras, Roca Brand Communication Director, who have assessed the proposals, as well as the experts who have run the workshops: Nicanor Garcia, architect and photographer specializing in architecture and travel; Robert D. Thompson, engineer and industrial designer, scientific director at MaterFad; Guillem Camprodon, Research Director at Fab Lab Barcelona.
Roca, leading brand in the production, design and distribution of products for the bathroom space, organizes these initiatives to provide visibility to young talent. Roca One Day Design Challenge was first held in 2012 and since then its international expansion has increased over the years. The competition challenges young architecture and design students and professionals to create original and innovative products for the bathroom space in just one day.
