News Article
4th September 2013
Caesarstone Student Designer 2013 Competition - winners announced
The prestigious Caesarstone Student Designer 2013 competition awards evening was held last week at Cape Town’s trendy Bree Street art gallery, Young Blood, on Thursday 29 August. Historically held in Johannesburg, this was the first time the event has been held in Cape Town in preparation for the World Design Capital 2014 festivities in the Mother City next year.
Jenni Button and Stefan Antoni were just some of the well-known faces spotted at the awards evening. “It was very inspiring for us to see the talent out there in our young people and fascinating to hear the judges’ breakdown of the top entries. Overall it was a wonderfully successful evening,” says Debbie Zeelie of SA Homeowner magazine.
Nine finalists and the top three designs were selected by the judging panel in mid-August after students and their lecturers responded to the 2013 brief – The Forum of Excellence. Architect, Jonathan Anstey of Jonathan Anstey Architects, conceptualised the brief for the competition, “The challenge we set for the students this year was to embrace individuals or groups who had contributed to dramatic change or progress – just like the life of Nelson Mandela had impacted us as a nation.”
Greg Wright of Greg Wright Architects was a judge and MC for this year’s competition awards evening, “This year’s competition brief was a particularly challenging one. I thought that the entries were of a very high standard and we’re always impressed as judges by what we’re offered by students.”
“A very high standard of entries is received on a yearly basis because the students and their lecturers put a tremendous amount of hard work into their submissions,” says Philip Fouché of Emporio Communications – the company that mediates the Caesarstone Student Designer competition. Only five of the top entries from each faculty are accepted for judging.
“The annual first prize of a trip to an overseas design fair is awarded to both the student and the lecturer as an acknowledgement of the role that the lecturers play in mentoring students through the conceptual development and competition entry process,” says Caesarstone South Africa’s marketing director, Trevor King.
The lecturers traditionally provide their students with careful supervision and coaching in order to draw out the depth of talent, understanding and insight that is needed to reach the top 9 finalist stage. “This competition owes a lot of its success to the dedication of the design and architecture lecturers from the various institutions around the country,” says King.
The criteria for judging a winning scheme for the student competition has always been confined to the definition of the brief. Jonathan Anstey asks, “Have they embraced the opportunity, celebrated it, and come up with novel, original ideas? Those immediately rise to the top.”
The winning concept The Heart of South Africa was designed by Leon van der Westhuizen of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Department of Architecture, with oversight from his lecturer, Donald Flint. All the judges felt a connection with the historical event that Leon selected, namely, the first human heart transplant performed by Chris Barnard.
Anstey comments on why this design won first place, “Leon embraced this excellence within the medical field by taking the concept much further than anyone else in the competition. Not only is the building a physical demonstration of the heartbeat, but he was able to employ the idea that cardio vascular health can be celebrated through exercise activities within the building in celebration of the memory of Chris Barnard.”
Second place was awarded to Londiwe Fakudze of Tshwane University of Technology, from the Department of Interior Design. Londiwe’s lecturer was Rene Kotze. Third prize went to Chris Hechter of the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Interior Design. Chris’s lecturer was Elzabe Meiring.
According to competition judge, Dorothy van’t Riet of Dorothy van’t Riet Design, it is vital that students enter competitions such as these, “It stretches students and makes them realise that there’s a larger world of architecture and a big world of interior design. They are forced to think a bit further than just their next project.”
“Competitions are also a means of getting your profile out there. You get great publicity from competitions and they are great to put onto your CV,” says Janina Masojada of designworkshop: sa, also one of the judges from this year’s panel. “I think this is the closest a student will get to designing for a client,” adds Lisa Younger, a judge from Activate Space.
This year’s awards evening wrapped up with a short presentation introducing the 2014 brief, “re_Charge!” – presented by architect and judge, Greg Wright, who zooted through the audience on an electric skateboard to literally drive home the brief.
Go to www.caesarstone.co.za to check out the 2014 brief on video and to see clips of the judging process and judges’ comments on each of the top three entries.
FINALISTS
1. CARMEN CLARK, BHC SCHOOL OF DESIGN, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: MARGA DE VOS
2. GREER EGNER, BHC SCHOOL OF DESIGN, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: MARGA DE VOS
3. LONDIWE FAKUDZE, TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER : RENE KOTZE
4. MURRAY FARQUHARSON, BHC SCHOOL OF DESIGN, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: MARGA DE VOS
5. CHRIS HECHTER, UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: ELZABE MEIRING
6. LOGAN HUSSELMANN, POTCHEFSTROOM ACADEMY, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: RONELLE VAN NIEKERK
7. KYLE MARKS, UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: ELZABE MEIRING
8. LEON VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, LECTURER: DONALD FLINT
9. ANNA WEYLANDT, DESIGN TIME, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: KATHERINE MANN
3RD PLACE
CHRIS HECHTER, UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER: ELZABE MEIRING
2ND PLACE
LONDIWE FAKUDZE, TSHWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR DESIGN, LECTURER : RENE KOTZE
WINNER
LEON VAN DER WESTHUIZEN, NELSON MANDELA METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY, DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, LECTURER: DONALD FLINT
