Wood is good design competition 2016

Canadian Wood in association with foAID held Wood is Good 2016 - a furniture design competition for students of architecture and product design from leading colleges. With active support from several renowned professionals from the architecture and interior design community, the competition was conducted with the aim of providing a platform for budding architects and designers to experiment with wood as a building material and understand its numerous advantages. The winning team not only got to showcase their talent and interact with senior industry professionals but also won a cash prize of Rs. 20,000/- Watch the journey of the winners This is the entry that impressed the judges. The winning entry - Team L.S. Raheja By combining the concepts of modular furniture with a flexible design Team L.S. Raheja aimed to sort out space problems in typical urban homes. Their concept was about furniture that can be seamlessly used as chairs or tables by assembling and reassembling a set of flexible, interlocking boards. Concept, design and execution- the entry scored high on all parameters making them the winner! Team Pearl Academy Pearl Academy adopted the concept of a cube with varied surfaces within like cuts out and voids, which can be used for various purposes like seating, storage or as light fixtures.The creation can be installed separately as individual objects or collectively used as a single object. The team first decided on the shape and then designed the intricacies. Team Rachana Sansad Rachana Sansad students' approach was very focused where they first experimented greatly with the wood and then decided how to design with it. They first studied the wood properties, tested the wood and then conceptualised their furniture design, keeping in mind the properties of the wood and the test result. Their personal den is inspired from the structure of wood stem cells i.e. Xylem and Phloem translating into conjoined polygons. We all crave for some privacy every now and then - and this piece of furniture fulfills that very need. Glimpses from the event The Teams Students from three premier architecture institutes in India i.e. Rachana Sansad Academy Of Architecture, L.S. Raheja College Of Architecture and Pearl Academy, Mumbai participated in the competition. The students were confident, excited and full of ideas. Since this was a unique opportunity at a grand scale, the colleges and faculty put in their full strength and support behind their teams. Here are the bright young people who battled it out to emerge as the winner - Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, Mumbai www.rachanasansad.edu.in Kajal Gupta  |  Sunny Mistry  |  Anushka Jariwala  |  Himanshu Mewada  |  Krishika Gandhi Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, Mumbai L.S. Raheja College of Architecture, Mumbai www.lsrsa.edu.in Anushka Samant  |  Advaith Mani  |  Rushikesh Gawade  |  Manmeet Kaur Thandhi  |  Bhavesh Satam L.S. Raheja College of Architecture, Mumbai L.S. Raheja College of Architecture, Mumbai www.lsrsa.edu.in Anushka Samant  |  Advaith Mani  |  Rushikesh Gawade  |  Manmeet Kaur Thandhi  |  Bhavesh Satam Pearl Academy, Mumbai The Mentors Wood is Good 2016 received tremendous support from the design and architecture community. All the three participating teams were mentored by Kamal & Arjun Malik of Malik Architecture (Mumbai), one of the leading innovators in the field. With over 35 years of experience in the field, Kamal Malik is a force to reckon with. Arjun Malik carries forward the baton of innovation with a refreshing approach to architecture. Read more about them at www.malikarchitecture.com The jury the competition was judged by a panel of jury members who are leaders and stalwarts of the architecture community. Each of our jury members come with stellar credentials that are hard to come by. Being extensively experienced specifically in furniture design, they were keen observers with solid technical insight. We knew they would not be easy to impress. Arjun Rathi Head of Arjun Rathi Design www.arjunrathi.com Vivek Gupta Founder of Arvind Vivek And Associates www.architectsava.com Supraja Rao Principal & Creative Head-Design House By Supraja Rao www.suprajarao.com The challenge Participating colleges formed a team of up to 5 students, who were provided 10 cubic feet of sawn lumber of western hemlock wood from British Columbia (B.C.), Canada to work with. Each team was guided by a faculty member from their college. The teams also received mentorship from architects Kamal and Arjun Malik of Malik Architecture. The students had to conceptualise, design and execute a single, unique piece of living room furniture suitable for residential use. Each entry was judged by a jury panel comprising of India’s top most architects and designers for design innovation, complexity, aesthetics, efficiency with respect to cost and value, execution, need and usage within residential interiors. The takeaways In addition to the cash prize, all participating students gained:

• Practical experience of designing and executing a furniture piece.
• Opportunity to work closely with industry stalwarts.
• Exposure to a large fraternity of professionals attending the event.
• Opportunity to prove their talent to the judges and the community at large.

The finale The final entries were showcased at the Design Arena of Festival of Design & Architecture 2016 (foAID) from 23 to 24 September, 2016. Each entry was given a dedicated space. A timeline of the process undertaken was presented with the prototype. The winner was announced at the Gala Dinner on 23 September, 2016 of foAid Mumbai. All entries will take a place of pride at the Canadian Wood’s interactive display centre in Mumbai. Why western hemlock Western hemlock is a Canadian Wood species best suited for making solid wood furniture. It is beautiful, versatile and very easy to work with. It also offers a high number of stain and finish options. Being sourced from sustainably managed forests of British Columbia (B.C.), it is a responsible choice.