bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Michael Taylor

Innovative office chair among outstanding hopefuls in line to be named as the Asia design award winner tonight

THE THINK CHAIR, by Steelcase Inc, was one of the most innovative entries in the product design category of the Design for Asia Award 2005. The winners will be announced at a presentation dinner tonight.

Designed as a 'high performance task chair', it is targeted at office workers in the mid-market contract furniture industry. It addresses ergonomic, performance and environmental issues.

'Design isn't just about style,' said Glen Oliver Low, the chair's designer.

'It's about integrity of materials, function integrity and intent. I try to understand the essence of the product ... and allow myself to be guided by this truth when designing.'

With a goal of making the chair 'human and natural', Mr Low set out to touch people's hearts.

'In the most obvious sense, Think is a transparent chair,' he said. 'Transparency means that you show each component in the chair, that you can read its structure and understand how it works.

'Nothing is hidden in this chair. Think is the result of open dialogue between engineers, environmentalists and the designer.'

The judges were full of praise. Judge Albert Ng said: 'The word 'Think' tells the whole story. It is a smart and ergonomic design.'

Judge Lorraine Justice agreed. 'The Think chair is great concept all the way round, There are breakthrough ideas in this chair and it is so comfortable. It steps in a different direction, as did the Aeron Chair, which is another famous chair from the last century.

'However, the Think chair really concentrates on having the chair move with the body. The attention to the sustainability issue is also commendable.'

Another innovative design was Template in Claska, the first boutique hotel in Tokyo. Opened in Meguro in 2003, it was created by renovating the 35-year-old Hotel New Meguro, which was formerly a business hotel.

Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro, the hotel's designers, said: 'We drew up a template of various hotel amenities - such as chairs, lamps, even a Sony AIBO - as well as customer belongings [a briefcase and a shirt] and literally cut out the exact same shapes along a single thin wall.

'Indirect lighting was created through a cutout of a lamp. A closet, desk, chair, as well as elements from other furniture are embedded into the wall, creating space solutions on a single plane. Guest's personal belongings such as clothing, CDs and books can also be added to allow for a customised, private space.

'The wall is made of stained mahogany MDF [medium density fibreboard] in continuity with materials from the first-floor lobby. The holes were laser cut and delicately embossed with MDF.' Judges were impressed with the design.

Judge Wang Dawei said, 'The success of this interior designed hotel lies in making every guest feel that this tiny space is part of their daily life, as it is everyone's wish to arrange their daily life in a tidy manner.'

'Apart from offering a tidy and neat living environment to its inhabitants, Template in Claska also creates a vivid atmosphere with its witty layout, multifunctional and built-in settings. No doubt, the design has an in-depth uniqueness concealed in a simple manner.'

Judged on all-round excellence, designers competed in four categories: apparel and accessories, communications, interior and special design, and product design.

Last year's award drew more than 260 entries; a figure which nearly doubled this year.

Entries were received from 22 countries and regions including Asia, Europe, and North America.

Victor Lo, chairman of the board of governors of the Hong Kong Design Centre and chairman of the judging panel, said: 'In its third year running, Design for Asia Award saw almost double the number of entries this year compared with last year.'

A representative from each winning company has been invited to participate in tonight's event.

Winning designs will be displayed at the Innovation and Design Expo, which runs concurrently with the Business of Design Week 2005, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. It closes on Wednesday.



An entry to make the judges think