Over 100 young architecture and design talents raced against the clock to redefine luxury in the bathroom at the inaugural Singapore edition of Roca One Day Design Challenge.
Initiated by Spanish bathroom brand Roca in 2012, One Day Design Challenge (ODDC) is an annual event that invites professionals and students of the architecture and design disciplines under the age of 30 to a design concept centred on the bathroom in just one day.
First held in Barcelona, the event has expanded to other major cities in Spain and around the world. Held on Saturday, 24 November at Scape Treetop, the inaugural Singapore edition of ODDC saw over 100 young talents race against the clock to design a product to the theme ‘Redefining Luxury in the Bathroom’.
The theme was given at 9am at the start of the challenge itself. Participants had until 4pm that day to submit their design proposal to a panel of judges comprising Roca bathroom experts and local design and architecture professionals.
The jury comprised Kenneth Tan (Senior Associate and Team Leader at Kyoob Architects), Kenneth Koh (founder of Quarters Architects), Colin Chew (senior lecturer with the BCA Academy specializing in BIM curricula, Amy Picanco (Founder & Managing Director of Aym Design), Xavier Torras (Brand Communications Director of Roca and Director of the We Are Water Foundation) and Diego Jolis (Managing Director of Roca Malaysia and Singapore).
The judges awarded prizes to the top three designs, as well as the special award, We Are Water (WAW) prize to a proposal that emphasises the message of water conservation:
The winning proposals are:
Onyx Oasis recreates the experience of the bathing in a natural setting using modular panels that can be customised with plants, natural stone, water overflow and various bathroom accessories. The proposal also features an adjustable floor panel, which can adjust the depth of the module to accommodate various bathing styles like soaking, footbath or showering.
The jury praised the proposal for its well-detailed scheme and considered materials and its exploration of the bathroom floor as a flexible, transformable surface.
Floordrie was lauded by the jury for considering the notion of luxury in a public bathroom. Floordrie addresses one of the biggest pain points of visiting a public restroom – the stench. The design features a built-in dryer unit in the lower part of the restrooms, which can be managed manually and automatically. The unit will also provide non-toxic misting. “It is an interesting take of luxury for public space which solves a real problem,” said the jury.
Aqua Park reinterprets luxury in the bathroom as a communal space injected with elements of play that can be enjoyed by the whole family – like a water park. The scheme proposes five modular elements – washing area, cubicle area, shower area, outdoor shower area and bathing area that can be rearranged as desired.
Some design features in Aqua Park consider the bathing habits unique in the Southeast Asian region. The kids’ showerhead, for example, can also be used for handwashing clothes. The jury praised the design for thinking of the bathroom as a landscape and merging the interior and exterior spaces and unites all members of the family.
Many people waste water by letting their tap runs while they are busy brushing their teeth of applying skincare. Mirage is a sink with a curving self-regulating system that controls the water presented like a river landscape crafted from marble.
The proposal was praised by the judges for using an analogy of a river to convey the important message of saving water and not keeping the tap running. “It shows an interesting integration of functional and aesthetic aspects of wash basin,” said the judges.
Roca organises this competition with the aim of supporting young talents in the early stages of their professional careers. “They are the future of this industry,” shared Jolis at the competition venue. “And this competition is a starting platform to collaborate with us,” he added.
View more images from the gallery below:
Roca One Day Design Challenge will return to Singapore next year.
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