Canadian students win second and third places at Formica’s 2022 FORM Student Innovation Competition
Canadian students win second and third places at Formica’s 2022 FORM Student Innovation Competition
Winning entries were selected from more than 100 competition submissions from across North America
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, May 10, 2022 — As part of its ongoing commitment to celebrate up-and-coming design professionals, Formica Canada is proud to announce that two Canadian students are among the winners of the 2022 FORM Student Innovation Competition, for a third consecutive year. Christina Vogiatzis from the University of Waterloo won second place, thanks to her “Pawd” design, while Julienne Bernier, from Georgian College stood out with her “Annual Ring” chair. First place was won by Sarah Dezember and Wenhan Zhang, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, for their work “Twins Table”.
Now in its fifth year, the FORM Student Innovation Competition invited interior design, architecture and furniture design students across Canada and the U.S. to create furniture pieces using Formica® Brand products. More than 100 entries from 26 universities across Canada and the U.S. were evaluated by a jury of influential industry professionals for their interpretation of the competition's fifth-anniversary theme, which called for students to express the future of design through a furniture piece using Formica® Laminate woodgrain products, a nod to the traditional fifth-anniversary gift of wood.
The top three winning students will receive cash prizes and the grand prize winners will see their Twin Table design come to life and be displayed at NeoCon 2022, June 13-15, at the Mart in Chicago.
“We are very pleased with the interest that the FORM Student Innovation Competition has generated among students and schools in Canada. The quality of the projects submitted increases each year, both in terms of rigor and creativity,” said Christelle Locat-Rainville, Marketing Director at Formica Canada. “The participation of each student is a very formative exercise and we congratulate the students who won second and third places”.
The Twins Table crowned big winner of the competition
Sarah Dezember and Wenhan Zhang from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago are the grand prize winners for their joint entry "Twins Table." Those living in big cities often have smaller spaces that still must serve an ever-changing and ever-growing number of needs. The Twins Table was created to provide flexible, multipurpose furniture that can seamlessly transition between functions. It can be used in four different ways and in its standard configuration, one side of the round table seats two people comfortably. When completely closed, it can be stored away or used as decoration. Twins Table also comes in a variety of Formica® Laminate woodgrains, colors and patterns, offering a broad range of design options.
The Pawd design ranks second
Christina Vogiatzis from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, was awarded second prize for her "Pawd" design, a unique, multifunctional and stylish furniture piece designed to serve and connect all forms of life, from humans to animals and plants. The sleek design of Pawd features three main components to support a diverse range of activities, from work to play and more.
The Annual Ring chair wins third prize
Julienne Bernier from Georgian College in Ontario, Canada, was awarded third prize for her "Annual Ring" chair design. Inspired from the annual rings that show the age of trees, the Annual Ring chair reflects the lifetime journey of humans and trees alike. With nine stages of human development, this piece uses nine woodgrain laminates to represent each stage arranged in a gradient from light to dark, symbolizing the beginning and end of life. The chair structure has no beginning and no end, just like the circle of life.
Three other Canadian students stand out
Mary Li and Golnazsadat Jakakzadeh Azar of Yorkville University, who designed the “Island on Wheels”, and Pasang Lhamo Sherpa of Georgian College, who submitted the "Space Saver Study Unit", ranked among the top ten projects of the competition, thus obtaining an honorable mention.
For more information about the winning students’ designs, please visit www.formica.com/studentcompetition.