By Editor Design.nl / 04-08-2008

The Dutch jury of the competition have chosen 2 winners from the 35 entries. The winners are a team from TU Eindhoven and student Ryoko Ikeda from TU Delft.

The International Concrete Design Competition for Students is a biennial ideas and design competition for students in architecture, engineering, design and affiliated disciplines. It aims at promoting innovative design attitudes related to the use of concrete as a material and a technology. It is organized and funded by a consortium of European cement and concrete associations and open for students subscribed in an educational institute in one of the participating countries.

The jury said of the TU Eindhoven team, 'Sense of Scale': "The project explores the aesthetic, thermal and structural qualities of ultra high strength concrete (hsc) and the architectural impact of working with elements with a relatively large scale spongy texture. It is the extensive research shown in the presentation, the search for an integrated or combined quality of building technology, physics and architecture, that appeals to the jury. Although the apparition of the chosen texture is not new (a.o. Koolhaas has worked with similar elements), this project is more than ‘just a pretty element’ because of the research in the field of energy saving solutions and integrated design. A brave experiment with some rough edges”.

The other winner was 'Sakura Concrete' by Ryoko Ikeda. "Sakura Concrete plays with the senses of the spectator. The jury appreciates the projects as “pure poetry”. The combination of concrete with fragile living material (like the orchids that were used in the experiment) brings “soul” to the material and the elements. The contrast of fragility and structural strength is expected to enforce the character of the elements in time. Sakura Concrete is emotion, is sustainable in its own way and an inspiration for other designers."

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