Roca Master Design Challenge, the final that rewards the best of the best
29 / 01 / 2020
The winners of the first prize of the thirteen editions of the Roca One Day Design Challenge held in 2019 have been invited to a very special event: a grand final in Barcelona. Roca has brought them together in this city, birthplace of the competition eight years ago, to participate in a full, varied and demanding program, linked to innovation, design and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The event took place from the 19th to the 22nd January 2020 with the support of BCD (Barcelona Centre de Disseny) and held in collaboration with the We Are Water Foundation.
It was the perfect occasion for all winners from the different countries to meet, exchange experiences and show their skills in different aspects related to design and creativity.
The participants engaged in many activities such as workshops, guided visits to the most emblematic spots of the city, a tour of 22@, a district of Barcelona that is home to many companies, universities and activities especially engaged in creative industries and the generation of knowledge, with a special interest in technology, and of course part of the event took place at the Roca Barcelona Gallery.
The event ended at Barcelona’s Town Council with the awards ceremony of the final, as well as of all categories and different activities held during these three days of the Master Design Challenge and was presided over by Xavier Marcet, Councilor of Tourism and Creative Industries and Xavier Torras, Roca Brand Communication Director.
The consuls of some of the participant countries, such as Poland, Argentina, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria and China, were present at the ceremony, a gesture that reaffirms their interest in supporting the young talent of their different countries. A commitment we share at Roca, organizing this kind of activities.
The winner of the grand final was Ahmad Alkattan, from Heriott-Watt University in Dubai, EAU with his project Exsinka, the design of a mobile basin. The award consisted of a course at the prestigious Boisbuchet design workshop school, a BenQ monitor and a Wacom Tablet. There were also winners of the different workshops and activities: Award to the best sketch; Award to the best presentation; Award to the best concept: Ahmad Alkattan, United Arab Emirates. Award to the best render: Desislava Petrova and Liliya Ivanova, Bulgaria. Award to the best Materials project: Wioleta Pertyinia, Poland, Aleksei Lukianov, Russia, Rita Yang, Australia, Funi Di, China. Award to the best architecture photography: Miguel Ángel Fernández, Spain. Award to the best IOT project: Fellicia Amanda, Indonesia, Aresha Suraya, Malaysia, Alicia Simón, Spain, Miguel Ángel Fernández, Spain.
The jury was made up of João Bessa, designer and founder of BESSA; Josep Congost, Design and Innovation Director at Roca; Kenneth Koh, founder of Quarters Architects; Isabel Pintado, Regional Managing Director at Wilson Associates; Timur Burbaev, art director of the Industrial design branch at Art.Lebedev Studio; Isabel Roig, general director of BCD (Barcelona Centro de Diseño); and Xavier Torras, Roca Brand Communication Director, who assessed the proposals, as well as the experts who run the workshops: Nicanor Garcia, architect and photographer specializing in architecture and travel; Robert D. Thompson, engineer and industrial designer, scientific director at MaterFad; Guillem Camprodon, Research Director at Fab Lab Barcelona, Víctor Barberan, Fab Lab Barcelona Hardware & Software Senior Developer and Xavier Domínguez, Fab Lab Barcelona Future Learning Unit Action Researcher.