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Press & News

  • Subject Press & News
  • Date 2024-11-27
  • 310
Seoul Design Awards 2024: Design for Coexistence Goes Wider and Further
Seoul Design Awards 2024: Design for Coexistence Goes Wider and Further

Seoul Design Awards 2024:
Design for Coexistence Goes Wider and Further

On October 25, 2024, the Seoul Design Award 2024 were held at the Design Hall on the 3rd floor of DDP Design Lab. The Seoul Design Award were launched to promote and raise public awareness of designs for the coexistence of humans, society, environment, and nature around the world.


 

In their 5th iteration this year, the Seoul Design Awards saw 81 countries participating through the World Design Organization and UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The Awards have been dedicated to sharing and spreading public designs that improve the quality of life by removing things that cause inconvenience in everyday life. Under the theme “Coexistence with Earth for the Future,” in-depth discussions on sustainable design were held including the Seoul Design Awards ceremony, among others.

 

 

Why Do We Need Sustainable Design?

Ezio Manzini, a member of the judging panel, delivered a keynote speech in Part 1 of the conference. In his speech titled “Looking for the Future: Society and Design in Ecological Transformation,” Manzini, who is president of Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS), emphasized the need for design that promotes harmony with the ecosystem and talked about design that can solve social problems and achieve sustainability in everyday life. His speech was followed by presentations of 10 design works selected from among 575 entries submitted by applicants from 65 countries. The top 10 designs include: Solar Cow of Ethiopia, a design that uses renewable energy to cope with issues of education and energy in Africa; EYELIKE PLATFORM, a mobile eye-examining device jointly designed by designers from India and Korea to prevent people in low-income countries and countries suffering from lack of resources from losing their eyesight; and Lighthouse & Buoys: Dementia-Friendly Neighborhood, a space designed by Singaporean participants to improve the quality of life for dementia patients.

 

 

Design that Promotes Coexistence with Earth

Part 2 of the conference consisted of three sessions. In the first session under the theme “Technology that Brings Us Together,” CEO Cho Su-won (-> Soowon Cho) of TUAT, Kim Chun-su (-> ChoonSoo Kim), head of the Digital Accessibility Team of SK Telecom, and other speakers discussed universal design toward a barrier-free future. The second session featured cases of public design that have changed an entire society as presented by Ezio DESIS president Manzini, head architect Ji Jeong-woo (-> Jungwoo Ji) of EUS+ Architectures, and CEO Joong yeol Park of JERRYBAG under the theme “A New Daily Routine.” In the third session themed “Choices for Coexistence with Earth,” CEO Gwak Jae-won (->Jae Won Kwak) of Trash Busters, designer Hyun-jae Lee of LAB CRETE, and CEO Choi Yi-hyeon (->Yihyun Choi) of Continew enlightened the audience on the impact of sustainable design on society.

 

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to deliver opening remarks

 

Congratulations on the 5th Seoul Design Awards!

The 5th Seoul Design Awards Ceremony was attended by Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, Kim Hyun-sun, chairman of the board of the Seoul Design Foundation, CEO Cha Kang-heui of the Seoul Design Foundation, and guests from other countries. “Seeing the efforts made by designers around the world for a sustainable future makes me realize how good the impact of designers is on our lives and how amazing they are. We are also working hard to transform Seoul into a design city that is user-friendly and inclusive of the handicapped. We will renew our efforts to spread great ideas that can benefit the public,” Seoul mayor Oh said in his opening speech. Meanwhile, in her welcome speech, CEO Cha of the Seoul Design Foundation said it was an honor to declare the opening of Seoul Design Awards for sustainable daily life. "Guided by two keywords—togetherness and charm—the Seoul Design Awards will continue to grow and become an iconic design event in Seoul," she added. Dennis Bax, secretary of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, sent a video message extending his congratulations on the holding of the awards ceremony.

 

Seoul Design Awards 2024 Winners

 

EYELIKE PLATFORM Wins Grand Prize

Finally, the winners at the Seoul Design Awards were announced. ProxyAddress, a solution for the homeless, won the Digital Award. The Korean Citizens’ Choice Award went to Solar Cow & AYANTU, which uses solar energy to help Ethiopian students learn. Honorable Mention winners were Canal Park, Classe rouge, Lighthouse & Buoys: Dementia-Friendly Neighborhood, Mo de Movimiento, and ProxyAddress. Best of the Best winners were Chaki Wasi handicrafts center, Solar Cow & AYANTU, and Water Hyacinth Floating Garden. EYELIKE PLATFORM, a mobile eye-examiner for the prevention of vision loss, was named grand prize winner. “Seoul Design Awards served as a powerful reminder that we really need design that can solve social problems. Going forward, I hope design can play a bigger role in solving social problems,” said Kim Yoon-seung, CEO of LABSD and developer of the platform, after winning the prize.

 

This year's Seoul Design Awards have ended, but their role and importance will continue to grow as they remain committed to promoting design for coexistence, exploring new direction for a better future, and spreading sustainable design.

 

Text | Gang Na-eun

 

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