Design Challenge: NYC’s Worst Bathroom

Architizer News

Design Challenge: NYC’s Worst Bathroom

December 8, 2010

Who wants a client to kick off 2011?

We have one: Meet Kenny Lao.

Kenny has been so busy founding Rickshaw Dumplings, being the subject of an MTV special, becoming one of Inc Magazine’s 30 under 30, Crain’s 40 under 40, and successfully operating a fleet of dumpling trucks that he forgot to take care of the little things, like his bathroom. That’s why we need you and your design expertise: help turn one of NYC’s worst bathrooms into a porcelain palace.

Background
Sure, bathrooms in New York are small, but what they lack in size they usually make up for in economy of space, tidiness and design. Kenny’s bathroom is another story.

We want to help Kenny out and get you a new job at the same time. The competition asks for you to redesign Kenny’s bathroom. View the video brief above.

Architizer and AF New York have put together an amazing team to help you out. Brizo will provide all the fittings and Duravit will provide all fixtures. AFNY will offer accessories to be selected from the Cosmiic and Frost collections, along with hardware from Valli & Valli.

Task Definition
Create a design for Kenny’s bathroom that is efficient, attractive, and suited to Kenny’s needs. Specificallly, Kenny’s wishlist includes:

Ability to drink directly from the sink.
Separate hot and cold water valves
Soap dishes that do not collect water
Ability to hang wet clothes
Tankless toilet if possible
Bench in shower
Awesome mirror above sink and also in shower (antifog a plus!)
A bright and light space
Easy to clean and looks clean, even when dirty
Powerful showerhead plus a handheld shower spray

Things Kenny could do without:

A tub
A shower curtain, or even a glass partition

Resources
Photos of the space we’ll be renovating are available in this Flickr set.

DWG files, floor and elevation diagrams are available by request when you register for the competition on PayPal.

A brief history of Kenny’s apartment building can be found here.

SCHEDULE:
The competition opens for submissions on the 8^th of December, 2010.

$50 Registration via PayPal is due January 28, 2011.

Submissions are due on January 30, 2011 at 11:59PM.

Winners announced 2/7/2011.

Judging Criteria and Jury

The jury will consist of:

Marc Tsurumaki, founding partner of LTL Architects
Robert Lopez, founder Blue Water Construction and Restoration
Bennett Friedman, Principal and Creative Director of AFNY
Judd Lord, Industrial Design Director of Brizo
Marc Kushner AIA, co-founder Architizer, founding partner HWKN
Elena Frampton ASID IIDA, co-founder, Curated
… and Kenny Lao, founder of Rickshaw Dumplings, bathroom owner

We’ll be asking the jury to consider the following three criteria:

Requirements – Does the design meet the requirements outlined by Kenny? Are the products furnished by Brizo, Duravit, and AFNY used the best possible way?

Aesthetics – Will the design look good in 25 years? He might have to sell the place in a few years, and no one wants a fuschia/yellow/lime polka dot washbasin!

Innovation – Does the design bring anything new to the table with regard to bathroom design – does it use the constraints of the size as an advantage?

Awards

We’re awarding up to $9000 in cash and prizes for the best ideas. The ideas will also be featured on Architizer and Remodelista.com.

The Winner will receive a $5000 design fee in addition to the commission of designing Kenny’s bathroom. Editorial coverage on Architizer and Remodelista will track the progress of the bathroom renovation. The architect is responsible for designing the space. Blue Water Construction and Restoration will be in charge of building the space to the architect’s specifications. In addition to the cash prize, the winner will be feted at a VIP reception held at Kenny’s apartment. A celebration will also be held at the AFNY showroom at which the winner will be toasted.

Two runners up will receive a $1000 cash prize. Additionally, they will be showcased in an editorial feature on Architizer.com and Remodelista.com. Runners up also receive a Brizo touch faucet.

Design Requirements
The bathroom needs to have a toilet, a sink, and shower. The setup should look great, be space efficient, conserve water and energy as best as possible.

The toilet, while replaceable, needs to remain in its existing position

Bounding walls are required to remain in current configuration.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all people over 18+ with the ability to design an apartment interior. If award, we recommend that the entrant is able to schedule a meeting with the client in person or digitally.

How to Enter

Entrants must first register via Paypal:

$50.00 entry fee guarantees consideration in the challenge. Upon registration, entrants will receive a packet of technical drawings, terms and conditions, design brief, and submission email address. The design must be submitted by January 23^rd, 2011 at 11:59PM EST.

Submissions must include at least:

1 Floor plan

2 Elevations

2 Renderings of the space

A list of materials used (surfaces, sink, shower, toilet) – please refer to the Brizo, Duravit, and AFNY websites for materials you have at your disposal.

All submission materials should be consolidated into a multiple paged, letter-sized PDF smaller than 4MB.