Image (c) nori*, via Flickr.

Back in November we brought word of a great design competition hosted by Cembrit, the Danish manufacturer of fibre cement. Cembrit’s 2012 Bullhorn Design Competition focuses on Helsinki – an appropriate choice, given the city’s title of the World Design Capital 2012! Specifically, Cembrit is asking designers of all ilk to address the city’s largest suburban commuter station, in Malmi, and propose a redesign to invigorate the station and the urban fabric surrounding it. It’s a great brief, one that asks designers to intelligently redesign a pre-existing building, rather that creating more unnecessary waste through design.

The winners of the competition will be awarded up to 10,000 Euros, be part of an exhibition, and attend Helskinki Design Capital 2012. But! The deadline for submission is quickly approaching. All entries must be send in by January 15th, 2012, so get your tuchus over to the Cembrit Bullhorn Design Competition website for details on entry requirements and scheduling.

Meanwhile, curious to find out who would be judging the entries, we did a bit of research into the jury members. They come from professions as disparate as urban planning to industrial design, but all have a demonstrable commitment to the public realm. Check out work highlights, after the jump, and check out the competition website here, or check out the Architizer competition page here.

Esa Ruskeepää

According to Cembrit, Esa studied Architecture at Aalto University in Helsinki, and has worked in Switzerland in the US. Esa also built the cardboard listening-device you see above (working with Martti Kalliala and Martin Lukasczyk), which has won multiple awards after being designed for a competition. He’s “currently in a formative stage, andparticipates actively in architecture competitions where he has already gained numerous successes with different work groups. Esa teaches public building design at Aalto University in Helsinki.”

Thomas Carstens, partner at Danish architecture office Arkitema, who has “in the last 15 years been an driving force in developing the company into one of Denmark’s largest and most innovative architectural practices. On a daily basis Thomas works with everything from corporate headquarters, sports arenas, and hotels to public housing. Focus is both on new build, transformation architecture and refurbishment.” One of Arkitema’s recent projects — Swim Stadium Bellahoj — is above.

Jan Deding is CEO of Cembrit, and the driving force behing Bullhorn. He says that “We want to involve our customers and co-create,” pointing to the competition as a way to interface between designers, city, and manufacturer.

Ulla-Kirsti Junttila is an industrial designer who has worked for the Helsinki city government among others – she worked in Sito Oy as urban designer and years 2008-2010 as the Head of City Planning and Design Department. According to Cembrit, “An important part of her work has been designing for accessibility. On the field of public art she has designed the Monument of Porkkala Returning in Espoo 2006 and ‘Crystal Hut’ in Espoo (2008).”

Elias Rainio is an urban planner with the city of Helsinki. He has perhaps the most real-world connection to the brief due to his daily work with such transit-related problems, saying “Transit areas should be regenerated attractive equally for dwellers and travellers. Attractiveness should be achieved despite of environmental hazards caused by traffic, such as traffic noise. Efficient transportation like railroad tends to create roadblocks for local pedestrian connections. Nearby areas can be easily divided by the heavy traffic routes. Sufficient parking for cars and bicycles should be arranged in a way that doesn’t create large passive and unaesthetic spaces around it.”

Arni Aromaa is an industrial designer and founder of Pentagon Design, a product and interior design agency with a ubiquitous presence in Finland. For example, check out their vision for Tikkurila paints, above.

Monica Förster is a Stockholm-based designer and founder of Monica Förster Design Studio. According to Cembrit, she’s been the recipient of ”Designer of the Year, Sweden, 2007 and 2006. Excellent Swedish Design Award, Design Plus in Germany, and Future DesignerDays Award 2002.” Check out “Cloud,” (2003), a portable, inflatable room designed by the Studio.

Head over to the Cembrit Bullhorn Design Competition website for more information.

by Architizer Editors

posted in Competition Product Uncategorized

tagged bullhorn design competition, cembrit, Competition, helsinki, jury, malmi station, product

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