October 29th, 2015: Elvina Elizabeth Moni, a second year architecture student at Canadian University Dubai (CUD), has been crowned joint winner of the Urbanic design competition, a creative challenge run in conjunction with the inaugural Dubai Design Week.
With her entry ‘Esoteric’, Elivna demonstrated her unique interpretation of the public realm design brief, winning her the opportunity to take up a coveted internship with a renowned Dubai-based design firm, along with fellow winner, Sahla Muhammed Rafi of Manipal University.
Urbanic was conceived by CUD in collaboration with the organizers of Dubai Design Week. Held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture and Art Authority, the City’s first official design week brought together creative thinkers from across the globe in a vast array of design-related events.
The competition was dedicated to engaging university students in the event to help nurture the region’s future design talent. It challenged contenders from institutions across Dubai to come up with an original idea for an area or an object that encouraged the use of outside space, and to develop a poster and scale model to illustrate their design.
The competition was judged by three leading professionals in the Dubai design scene, CEO of Placemaking UAE, Nadine Bitar; award winning designer, Bersun Erturk; and international architect, Ralf Steinhauer.
For Elvina, it was reflecting on what she and her fellow teenagers would want from a public space that inspired her unique design. Her submission brought together abstract elements inspired by nature to create a setting that allows for both social interaction and private contemplation.
She said, “I wanted to create something that would draw people in with its design and be multi-functional at the same time. The structure can be altered into different shapes, with each form having a different purpose.
“In its open mode it acts as a shade, allowing users to enjoy the surrounding views while sheltering from the sun. In its semi-open mode, it provides relaxing chairs and allows adjacent users to interact with each other, while in closed mode it acts as a private cocoon, where users can connect their mobile technology or listen to the calming sounds of nature through a sound system encased in the chair.”
Competition judge, Ralf Steinhauer, said, “The purpose of Urbanic was to get students to think about how public space can be used to bring people together in a creative way. We have seen a huge variety of interpretations of the brief and some very cleverly and stylishly executed designs, with a number of interesting insights into how the public realm can be used to encourage communication and interaction.”
Elvina and Sahla were awarded their prized by CUD Chancellor Mr. Buti Saeed Al Ghandi during the opening of an exhibition that showcases the shortlisted designs.
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