Student design solutions for a ‘better tomorrow’ awarded at Lexus Design Awards
The Lexus Design Award is now in its 10th year, a global call for young creative talent around the world to “Design for a Better Tomorrow”.
Since 2013, this international design competition has provided the chance of a lifetime for up-and-coming designers to win the prestigious award for innovative design excellence. Winners will be funded to build their prototypes with world-class mentors and reach unparalleled exposure to the global design community and media.
To encourage young creative Kiwis to enter the global competition, Lexus of New Zealand has been working with local universities AUT and University of Auckland to incorporate the competition into course work through the semester.
Students have been supported and mentored by Lexus ambassadors Simon James and Scott Bridgens from Resident and given the task to imagine a world where design creates an enriched sense of happiness for all.
The competition encourages entrants to anticipate global challenges facing future society, engage in innovative ways which contribute to a sustainable future, yet seamlessly enhance the happiness of everyone.
We are taking a deeper look at some of the top designs from this year’s award, completing our series with first place winner at this year’s local competition; Uttam Raju’s Salty Solution.
Uttam Raju – Calico’s Salty Solution
“A sustainable alternative for converting seawater to freshwater”, Uttam’s (also known as Calico) design utilizes the combination of hydroponic farming and mirrors to create thermal energy and desalinate water.
Water is a necessary resource needed for drinking and farming that many countries are unable to provide for their citizens. There’s plenty of water on our earth, it’s just a little too salty and in the wrong place.
Calico reimagines traditional desalination plants by offering a sustainable alternative for converting seawater to freshwater that utilises hydroponic farming to redefine sustainable farming practices for the world to use. This system is designed to be implemented in arid climates incapable of conventional farming methods to provide fresh produce and clean drinking water to the inhabitants of the area.
In order to harness the power of the sun, mirrors placed around a glass pyramid direct heat rays towards the top of the pyramid to produce thermal energy. Through the use of thermal energy, his design desalinates the water and pumps it out for drinking, sending it towards a vertical farm to grow delicious crops.
The system has low running costs meaning once implemented that area will have an easy time providing fresh water and produce to its inhabitants.
Calico’s design impressed judges due to the many avenues for progressive change on a global scale.
He states that majority of current desalination plants are expensive, unsustainable and in the wrong place. The countries using these plants have the resources to fund building costs and use non-renewable energy sources as power, while leaving a brine residue that gets dumped back into the ocean, causing imbalances in marine ecosystems.
Calico’s system utilises brine by extracting minerals like lithium for use in batteries and has low running costs, making it accessible for underdeveloped countries, while also providing new crops to be grown diversifying the types of cuisine available.
Winners for the global competition will be announced in January 2023, selected to receive instruction and guidance from esteemed design professionals to further develop their prototypes.
To learn more about Lexus Design Award, visit www.lexus.co.nz/lda.html
