Lexus Design Award 2019 Announces Six Designers Harnessing the Power of Innovation to Build a Better Tomorrow.

Since its launch in 2013, Lexus has championed analytical, future-thinking design with the Lexus Design Awards. The worldwide competition fields entries from thousands of upcoming creative talents, of which just six finalists were announced for 2019. Working to the directive of ‘Design for a Better Tomorrow’, most entrants put forth concepts including biodegradable materials, renewable energy, and transformative solutions. Each incorporated the three fundamental principles of Lexus into their work – anticipate, innovate, captivate. And what better platform to showcase this message than Milan Design Week, the epicentre of design?

Finalist prototypes are being displayed within ‘Leading with Light’, an exhibition space designed by internationally acclaimed Japanese creative studio Rhizomatiks. Inspired by the Lexus future illumination technology, the immersive display combines playful and dynamic lighting with advanced robotics. Visitors can experience how the innovative use of light can affect human emotions, with seemingly countless beams of light manipulated to interact with the human form.

Chosen by the Lexus Design Award 2019 judges – David Adjaye, John Maeda, Paola Antonelli and Yoshihiro Sawa – the winner of this year’s award has been announced in Milan on April 8th. Congratulations to American designer Lisa Marks for her Algorithmic Lace bra created for breast cancer survivors. Read on below for further insight on Lisa’s winning project, as well as the rest of the finalists.

This article was updated on 10th April 2019.

Related: Lexus – An Encounter With Anticipation By Formafantasma + Lexus Design Awards 2016.

Lexus Design Awards 2019 Finalists (from top left to bottom right): Lisa Marks, Rezzan Hasoglu, Jeffrey Dela Cruz, Dmitriy Balashov, Shuzhan Yuan and Ben Berwick (Prevalent).

Lexus Design Award 2019 finalist announcement video.

Lexus Design Awards 2019 Mentors (from top left to bottom right): Jaime Hayon, Jessica Rosenkrantz, Sebastian Wrong and Shohei Shigematsu.

Lexus Design Award finalists and mentors at mentorship session in NYC.

Jaime Hayon with Rezzan Hasoglu and Jeffrey Dela Cruz.

Sebastian Wrong with Lisa Marks.

Lexus Design Awards 2019 Judges (from top left to bottom right): Sir David Adjaye, John Maeda, Paola Antonelli and Yoshihiro Sawa.

The six finalists were chosen by an esteemed panel of judges including architect Sir David Adjaye OBE, MoMA Senior Curator Paola Antonelli, Automattic Head of Design John Maeda, and President of Lexus International Yoshihiro Sawa.

Judge John Maeda says, “This year’s submissions revealed a strong awareness of the connectedness of our world and the need for increased social consciousness.”

A two-day mentoring workshop at the newly opened Intersect by Lexus in New York was held in preparation for prototype creation, with expertise and guidance by a curated crew of the who’s who of the design world – Jaime Hayon, Sebastian Wrong, Jessica Rosenkrantz and Shohei Shigematsu. Finalists then had ongoing access to their mentors in the lead up to Milan presentations.

A Grand Prix Winner will be selected at the award ceremony during Milan Design Week 2019. Read on for further insight into the six shortlisted projects.

See more from Lexus on Yellowtrace here.

Algorithmic Lace bra by Lisa Marks.

3D custom lace bra for breast cancer survivors by Lisa Marks // American industrial designer Lisa Marks specializes in combining critical research with algorithmic design, promoting sustainable methods to help craft communities.

The 3D custom lace bra was created to promote the celebration and acceptance of women’s bodies post-mastectomy, with 40% of breast cancer patients and survivors electing to forgo reconstructive surgery. The bra is custom crafted from body scans using algorithmic patterning, an innovative methodology used to create three-dimensional lace. Inspired by Croatian bobbin lace, the method also creates jobs for lace-makers, since three-dimensional lace must be made by hand; an unexpected insertion of technology into handicraft to create something a machine cannot.

By utilizing the base mathematics for a generative lace stitch, each bra can be easily morphed and customized for each client; some may choose to highlight their scars and shape, while others may choose to highlight upper and lower curves to give a sense of fullness without the need for external prosthetics. The soft, uniform material avoids elements of a traditional bra, such as seams, that may cause discomfort post-surgery.

Arenophile by Rezzan Hasoglu.

Arenophile by Rezzan Hasoglu // Rezzan Hasoglu is a Turkish product designer based in London, having graduated from the Royal College of Art. Her design approach combines digital tools with hands-on processes, translating cultural nuance and research inspired by natural phenomena into tangible objects.

An ‘arenophile’ is someone who collects and studies different sands. This particular project looks at Desert sand, which has rounder grains shaped by wind instead of water. Unlike the sand used in industries from glass making to construction to electronics, Desert sand is an abundant, unused natural material.

Continuing her previous work with glass, such as infusing natural sands with glass to design functional objects, Hasoglu further explores the potential of this material. She experiments by binding Desert sand with glass, alginate, bentonite, and other materials to develop a series of products, exploring haptic feedback, user experience, and material compatibility. Hasoglu envisions making furniture in future with the new material.

Baluto by Jeffrey E. Dela Cruz.

Baluto by Jeffrey E. Dela Cruz // An architecture graduate from Saint Louis University in the Philippines, Jeffrey Dela Cruz interprets Filipino architectural designs and is often inspired by indigenous forms, materials and constructions.

Baluto presents a design for amphibious housing for flood-prone areas such as Bautista, Pangasinan, where many homes are destroyed during typhoon season. The project focuses on the possibilities of bamboo as a building material for affordable yet well-designed emergency dwellings for flood victims. The proposed 5m x 5m single unit module would be strong enough to withstand an earthquake and 5m high flood, simple construction that allows for mass production and self-building with the aid of a modular wall panel system.

The multi-function space can convert into three layouts at a time – the Sala Layout (living), the Hapag Layout (dining) and the Tulugan Layout (sleeping). It considers flexible furniture to maximize the space and make conversions possible. Rather than revolutionary technology or materials, Dela Cruz’s approach to innovation presents a new, sustainable approach to overhauling housing strategy for a community in need.

Green Blast Jet Energy by Dmitriy Balashov.

Green Blast Jet Energy by Dmitriy Balashov // Russian industrial designer Dmitriy Balashov is informed by comfort and rationality throughout his work. For Green Blast Jet Energy, he considers the excessive consumption of expensive energy we rely upon for much of the world to function, including energy used by the jet engines of a powerful aeroplane.

Take-off requires a significant amount of energy exertion, with an Airbus A380 reaching a speed of 46m/sec at a distance of 80-120 meters. Balashov created a device by which part of this energy can be collected and accumulated, with the idea of installing it at the end of runways across major international airports – Heathrow, Charles de Gaulle, LAX, Dubai – each with over 1400 flights taking off every day. The energy collected would be returned to the airports to use for various purposes. No such device exists yet, and would capitalize on obtaining free energy to the economic benefit of energy supply at airports.

Hydrus by Shuzhan Yuan.

Hydrus by Shuzhan Yuan // A product designer from China, Shuzhan Yuan aims to encourage deep thinking through design, with a philosophical approach to creative practice. Hydrus is the result of Yuan’s extensive research on the negative impact of offshore oil spills on the global environment and human development.

Historically, oil spills are dealt with inefficiently, requiring manpower and resources to deploy an oil boom and oil skimmer. Hydrus combines the two mechanisms into a remote-control device incorporating a redesigned boom and moveable skimmer, able to clear oil spills much more quickly and effectively. Hydrus also sprays an oil bacterium to degrade any residual crude oil. The system easily automates the existing, difficult to implement oil spill treatments, a solution to containing potentially disastrous consequences on the marine ecosystem. Plus, the rounded, cylindrical form is elegant and comes in a sleek rust tone.

Solgami by Ben Berwick of Prevalent.

Solgami by Ben Berwick of Prevalent // Australian Ben Berwick runs Prevalent, an architectural startup focusing on social spaces and spatial technology. He has a Masters in engineering received whilst a Fellow at the University of Tokyo, and has a background in Architecture from the University of Sydney, where he also teaches.

Solgami combats the incompatibility of existing solar technology with apartment housing, and the non-ideal nature of prevalent apartment typologies, with small windows, less light, and cramped space. The origami screen design allows users to generate as much or as little light or power as they desire, utilizing existing technology and turning its limitations into its strengths.

Efficient solar panels reflect 66% of the light that reaches them. The light-reflecting louver geometry of Solgami allows light to pass directly through the screen, or reflect onto the walls of the components, bouncing between the solar panels and generating electricity. The remaining reflections leave the panel and go back into the apartment. The decision between internal illumination and energy generation is made by user actuation, sliding the origami geometry back and forth.

With the screen largely visible from public places, as a blind or curtain would be, Solgami aims to be a cultural signifier, differentiating those that are contributing to clean energy. Rather than a ‘name and shame’ mindset, Berwick wants to encourage urbanites to connect to their environment and consider their individual impact on climate change.

‘Leading with Light’, Lexus Design Event at Milan Design Week 2019 is an exhibition space designed by internationally acclaimed Japanese creative studio Rhizomatiks.

Lexus Design Award 2019 group shot after the awards ceremony in Milan.

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[Images courtesy of Lexus.