Radical Innovation announces 2017 finalists
Radical Innovation, an annual competition that seeks game-changing ideas in the hospitality industry, has announced the finalists for its 11th edition. Five projects will be presented to a live audience at the New Museum in New York on 4 October, with a judging panel subsequently determining the grand-prize winner.
Three professional finalists – Vertical Micro-Climate by Arno Matis Architecture, Living the Till by EoA and Play Design Hotel’s namesake project – were selected by jury members to compete for the main award, whilst Brendan Siebrecht of University of Nevada Las Vegas will take home the student prize. Caspar Schol’s Garden House, by UK-based Architectural Association School of Architecture will receive an honourable mention.
Arno Matis Architecture’s Vertical Micro-Climate is a mountaintop resort that uses thermal and solar technology to provide guests with a warm and bright year-round indoor/outdoor environment. Additional design features include concave-shaped towers that use reflective guardrail systems to redirect additional light downwards and geothermally heated cliff-edge swimming pools.
Living The Till, submitted by EoA, is a treetop concept that involves a temporary nomadic structure allowing for seasonal inhabitation in remote areas. The structure features a mesh platform supported by a series of cables, and generates minimal impact on the surrounding environment.
Play Design Hotel has been conceived as an inhabitable design gallery, functioning as both an incubator and living lab for local designers. The idea connects local designers with international travellers, and features furnishings and fixtures sourced from local brands that boast cultural significance or narratives.
Lastly, Siebrecht’s student prize-winning concept, Hyperloop Hotel, uses a sustainable, modular design in the form of shipping containers that double as travelling guest suites.
Finalists were selected from over 65 international entries based on their creativity and feasibility, with the winner receiving a $10,000 prize to further the concept, and the runner-up taking home $5,000. The student winner will be given a $1,500 prize and an opportunity to pursue a scholarship at UNLV to complete his Master’s of Architecture degree in Hospitality Design.
The Radical innovation jury is comprised of industry experts including Michael Medzigian, CEO and Director, Carey Watermark Investors; Jena Thornton, LEED AP, Managing Director, Eagle Rock Ventures; Simon Turner, Former President, Global Development, Starwood Hotels; James Woods, Head of WeLive, WeWork; Wing T. Chao, Founding Principal, Wing T. Chao Architect; and Claude Amar, President, The John Hardy Group International.
The event is produced by the John Hardy Group, with support from founding sponsor Global Allies and official media partner Sleeper.
