Radical Innovation – the annual programme to find hospitality concepts with the power to change the industry – has revealed the finalists for its 2020 edition. Competing for a US$10,000 grand prize, three projects by Luxury Frontiers, Populous and Indidesign will be presented at an event in October with an audience vote deciding the ultimate winner. Selected from 80 entries submitted from 20 different countries, the finalists have been assessed by a panel of hospitality and design experts on the merits of their creative vision, design, feasibility and potential impact.
Running parallel, a student prize of $1,500 has been awarded to Jieru Lin, a California College of the Arts graduate for her Moment Hotel proposal. Lin will present her work alongside the professional finalists and will also receive an invitation for an Assistantship to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Masters Architectural Program, or a teaching assistantship to the to the University of Illinois School of Architecture.
Two winners have also been announced in the Hospitality Product category, with The Bruskin Glass Modular Shower by Belstone, Van Nuys taking home the Professional award, whilst Mio: A Smart Mirror by Arda Genç of the Istanbul Technical University was named student winner.
Judges for the 2020 edition included Claude Amar, Managing Director, The Hardy Group International; Ellen Brown, EVP, Fulcrum Hospitality; Larry Traxler, SVP of Global Design, Hilton; Mark Friesen, Principal, Beyer Brown & Assoc and Jena Thornton, Principal, Hospitality, Kinzer Partners amongst others.
Now in its 14th edition, the Radical Innovation Award is produced by The Hardy Group with Sleeper as media partner. Previous winners have included Zoku, the Concrete-designed, Amsterdam-based co-working/living project that opened in 2016, a year after taking home the prize.
Find out more about each of this year’s finalists below.
Camp Sarika by Amangiri
Luxury Frontiers
Opened recently as an intimate extension to the Amangiri experience, North America’s first all-weather, year-round tented camp comprises ten tented pavilions in Utah’s Canyon Point – a half-hour hike from the main property. Designed by San-Francisco based Luxury Frontiers, the project references the sandstone formations surrounding the camp by way of soft canvas woven from plastic bottles, and wooden fittings that contrast the blackened steel of Amangiri. Within each tent, interiors are characterised by bespoke walnut and leather furnishings, etched timber headboards, leather straps and sliding doors. Overlooking the otherworldly landscape of mesa tops and rock formations, the back-to-basics camp combines the touchstones of Aman luxury with increasing guest demand for more meaningful and contextual experiences.
The Modern Monastery
Indidesign
Embracing the distinctive aesthetics and atmosphere of quarry sites, Indidesign’s Modern Monastery would see unused marble quarries transformed into sophisticated architectural destinations, with the LA-based firm proposing that these spaces be embraced as dynamic foundations for a unique guest experience. Featuring a vertical set of rooms carved into the excavated rock face, the adaptive reuse concept would seek to reconnect the plots to the wider landscape via a sense of calm and grounded energy inspired by natural wellness, with guests also connected to this journey. The sculpted ridges would hold living units, with layers connected via a mix of visible and hidden passages and empty cavities filled with water for a series of reflective surface details, embracing the dramatic open spaces and distinctive visuals as opposed to hiding them away.
Dream Pod
Populous
Using existing technologies including 3D printing, hot air balloons and smartphones, Populous’ Dream Pod proposal is a series of lightweight, self-sustaining floating accommodations that would allow guests to combine elements of travel, personalised comfort and the wonder of flight. Constructed with a durable lattice structure, Dream Pods can be controlled through an app, and feature curved photovoltaics atop the balloon for capturing sunlight, whilst a waterless toilet – as well as water sanitation and storage solutions – allow guests to float for up to two days. Seeking to redefine how both hotels and hospitality would look and function in the future, Dream Pod responds to the growing interest in dynamic and less densely populated hotel concepts following the Coronavirus pandemic.
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