FEATURES
Design competition uplifts young SA talent
Edited by Leon Louw
This year marks South African wood panel manufacturer PG Bison ’ s 1.618 Education Initiative ’ s ( an annual design competition ) 28th year of existence .
The competition is aimed at third-year architecture and
interior design students around South Africa and is written into the curricula of participating educational institutions . It aims to nurture and recognise young talent , introduce students to real-world briefs and products , and encourage creative thinking . In 2020 , for the first time ever , the competition moves online .
“ Our brief for the 2020 edition of the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative is ‘ The pursuit of Balance ’,” explains Lian Markham , communications manager at PG Bison . “ Students are given a brief – exactly as they would be on a real-world project – and submit their designs , which are judged by a panel of industry experts . Every year , we choose the site for the project based on where the previous year ’ s winner was studying . The 2019 competition winner was Sanette de Villiers from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth , so this year ’ s brief focuses on a site in Port Elizabeth .”
The 2020 brief sees students submitting their ideas to transform a site in a community-based space for work and leisure in the Lower Baakens Valley , South End . Entrants need to select a tenant or brand and design a fit-for-purpose space within the existing development , balancing the tenant / brand requirements with a social cause that will elevate the brand experience .
Livia Coetzee-Stein , creative executive at DHQ Interior Brand Architects , is one of the five competition judges and helped PG Bison to craft the 2020 brief . “ The theme – Pursuit of Balance – is
ALL IMAGES : PG BISON
The 2019 competition winner was Sanette de Villiers from Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth .
about balancing the experiential component with the actual site and its distinct elements ,” she says . “ It ' s such a very raw space , so I ’ m interested to see how the students are going to look at the tenant mix and who ' s there at the moment , and then what they can bring that ' s different to offer that will bring value . It ’ s more than design – it ’ s strategic thinking .”
Coetzee-Stein is joined on the judging panel by Dale Friedman , associate at Paragon Interface and Phill Mashabane , founder and principal architect at Mashabane Rose Associates , who have both served as PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative judges before , as
General design-styles .