NUS industrial designers have won a prestigious Red Dot Award this year.
Associate Professor Christophe Gaubert and Mr Willie Tay from the Design Incubation Centre at the NUS School of Design and Environment (SDE) have been awarded the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021 for the Aline Chair. The international jury has awarded Aline Chair the distinction "Red Dot", which stands for high design quality.
Assoc Prof Gaubert noted that this is the first time an industrial design project from SDE has won the Red Dot Award under the "Product Design" category. He said, " To see the design of our outdoor furniture for SDE4 winning a Red Dot in the Product Design category where usually only big companies such Dyson, Porsche or Apple are on the podium, should make us collectively proud of this performance!"
Indeed, the Founder and CEO of Red Dot Professor Peter Zec agreed that the winners of the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2021 were particularly impressive this year. He said, "The design of their products is excellent, in terms of both the aesthetic and the functionality. It's not easy to prevail in such a strong field of competitors and to win over our jury. Consequently, I want to congratulate the laureates very sincerely on their success."
Dating as far back as 1955, the Red Dot Award: Product Design recognises the best products for a given year. The international jury panel comprises specialists from a wide variety of sectors who scrutinised the products entered in the competition in a process that spanned several days and were guided by assessment criteria such as the product's formal quality, ergonomics and longevity.
Designed and developed as the signature outdoor furniture for SDE4, the Aline Chair was made entirely in Singapore. Its design is based on a standard diameter of aluminium tubes, for the easiness of sourcing and production. The material allows for very light pieces of furniture, long-lasting resistance to tropical weather, and a low carbon footprint. The chair is also stackable for better management in public places.
Originally made in Singapore as a limited edition piece, the designers are now aiming for mass production. This chair will come as the keystone of a complete outdoor furniture system, in an extensive palette of colours, from anodised finishing to custom-made powder coating.
The Aline Chair will be showcased in the exhibition "Design on Stage" in the Red Dot Design Museum Essen, where all of the award-winning products will be featured. Viewers can also see the product in an online exhibition on the Red Dot website from 21 Jun.
