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Scholarship Winners Study Concept of Universal Home

The group, ages 22-40, represents four continents.

Staff -- Interior Design, 10/23/2006 12:00:00 AM

The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, located in Essen, Germany, has awarded 10 scholarships to young designers who will come together at the institute for one year to study the topic of the Universal Home –that is, housing that is flexible and appropriate for all ages. More than 50 people from around the globe applied.

The six female and four male scholarship winners—all designers or architects—are between 22 and 40 years old and come from Brazil, China, Germany, Canada, Malta, Turkey, Hungary, and Vietnam. For a full year, they will work together to develop ideas for a Universal Home. The research and development project will address solutions for a living situation that grows with its occupants and is flexible, thus adjusting to the various requirements of people at different ages. The results will be documented in a publication.

Earlier this month, the group met for the first time at the Design Zentrum’s Red Dot Design Museum for the introductory lecture on the topic. The participants will unveil the first look into their work on November 15 at a symposium.

Several German companies, including Duravit, Walter Knoll, Poggenpohl, and Miele, are donating time, advisement, and research to the project. The joint work will act to enhance information-sharing among young talent, architects, and the industry. The project is being subsidized by the European Union, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the city of Essen.