Steelcase Announces Greener By Design Winners

The winners were announced at the Greener by Design Conference, held May 19-20 at San Francisco's Palace Hotel.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 5/27/2009

John Dreher and Mike Norelli's design for MC Shared 

Sending steely eyed student designers to San Francisco, Steelcase announced the winners of its Sustainable Design Contest at the Greener by Design Conference, held May 19-20 at the city's legendary Palace Hotel.

The office furnishings manufacturer tasked students with submitting ideas for a product, service, or business venture with social and/or environmental benefits. Students were required to submit their idea in 500 words or less and were encouraged to include their design files, concept papers, drawings, business plans, and photographs.

Steelcase then selected winners, along with partners Net Impact and Greenbiz.com, based on originality and creativity, along with the use of core environmental sustainability principles and clear evidence of social values. For winning, the students received a full student scholarship to attend the conference in San Francisco where they were recognized at a Steelcase event and presented their work to conference attendees.


A portion of Edgar Rudberg's design for the Community Cactum Rainwater Collection System

Winners of the contest include Dave Berger from Cooper Union for Solar Lights, and affordable solar-powered lighting system for people living in remote regions, John Dreher and Mike Norelli from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for MC Shared, a human centered energy monitoring system designed to make homes more energy efficient, and Edgar Rudberg from the University of Minnesota for designing the Community Cactum Rainwater Collection System, a kit that aims to help water-deprived communities collect and store rainwater.

"The focus of the contest is on the design of products, services, and business ideas that have an environmental and social benefit," says Angela Nahikian, director of global environmental strategy and programs for Steelcase. "The quality of work submitted by the students was impressive and the winners should be commended for understanding and succinctly conveying the social and design aspects of their ideas."

Images courtesy of Steelcase.