Monash students named finalists in the Australian Design Awards
Mass Rescue Board by Christina Heggie
Three Monash industrial design students have been named finalists in the most influential design event of the year, the Australian Design Awards – James Dyson Award.
Jonathan Liow, Christina Heggie and Alexander Vittouris have each secured a place in the final top 12 for their innovative and distinctive designs which draw inspiration from the environment, sustainable living, safety and wellbeing.
Modernising an Australian icon such as the surf rescue board, was no mean feat for Monash graduate Christina Heggie. The Mass Rescue Board has appealed to the judging panel with its ground-breaking design which increases usability, safety, durability and functionality for Australian surf lifesavers.
When creating the Mass Rescue Board, Christina incorporated a number of innovations into the original design. Self-inflating tubes enable a single lifesaver to quickly stabilise mass-rescue situations and a replaceable tail guard extends the life of the board, easing financial strain on surf lifesaving clubs.
“Beach safety is an issue of great social importance, in Australia and overseas. Surf lifesavers face difficult challenges in their crucial role on our beaches. The Mass Rescue Board provides much-needed assistance in maintaining beach safety and helping to reduce drowning fatalities and related injuries,” said Ms Heggie.
Monash graduate and promising humanitarian designer, Jonathan Liow, has made a splash with his potentially life-saving device, Solarball. Designed for third-world countries, the Solarball produces up to three litres of clean water daily, by absorbing sunlight, causing dirty water contained inside to evaporate. As evaporation occurs, contaminants are separated from the water, generating drinkable condensation.
Jonathan explained that the Solarball brings innovation to a design category that needs more heroes.
“Safe and accessible drinking water is one of the rarest resources on the planet and this design offers a simple, low-cost, efficient design to a worldwide problem,” said Mr Liow.
With the environment also in mind, Alexander Vittouris has created Ajiro, a wholly sustainable urban vehicle that has been designed using shape modifying bamboo during the growth period. The bamboo is directed over a reusable skeletal structure to form the structural basis for the vehicle. The Ajiro relies on the rapid and natural production of biomass to complete the form rather than depending purely on post-production material.
Vittouris’ concept bridges the gap between car and bicycle by providing on-board storage and canopy shelter for the rider.
“Consumption of raw materials has lasting implications – economically, socially and environmentally. This vehicle is about rethinking our approach to both design and ecological sustainability of the products we create and use,” said Mr Vittouris.
The three students are following in the footsteps of Monash student Liam Ferguson, who won the Gold Prize award at the event in 2010, for his sci-fi meets safety Amatoya Fire Reconnaissance Vehicle: a specialised, high-performance vehicle designed to offer a faster and safer response in first line defence against bushfires.
Winners of the 2011 Australian Design Awards – James Dyson Award will be announced at an official presentation ceremony in Melbourne on Friday 22 July.
For further information regarding the Australian Design Awards visit www.designawards.com.au