Contest 2017

TILE AWARD 2017

For the fourth time, the Tile Award newcomer competition by AGROB BUCHTAL in collaboration with AIT-Dialog called upon architects and interior designers under the age of 38 to design new, unconventional and sensational interiors with ceramic tiles. The competition looks for creative and advanced ideas, which illustrate the varied design possibilities the material has to offer.

The task of the competition is the (re)design of an interior by using tiles. The competition is not about the design of a new tile but about showing how tiles can be incorporated in a design in an innovative and creative way. This year’s topic of the competition is colours and patterns. Three categories are available. Participants are allowed to work on several categories. According to this, each participant can submit a maximum of three projects. The aim is to implement the best ideas and represent them with a photo shoot for an elaborate architectural publication.

“On a recent trip to Lisbon, driving in from the airport … was this question in my mind … what makes Lisbon unique … there are of course many answers. But one of the first things one notices are tiles! Tiles everywhere. This is a city of tiles. And of course one of the most famous types are those called the azulejos tiles. A blue willow pattern likes effect of imaginary landscapes and strange stories. What I came to wonder was how could one take this ancient artisan form and create a more contemporary city from this?” (Brendan MacFarlane, jury member TILE AWARD 2017)

The competition is split into two phases. Phase I: A renowned expert jury selects the nine best ideas from all entries. The jury consists of Brendan MacFarlane (Jakob + MacFarlane, FR-Paris), Johan Oscarson (Elding Oscarson, SE-Stockholm), Michael Stoz (Partner AG, DE-Offenburg) and Christian Waldner (AllesWirdGut Architektur, AT-Wien/DE-München).

“My interest in being a judge on this years competition is to propose a theme based on two interacting or not geometries, i.e. the grid matrix and that of fluid more organic form. I have included a study based around the notion of fluid forms, in order to create a visual metaphor.” (Brendan MacFarlane, jury member TILE AWARD 2017)

Phase II: Nine winners will be invited to a workshop in Iceland. There they are given the opportunity to present their results and further develop their ideas together with experts from AGROB BUCHTAL. In the course of the workshop, floor plans and isometric drawings are developed for the designs. The implementation framework and the budget are specified beforehand, and the projects can be refined in terms of an eventual feasibility.

The workshop is followed by a second jury session, during which the most creative results are determined. These works are implemented on a scale of 1:1 and documented in a professional photo shooting. In what way tiles are used is up to the designer.

As a basis of the ideas competition, the participants can, for example, chose a building or a city, in which a room is redesigned or newly laid out. Alternatively, a fictional room can be the starting point for the design. The concept can be submitted as a drawing, photo composition or visualization.
Competition brief

For more information and registration please contact tile-award@ait-online.de