The winners of the 13 editions of the Roca One Day Design Challenge which were held in 12 countries in 2019 were invited to Barcelona to celebrate the first edition of the Roca Master Design Challenge with the support of the BCD (Barcelona Centre de Disseny) and the collaboration of the We Are Water Foundation. The competition was linked to innovation, design which aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. The winner of Malaysia's One Day Design Challenge were lucky to experience first-hand with the experts.
The event took place from 19th to 22nd January 2020, with all kinds of activities and workshops, specifically conceived to contribute to the education and experience of the young designers and architects.
In addition to cultural visits to the most emblematic spots in Barcelona and to the 22@ district, the participants also joined in specific workshops related to design and architecture and visited the Disseny Hub Barcelona and the Institute for Advanced Architecture. They attended a talk at Materfad on the use of polymers in product design and another one at Fab Lab Barcelona on the Internet of Things. After the talks, they carried out a team project related to what had been explained to them and a workshop of architecture photography.
The finale was also held at the Roca Barcelona Gallery, following the format of the standard editions of the Roca One Day Design Challenge, that is, a given time to present a project that answered to the proposed briefing consisting of the design of a new type of basin with an additional functionality that would provide added value to the product.
The event ended at the spectacular Saló de Cent in Barcelona’s Town Council with the awards ceremony of the final, as well as of all categories and different activities held during these three days of the Master Design Challenge and was presided over by Xavier Marcet, Councilor of Tourism and Creative Industries and Xavier Torras, Roca Brand Communication Director.
Ahmad Alkattan is a 28-year old Syrian. After received the first prize at the 2019 edition in UAE, Ahmad became the winner of the Roca Master Design Challenge, showing his skills and standing out both in the design and the presentation of his project. His design, Exsinka is a basin that can be taken anywhere it is needed. With elegant aesthetics and equipped with wheels, Exsinka has been specifically designed to reduce mobility and can be operated via mobile phone. It has two water tanks, one for fresh water and another to store grey water. When there is no more water left in the system, it emits a warning to be refilled. A clever idea that received the final prize of the jury. Isabel Pintado, Regional Managing Director at Wilson Associates and member of the jury, pointed out that “the project changes the static concept of bathroom products, incorporating a moving piece that can be used even outside the bathroom space."
The consuls of some of the participant countries, such as Poland, Argentina, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria and China, were present at the ceremony, a gesture that reaffirms their interest in supporting the young talent of their different countries. This is a commitment we share in Roca.
