Results from Roca’s One Day Design Challenge 2018

Roca's annual competition once again challenged young designers to imagine innovative bathroom solutions

Roca's One Day Design Challenge returned for its fourth edition in Hong Kong on December 1. The contest drew a record-breaking 120 student teams and young professionals from the fields of architecture and interior design.

The one-day event challenged contestants to come up with innovative designs for bathroom products while working against the clock. The theme of the competition was not revealed until the morning of the event, when contestants were given just seven hours to work on their creation before submitting a visual representation of their project.This year, the contestants had the mission of designing a new product for storing wet towels. They had to come up with an innovative design that considered the lack of space typical of Hong Kong apartments, while bearing in mind the city's high humidity that encourages bacterial growth.

The contest drew a record-breaking 120 student teams and young professionals

First prize went to Wong Tsz-ching, Dong Si-wah and Yeung Hin, a team of graduates from the University of Hong Kong, who were awarded cash prizes (along with the two runners-up). Their UVGI towel hanger, which serves not only as a towel rack and steriliser but also a statement lighting piece for the bathroom, impressed the judges including Roger Wu, chairman of RIBA Hong Kong Chapter, and David Lo, creative director of Lomatters and vice chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre.

Adding a twist to a traditional towel hanger while keeping its linearity, the unit's curved, sterilising rod is wall-mounted and emits UVC light when in use. In particular, the judges noted the product's practicality and aesthetics. The family-friendly design configured hangers at chest, waist and hip levels, where the rod bends horizontally, to cater to a family of users and towels of varying sizes.

The One Day Design Challenge is one of Roca's signature events, held in 10 countries in 2018

Fernando de la Cal, Roca's export sales director and a judge of the competition, was pleased with the overall standard and creativity of the submissions. "It has been hard to choose just some of them. I am sure consumers would love to have them in their bathrooms, too," he said.

The One Day Design Challenge is one of Roca's signature events, held in 10 countries in 2018. Roca inaugurated this international event in Hong Kong in 2015, with the aim of discovering local young talent in the creative and design industry and providing them with a networking platform.