Press Release
Shih An Ko Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Kawadoko Bench in Furniture Design
The international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Shih An Ko for furniture design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Furniture Design category for Kawadoko Bench by Shih An Ko, designed for Chieh Nan Ko Architects. The award was conferred within the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Kawadoko Bench
Kawadoko is a wooden bench designed to offer relief from summer heat. The name refers to platforms built over rivers in Japan during summer, where people cool down beside running water. The bench is made of white oak, using mortise and tenon joints and woodturning, and follows the structure of traditional wooden architecture. Long gaps between the seat rods allow air to pass through for a cool sitting experience. The seat is wider than average, so users can sit cross-legged or lie down to rest. The rounded rod edges serve as handles when the bench is moved.
About Shih An Ko
Shih An Ko, born in 1998, Taiwan, is majored in architecture design, and is taking a temporary leave delving into traditional craftsmanship and furniture making. Most of his design, which are made of natural materials, aim to emphasize the beauty of nature, bringing daily life closer to nature.
Award Record
Shih An Ko is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Furniture Design Award
The A' Furniture Design Award is an international furniture competition recognizing good furniture designs by best furniture designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to furniture designers, product designers, industrial design studios and furniture brands from all countries. Typical entries include chairs, tables, sofas, beds, cabinets and shelves. The awarded furniture designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/furniture
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/121535
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/121535
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!121535
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/290226
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Kawadoko Bench
- Function
- Bench
- Category
- Furniture Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home
- Colors
- Gray, Dark Gray, Dim Gray, Rosy Brown and Dark Olive Green
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Chieh Nan Ko Architects
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Shih An Ko
- Country
- Taiwan (China)
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2020 - 2021
- Design ID
- #121535
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Inspired by the memories of kawadoko, this bench is specially designed for escaping from the summer heat. The long gaps between the seat create a cool and well-ventilated sitting experience, and the rods that make up the seat are cut into flat surfaces to ensure comfort, while the edges remain circular, similar to the shape of bamboo, and serve as handles when moving the chair.
- Inspiration
- Kawadoko, which mean river floors, are patios built over the river by restaurants in Kibune during the summer. While kawadoko are temporary, they are quite sturdy-built with wood and bamboo. In Kibune, people are only a few feet above the river as they can enjoy the sound of water, the breeze, and the mist. Thinking Kawadoko as a pleasant escape from the summer heat, the design aims to evoke memories of kawadoko, bringing a sense of coolness into daily life.
- Research
- The project has explored the wooden structure of traditional Japanese architecture, and transformed it into the constructive concept of the design. Another research is about the relevance between furniture and human body scale,and how our body reacts in different circumstances, as these are the factors that refined the prototype in the process.
- Challenge
- The biggest challenge is the making of the 1.5 meters-long wooden rods, which requires customized jigs to stabilize during the making process. And the burnt marks on the curved surface, after several attempts,have been successfully erased using certain techniques.
- Realization and Technology
- Production: tenon and mortise techniques, woodturning Material: white oak
- Operation and Interaction
- The scale and dimension of this project has been carefully arranged to achieve a friendly user experience. The width of the bench is wider than the average, so that user can easily sit cross-legged or even lie down to rest. The height of the shelf is in exact position where the hands are naturally dropping,which means anything on the shelf are within reach.the round rods serve as handles when moving the bench. In addition, a foldable cushion can be used during winter to ensure comfort.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in August, 2020 and finished in January, 2021, Taiwan.
- Specifications
- Width 430mm x Depth 1520mm x Height 460mm
- Keywords
- bench, summer, nature, furniture
