Competitions such as the 1.618 Education Initiative have been created to specifically help empower architecture and design students. This annual design competition, hosted by PG Bison, is aimed at local third-year architecture and interior design students, and doesn’t only seek to support and empower but also provides an opportunity for young talent to be noticed by the industry ahead of entering the job market.
This year’s competition winners are Zander Etienne Deysel, an architecture student at Nelson Mandela University, who took first place. Second place was scooped by Ashleigh Bennett, an interior design student at IIE Vega in Durban.
This year’s brief was set in Cape Town and required students to create a design to develop the historical Strand Street Quarry as an attractive tourist destination and connection hub along the City’s planned Heritage Route.
After intense deliberation, the 2021 judging panel decided not to award the third place this year despite the high level of talent on display in the 10 finalists’ work. The judges felt that none of the remaining eight submissions adequately met each and every requirement of the brief.
The 2020 edition of the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative had to move online due to Covid-19. The 2021 edition was a hybrid event. All the finalists were brought to Johannesburg for the filming of the awards ceremony, which was streamed live so their families, friends, lecturers and the PG Bison community could be part of the experience. Each finalist will also receive a cash prize of R2 000.
Lian Markham, Communications Manager at PG Bison congratulated Zander and Ashleigh, as well as their lecturers.