The third edition of the Paradyż Designers competition is now open for submissions with a new international scope. The competition will focus on the use of TRI-D sintered stone to create modern, innovative spaces. This year's jury will be led by Jürgen Mayer H., who together with the rest of the jury will revise the entries by designers, architects and art students in several categories concerning space designing using TRI-D sintered stones. The prizes amount to EUR 40,000 and include a trip to Salone del Mobile in Milan, all of which is organized by Polish tile manufacturer Ceramika Paradyż.
This edition of the competition is different from previous years for a couple of reasons: the international reach of the competition –reflected in the jury headed by architect and artist Jürgen Mayer H–, and the new prize, which includes visits to one of the most awaited design events –Salone del Mobile in April 2024– in addition to the monetary prizes. This competition is also unique due to its subject, a new category of Ceramika Paradyż products named TRI-D sintered stone. This will be a chance for gifted designers (including both beginners and experienced professionals), to share their innovative creative ideas in the context of the broad functional applicability of this material.
Ceramika Paradyż manufactures sintered stone using innovative technology that enables it to obtain a colorful “vein” effect throughout the entire profile of a 20 mm-thick slab, and is one of only a few companies that do so worldwide. Thanks to this innovative technology, dedicated natural material granulate is pressed, decorated and then sintered at 1200°C. This allows them to obtain flat sintered stone slabs as large as 1600x3200x20 mm. Sintered stone is resistant to low and high temperatures, stains or UV rays, has a high AC rating and is food-safe.
TRI-D sintered stone offers many possibilities for creative interior design thanks to its rich colors and variety of designs. The products within the range allow for a variety of compositions and combinations in rooms of different styles and functions, as their practical values allow them to be used as worktops, window sills, tables, wall decoration details in the kitchen or even as fireplace cladding. In addition, they can also be used in exterior applications thanks to their resistance to various weather conditions.
The unlimited design opportunities the range offers allow architects and designers to specify for projects of any style, from more traditional to modern minimalism. It is this versatility that led the material to become one of the main aspects of the competition. The main task of the competition participants is therefore to create a 3D design of a space using TRI-D sintered stone.
In addition to the founder of the renowned J. MAYER H. studio in Berlin –the designs of which are characterized by a nonchalant, almost sculpting approach to building and bold implementation of new technology in building structures–, the jury members include a list of renowned professionals with versatile competences. The winners will also be selected by:
- Agnieszka Kalinowska-Sołtys (architect and president of SARP, i.e. Association of Polish Architects),
- Oskar Zięta (architect and artist, called sculptor 4.0, author of an innovative steel molding method by means of internal pressure, FiDU),
- Ewa Porębska (architect by education, curator and critic of architecture, chief editor of Architektura-Murator monthly),
- Didier F. Faustino (an architect and artist whose work reflects a study of the relationship between the body and space, as well as how art can be a significant element in public space);
- Szymon Hanczar (architect and artist, a graduate of the Faculty of Interior Architecture and Industrial Design at the Academy of Art and Design in Wrocław and a lecturer of that Academy),
- Przemo Łukasik (architect and founder of medusagroup studio),
- Magdalena Fedorowicz-Boule (architect, president and director of Tremend architectural studio),
- Jo Jurga (Joanna Jurga, PhD, space and product designer, innovator and expert in safety-oriented design),
- Aldona Chudzicka (director of the Product Development Department in Ceramika Paradyż),
- Alek Pluta of Nomadd Studio who was awarded the first place in the previous competition edition for his “Pottery Workshop” project.
- David Basulto, a renowned architect who has been a curator of numerous architectural biennales and a jury member in various trade competitions, and is Founder and Editor in Chief of ArchDaily, one of the most visited architectural platforms worldwide.
A subject-matter curator of this competition is Marcin Szczelina, a critic and curator of architecture. A creator and chief editor of Architecture Snob magazine, ambassador of Lafarge Holcim Award, the international competition promoting sustainable building engineering and a member of a group of experts for the prestigious European Mies van der Rohe Award.
The competition will be open during Warsaw Home & Contract fair on 8 November 2023. Please send your submissions by 29 February 2024. The winners of the third Paradyż Designers competition will be announced in late March 2024. The total monetary prize value is EUR 40,000.
For more information concerning the competition, click here.
