Age-Friendly Products

Yarışmada son teslim tarihi 3 Temmuz 2012.

Devised by Maria Grazia Mazzocchi (founder of Domus Academy), Marcello Lago ( from the LN-A Foundation) and Elena Pacenti (chair of the Service Design masters program at the Domus Academy), the Age-friendly products competition invites design professionals and students to rethink domestic objects for today’s senior citizens, which for the most part are in good health, are familiar with technology and have high product-quality standards.

The competition aspires to the prospective creation of new collections of beautiful, practical and functional objects, while promoting a design culture focused on the specific needs of an increasingly important population segment.

The deadline for submissions is 3 July 2012.

Opening photo: Lanzavecchia & Wai, Together Canes, furniture and accessories collection for senior citizens. Photo by Davide Farabegoli.

AGE-FRIENDLY PRODUCTS
A call for ideas promoted by: Domus – architectural, design and art monthly published by Editoriale Domus
Under the Sponsorship of: LN-A, a foundation fighting against the lack of self-sufficiency

Framework
This competition promotes the design of a new generation of products with a high aesthetic worth and performance to meet the needs of seniors.
The longer life expectations and changed social and economic conditions of the elderly in advanced economies have turned retirement into a second life that brings independent living and, often, fresh enterprise.
The quality of this new life must feature products and services that embrace and sustain this new independence and enterprise with an elegant, discreet, comfortable and eco-friendly approach to the changed physical and cognitive capabilities.
Most of today’s seniors are in good health, are familiar with technology and have high product-quality standards; they have a certain financial independence and want to be surrounded by good-looking, practical products. These are carefully designed and attractive, still usable when sight, movement, strength, resistance, and the senses are slightly weaker.

Competition Aims
This competition invites the design world — professionals as well as university and academy students — to design beautiful and sustainable objects to help seniors live their everyday lives in their domestic environment.
Objects that are beautiful, intelligent and easy to use, as well as being environmentally and socially sustainable.
The main aim of the competition is to promote a design culture focused on the specific needs of an increasingly important population segment, a design that can channel aesthetic and innovative design values into the creation of new lines of age-friendly products.
The competition aspires to the prospective creation of new collections of beautiful, practical and functional objects promoted by leading Italian and worldwide design companies.

Proposal
The design of beautiful and sustainable products that help seniors live their everyday lives in their domestic environments.
Products that respond to the specific needs of people with partially reduced physical-motor and sensory capacity i.e. that make the following actions easy, comfortable and enjoyable for them:
— being seated, lying down, raising and lowering themselves
— gripping, lifting, lowering and handling
— carrying and moving things and themselves
— gaining bearings in the light and dark
— retaining balance, securing themselves, leaning
— reminding, remembering, jotting down, memorising
— preparing, cooking, cutting
— cleaning, tidying up, folding, putting away
— opening and closing
— communicating, staying in contact, being available

All the everyday furnishings and supports designed must be easy to use, handle, lift, grip and read as well as meeting basic requirements such as:
— simplicity
— limited materials
— durability
— domesticity
— soft qualities
— technological-industrially up-to-date
— technically feasible

Product categories:
— furnishings
— occasional furnishings
— utensils
— tableware
— everyday objects (for the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom…)
— common medical objects
— home media
— packaging

Competition Requisites and Characteristics

Competition Requisites
The competition is open to two different entrant categories:
1. professionals: designers, architects, engineers or design offices and partnerships, Italian and international.
2. students: Italian and international students, in Italy or abroad, from universities, design and architecture academies.

Individual or group entries are accepted.
The competition is only open to new designs (not yet published, produced or at the prototyping stage).
The designer retains the copyright on the designs but Editoriale Domus and LN-A are free to use texts, drawings and illustrations of the designs for publications, exhibitions and any other form of circulation.

Competition Promotion
The competition will be published by Domus magazine and managed by Domusweb. The competition will also be promoted with professional associations (design, architecture etc.), cultural bodies, universities and academies of design and architecture.

Prizes
A first, second and third prize will be awarded for the two categories (professionals, students).
The winner will receive a monetary prize of 3,000 Euros; the runner-up 2,000 Euros; and the third-place 1,000 Euros.
A 1:1 model or prototype of each of the six winning designs will be produced. LN-A shall own the design prototypes.

Jury
The Jury members appointed are:
Enrico Astori (president, Driade)
Joseph Grima (editor in chief, Domus)
Stefano Marzano (Group Chief Design Officer and member of the Group Management, Electrolux)
Alessandro Mendini (architect, designer, artist)
Vanni Pasca (design historian)
Alice Rawsthorn (design critic, International Herald Tribune)
Federica Zanco (Vitra)

Judging Criteria
The designs will be judged as a whole and with special focus on aesthetic, ease of use, comfort, the importance of the identified need and how well the design responds to its function.

Publication of the Results
The winning designs will be published in the Domus monthly and in Domusweb.
Additional initiatives, such as a publication and/or exhibition on the designs, are being considered by the competition’s organising committee.

Terms and Manner of Participation

Competition Registration and Participation
To register designs for the competition, entrants must:
— register at Domusweb;
— log in to the Age-friendly products website, between 18:00 on 3 May 2012 and 18:00 on 3 July 2012;
— fill out their personal details on the online registration form;
— specify the reference design category (professional, student).
— upload the design drawings;
— add a brief comment on the design;
— authorise the use of their personal details;
— give their consent to the promoter and sponsor’s free and unlimited use of the design illustrations forwarded.
The designs are to be uploaded at the Age-friendly products page, before the competition deadline and after registering at Domusweb.

Required Materials
Four drawings in A3 format, in PDF format, featuring:
— conceptual framework: need pinpointed, opportunities identified, reference context (references, benchmarks…)
— product concept: summarised product drawing
— user scenario: description of the product in use
— product details: construction, technology and material details, soft qualities…

All the design drawings must be anonymous and will not be returned.

Organizing Committee
Marcello Lago (LN-A Foundation)
Maria Grazia Mazzocchi (founder of Domus Academy)
Dante Donegani (Director Master in Design, Domus Academy)
Elena Pacenti (Director Service Design, Domus Academy)
Anna Amodeo (brand manager, Domus)
Joseph Grima (director, Domus)
Liliana Pavesi (Partner, Wolf Consulting)