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Philips unveils top three Future Living Spaces in Singapore contest winners<\/h2>\n
Judges impressed with students\u2019 innovative ideas to tackle challenges facing Singapore; Top 20 finalists picked by public with over 12,000 online votes<\/em><\/p>\n Singapore<\/strong> \u2013 Using soil to keep food fresh, building homes on water and technology that espouses the \u201ckampong\u201d spirit \u2013 these ideas proposed by tertiary students in Singapore clinched the top spots in the Philips Future Living Spaces contest. Part of Philips\u2019 60th<\/sup> anniversary celebrations, this contest was organized to inspire Singapore youth to think of solutions to improve Singapore\u2019s living spaces and the way people live 10 to 15 years into the future.<\/p>\n \u201cThe enthusiastic participation and quality submissions, especially from the contest winners, demonstrates how Singapore youth are aware and engaged on the various issues and challenges that our society is facing,\u201d said Wong Lup Wai, Managing Director of Philips Electronics Singapore. \u201cTo mark our 60th<\/sup> anniversary, we are pleased to have the opportunity to provide this platform for our next generation of leaders to express their ideas and creativity to help tackle the challenges facing Singapore\u2019s future, and enable Singapore to thrive as a liveable city for all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n With recent national debates throwing the spotlight on issues affecting Singapore\u2019s future \u2013 climate change, an aging population, urbanization and issues of sustainability \u2013 the contest provided a timely platform for students to voice their opinions and showcase their creativity in tackling these issues. More than 60 submissions by local tertiary students were received, with innovative ideas ranging from edible homes, to walking sticks with GPS systems, to eco-friendly bus stops.<\/p>\n However, it was the innovative idea of creating a \u201csoil box\u201d for storing food that wowed the judges and clinched the top prize. \u201cThe Soil Box\u201d, by Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) student, Lita, was awarded the Best Idea for its energy-saving and sustainable concept of using soil to keep food fresh. It combined the use of a traditional storage method \u2013 soil \u2013 with a modern container design, and it was this back-to-basics idea that the judges felt deserved commendation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat inspired me (to come up with this idea) was the way people could live without technology before,\u201d said Lita, who walked away with the top prize of $2,000 in cash and a brand new Philips 8000 Series LED TV.<\/p>\n The Most Innovative award went to a team from Singapore Polytechnic, who conceptualized a floating residential cluster to counter the effects of climate change and a lack of space due to increased urbanization. \u201cSoul\u201d, by NAFA student Cindy Woeng, clinched the Most Inspiring award, and stood out particularly for its social innovation and the idea of the \u201ckampong spirit\u201d in the use of lighting technology. The Most Innovative and Most Inspiring award included $1,500 in cash and a Philips SoundBar Home Theater system.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is good to see how the students are not intimidated by the scale of the challenge posed and took to tackling the \u2018future problem\u2019 in refreshing and creative ways, especially the use of a 3-minute video to articulate their thoughts and ideas,\u201d said Global Creative Director of Philips Design Low Cheaw Hwei who was on the judging panel. \u201cThe solutions presented were sensitive, provocative and inspiring. Our imagined future is now much brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeffrey Ho, Executive Director of DesignSingapore Council and a judge at the contest, was very heartened to see that many of the entries exhibited thoughtful and creative designs which incorporated environmental solutions to improve Singapore\u2019s living spaces.<\/p>\n \u201cThe winning designs not only serve as more efficient solutions to our daily challenges, but also inspire us to see how much our lives can be made better through design. I must congratulate Philips for organizing this contest to instill in our younger generation the importance of how good design can make a difference to the future of our living spaces,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Judges Tai Lee Siang, Group Managing Director of Ong and Ong, and Howard Shaw, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility of Halycon Group, were most impressed with the ideas that incorporated a social innovation and social inclusivity, such as \u201cSoul\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe nice thing about this idea is its outdoor application. The heartwarming presentation and the concern for social interaction are noble. I can also see the stunning result of its application. The whole city will light up when people gather!\u201d said Tai.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very impressed by the passion, the attention and the efforts students were putting together to develop their ideas,\u201d said Gregory Birge, Founder and CEO of F5Digital Group, who was also a contest judge. \u201cLots of innovative ideas and creative projects with interesting angles on how to solve the future living spaces in Singapore were proposed. It is good to see a new generation starting to take initiative on such problems and bring forward solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n The winners\u2019 announcement took place at the Singapore Learning Centre at Philips Singapore. The top 20 finalists were chosen by public voting, and saw more than 12,000 individuals vote for their favorite ideas. The top three winners were then picked from the finalists by a distinguished panel of judges.<\/p>\n The winning entries of the Philips Future Living Spaces contest are as follows:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n