A Taylor’s alumnus who is now studying at UWA had her design shortlisted in a major international competition. The aim of her MezzAHome design was to improve the lives of 1.2 million refugees in urban areas of Europe.
TU's 2014 Bachelor of Science (Hons) Architecture graduate, Tay Ke Tian's shortlisted design for the “2016 – Refugee Challenge”
Tay Ke Tian graduated from Taylor's University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) Architecture, and she has gone onto study for a Master of Architecture (M ARCH) at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth.
Tony Liew, Dean of the School of Architecture, Building and Design (SABD) said that “We recently heard from colleagues at UWA that her work had been shortlisted for the ‘ Refugee Challenge 2016 ’”. Sophie Giles, the Associate Dean (Education) for Architecture at UWA said "you might be as proud as we are: Another talented student!".
The Refugee Challenge is a collaboration between the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the IKEA Foundation. Designers, artists and creatives from 70 countries submitted 631 ideas aimed at improving the lives of refugees. Challenge leader Dagan Cohen referred to the hundreds of entries as ‘less pretty products, more smart services" adding that "The bulk of entries clearly focuses more on ethical and emphatic design and less on aesthetics, demonstrating that service design as a discipline is clearly on the rise’.
Then selected by a committee of designers and humanitarian experts. Tay's concept was also the only entrant shortlisted from an Australian institution, with her entry. Her MezzA Home concept is a self-supporting modular system that can be inserted into abandoned buildings. Supported by customised furniture units, the system can adapt to different sizes and family needs. The were announced at the conference in Amsterdam (The Netherlands). To find out more about the School of Architecture, Building and Design click here.
