TOKYO, Japan (January 28, 2021)―Lexus today announced the six finalists for the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2021, selected by a distinguished jury from among 2,079 entries submitted by creators in 66 countries. Four leading design experts will directly mentor the finalists, giving them a once-in-a lifetime experience as they prototype their ideas with a per-project budget capped at 3,000,000 yen (approx. $25,000 USD).
This year marks the ninth edition of the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, which was established to support up-and-coming creators. The program recognizes fresh design talent and showcases their innovations on a prominent and respected international platform. In selecting this year s six finalists, judges looked for innovative ideas that embodied the three key principles of the Lexus brand―Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate―with an emphasis on design that leads to a better tomorrow.
One is a “Solar Desalination Skylight” created by Denmark-based Henry Glogau.
The innovation uses seawater to emit natural diffused light, to make drinking water, and to produce energy from leftover salt.
Glogau is a New Zealander who recently graduated from the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The other is “Terracotta Valley Wind”, created by Intsui Design, a design group based in Tokyo, consisting of Chenkai Guo, Baohua Sheng, Yilei Lyu, Yu Zhang, all of whom are pursuing Masters degrees at Tama Art University’s Integrated Design department.
The terracotta evaporative cooling system is for subway stations, using the wind created by trains.