IO – Indonesian Greta Elsa Nurtjahja from Pelita Harapan University wins award in the Asia Young Designer Awards 2019’20 for Interior Design Category. The judges also named Lin Honghan from China as the winner of the Architecture category. The winners each received a USD 10,000 scholarship at Harvard Graduate School of Design in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The 13th Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA), themed “Forward: A Sustainable Future” this year, has featured the best works of 26 architecture and interior design students from 15 countries.
Greta presented her work, titled “Rumah Kopi – A Communal House of Coffee” which depicts a perspective on humanity’s natural affinity with nature. Rumah Kopi was described as an example of the role of vernacular architecture, a concept where the architecture continually adapts to local culture, customs, and practices.
“Rumah Kopi was inspired by a local village house at Kampung Buni Kasih, West Java. Rumah Kopi was designed to adapt ‘local’ elements, the location where it was built, how to respect local beliefs, culture, history and how to preserve their essences,” Greta explained.
Greta further explains that the concept of Rumah Kopi was developed as the purest expression of the relation between architecture and the land as well as the topography, through layered roofs that aim to create an atmosphere of an authentic natural interior. The design also aims to preserve the original landscape as much as possible.
“We hope that Rumah Kopi can be a new form of living space as a contemplative space between humans and nature, as well as a cultural center for locals and an economic icon for Kampung Buni Kasih,” Greta said.
At this year’s AYDA Summit, Indonesia is represented by two students: Febri Aji Prasetyo from Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” University of East Java competing in Architecture category and Greta Elsa Nurtjahja from Pelita Harapan University in Interior Design category.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Decorative Paints Nippon Paint Indonesia Jon Tan said at the AYDA Summit 2019/20 award night that this year’s theme has inspired young designers to develop a sustainable concept to answer various challenges in improving people and environmental welfare.
“We would like to congratulate Greta Elsa Nurtjahja from Pelita Harapan University as the first Indonesian to ever win the Asia Young Designer of the Year Award in such a prestigious international event as the AYDA Summit 2019/20, along with the scholarship at Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Greta is able to show the strength of the magnificent Indonesian character and culture,” Jon Tan said.
One of the judges and founder of PT. Elenbee Cipta Desain, Lea Aziz, praised this year’s competitors for showing great innovations, strong concepts and social interaction, especially in such uncertain times. Not only mastering techniques, the competitors also showed awareness of environmental sustainability to change the future of design.
“We are proud of their impressive works. Greta Elsa Nurtjahja also exceeded expectations with the amount of details and vision within her design,” Lea said.
For the first time ever, the judging process for AYDA Summit 2019/20, which took place on July 8-9 2020 was conducted virtually, as well as the awarding ceremony, broadcast live through AYDA’s YouTube Channel on July 10 as a countermeasure against possible COVID-19 transmission.
“For more than 12 years, Asia Young Designer Awards has been committed to innovation and sustainability. By planting a sense of responsibility among these young designers, we believed they will be able to contribute to social and environmental welfare through their profession. We are proud to have built a network connection industry professionals and talented designers from all areas,” said Wee Siew Kim, Group CEO of NIPSEA Management Company Pte, Ltd (a subsidiary of Nippon Paint Holdings Co.)
Asia Young Designer Award (AYDA) was first launched in Indonesia in 2012, with the aim of inspiring university students to create and innovate, motivating them to rise to a higher level of professionalism. (rp)