Best of the Best — five Otago Polytechnic winners at Design Awards

In a field of tough competition, Otago Polytechnic students brought home five pins from the Best Design Awards: one gold, two silvers and two bronzes.

The Best Design Awards celebrate achievement in design in New Zealand, and this year Otago Polytechnic boasted ten finalists from the School of Design and the School of Architecture.

Four projects from the Architecture programme received awards in the Student and Academic Spatial Awards category.

Georgia Pope, pictured above won gold for ‘Ephemeral Vines’ which the judges described as “an evocative project that flips the premise of an exclusive wine-growing culture on its head.” The project reimagines a winery as a multifunctional space for community engagement and incorporates sustainable construction into the design.

The two silver pins went to Eden Rose-Yon, for a project that reinvents an Auckland building into a combination community and commercial space, and to Oliver Mammitzsch for Street to Eat, a community kitchen, urban farm and open-mic venue.

Bronze went to Omea Hall for a design for a spa facility on Queenstown’s Coronet Peak.

“Once more we are incredibly proud of our students’ achievements at the New Zealand Best Design Awards this year,” says Otago Polytechnic Head of Architecture, Tobias Danielmeier.

“To have four projects recognised, including one Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze, is a testament to the talent, creativity, and dedication of our ākonga (students). These awards reflect not only the hard work of the individual students but also the strength and quality of the programme here at the School of Architecture.”

Ella Smillie from the School of Design earned a bronze in the Student Moving Image Category. Ellie created an atmospheric black and white music video for the Alpaca Brothers, a band on the Flying Nun Records label. The video combines live action with animated elements, responding to the song’s refrain ‘I am a figment of my own imagination’.

Such a strong showing at the awards is a testament to the hard work of the students involved. Emma Hogg, Acting Head of Otago Polytechnic’s College of Creative Practice and Enterprise, explains that the opportunity to compete encourages students to bring their very best to their studies.  

“We are incredibly proud of Ella Smillie's outstanding achievement in winning bronze at the Best Design Awards. Her hard work and creative talent are a true reflection of her dedication.

“It is equally inspiring to see the strong performances from our other finalists, showcasing the breadth of talent within our ākonga. Their collective success highlights the strength of our community and the bright future ahead for these emerging designers.”