Carmen Gregan, interior design student at Design Time School of Interior Design (Cape Town) was announced as the winner of the 2023 PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative at a special awards ceremony in Johannesburg last night.
Tiago Loureiro Goncalves from the University of Johannesburg – Interior Design placed second, and Kayla van Speyk from IIE Vega – Interior Design (Cape Town) came third.
The competition is aimed at showcasing creativity, innovation and skills of emerging young architects and interior designers, providing a platform for them to gain recognition from industry professionals and create valuable connections within the design community.
“This year’s competition attracted a high number of entries from accredited architecture and interior design institutions across the country,” said Nombuso Mwelase, Communications Manager at PG Bison. “Congratulations to Carmen, her lecturer and institution.”
Gregan was delighted to hear she had won. “Working on this project has been a lot of fun, and I want to express my gratitude to PG Bison for this fantastic opportunity!” she said.
The winning student and their lecturer won a cash prize of R50,000 each, the runner-up took home R25,000 and third place won R10,000. The remaining finalists each received a R2,000 cash prize.
This year’s brief required the students to design a dream desert oasis consisting of an Instagrammable luxury residence, with entertainment areas and landscaped surrounds, celebrating the basic human needs of eating, sleeping, bathing and socialising, using the four elements of fire, water, earth and air. Gregan’s winning design, titled “The Chrono”, was inspired by the passage of time.
“When I first received the brief, I started thinking about time and how humans affect our environment. This inspired me to explore the difference between our impact on nature and how nature thrives when left alone,” said Gregan.
