Caesarstone Announces Prestigious Student Competition Judging Panel
Caesarstone is proud to announce its judging panel for the Caesarstone Student Designer 2015 competition.
Dorothy van’t Riet is the creative director and principal interior designer of her company Dorothy van’t Riet Design Consultants, based in Johannesburg. As the founder of the DVR Design Academy, Dorothy has also for many years been actively involved with Interior Design education, offering many courses to aspiring interior designers.
According to Dorothy, “I am excited and privileged to be part of the Caesarstone judging panel. The standard of the students’ presentations continues to go from strength to strength each year. This competition is an excellent forum for architecture and interior design students to compete with like-minded people on an open platform. The competition allows them to find a solutions-based outcome to the design challenges presented to them and gives them the opportunity to combine their expertise, passion and talent as well as deliver measurable and meaningful results.”
A steadfast panellist in the competition for many years, Jonathan Anstey is the group executive director of Anstey Steynberg architects. He comments, “As architects and essentially designers, we create microcosms of reality. We define the edges of spatial behaviour and the volumes in which we exist. Inside of each of us is the potential to inspire, empower and create…. I can’t wait to see how this year’s competition entrants have responded to the brief.”
Stefan Antoni is a director of multi-award winning architectural practice SAOTA, which has carved a niche for itself locally and internationally with powerful designs that respond dynamically to context and brief. Stefan also conceptualised the competition brief for this year’s competition.
“I can’t wait to see the students’ entries,” Stefan says. “It’s both a simple and challenging brief, but great spaces enhanced by simple, neutral lines and a restrained, raw base of textures and finishes do facilitate an emotional and sensory experience. I’ll be looking for a sense of the sculptural, sheer, natural or organic, with an ambiance of calm and serenity.”
Greg Wright is the principle architect of his Cape Town architecture practice, Greg Wright Architects, enjoying his last judging session of the competition this year. “It’s been fantastic to be involved with the Caesarstone Student Designer competition for so many years. I really have enjoyed keeping in touch with student work and being exposed to up-and-coming design work. I’m hoping for a bumper year, since it will be my last time on the panel for the foreseeable future.”
Lisa Younger, the senior designer of Activate Space, has enjoyed a spot on the competition panel for several years. Her words of inspiration for this year’s students come from poet Maya Angelou, “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
Trevor King, marketing director of Caesarstone South Africa, is delighted with the strong panel for this year’s competition, “Our competition is always only as good as our judging panel, and we are exceptionally privileged to have some of South Africa’s top architects and interior designers represented here.”
The competition judging takes place on 22 September, with the awards ceremony scheduled for 8 October in Johannesburg, where the 2016 competition brief will be unveiled.
Dorothy van’t Riet
Jonathan Anstey
Stefan Antoni
Greg Wright
Lisa Younger