Sole UK finalist Jordan heads to Helsinki for final showdown
Wed, 07 Oct 2015 12:06:00 BST
Product Design student Jordan Martin could become the first UK student to ever win the Electrolux Design Lab 2015 competition
HUDDERSFIELD Product Design student Jordan Martin (pictured left) is set to make history after making it through to the final of the prestigious Electrolux Design Lab 2015 competition in Helsinki, Finland.
The competition, for which this year’s theme is Healthy Happy Kids, receives thousands of entries each year from all around the world and has yet to be won by a UK student. Jordan, aged 22, with his concept Bloom (see below and online) , will be one of the six finalists attending the event on 15 October in Helsinki.
Designed as a safe and educational cooking tool for children and the whole family to enjoy, Bloom is a novel kettle that recycles wasted steam and hot water into three separate pods which are designed for cooking, cleaning and growing plants. Accompanying the pods are multi-platform digital applications offering a selection of lessons, games and challenges, to further the child’s education.
Inspired by his brother, who has autism and through watching him learn, Jordan’s incentive was to design a device that allowed children to take part in daily routines, whilst keeping them engaged in the learning process.
“When my brother was shown a task visually, instead of just verbally,” said Jordan, “he was very capable and enjoyed being able to help out with everyday tasks. This gave me the idea for Bloom. To create a safe, entertaining and educational device for children to take part in cooking, cleaning and growing their own food.”
Another important aspect of Bloom is the way it encourages families to spend time together and it can be also used by teachers as a classroom aid in schools.
“Bloom will bridge the gap between digital and practical education, teaching children about relatable processes occurring in the pod, for example, photosynthesis, the water cycle, germs and cooking,” said Jordan.
The winner of the competition will be chosen following a ten-minute presentation by each of the six finalists to a jury. First prize is a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre, as well as €10,000, second prize €6,000 and third prize € 4,000. There is also a People’s Choice award for the concept which receives the most online votes and for which the recipient will receive €2,000. The other five finalists are from universities in Mexico, South Korea, Hungary, Lithuania and Russia.
Electrolux Design Lab has led directly to jobs and business opportunities in the design field for many of the contestants. Several of the finalists from previous years are currently employed in the Electrolux Global Design Centres.
A live webcast of the final, as it happens, will be available to view as on the Electrolux Design Lab website.
