During the week of 20 July – 27 July, SONA members across the nation participated in SONAs highly anticipated design competition, Super Studio
This year’s event saw an impressive turnout, with 169 students forming 80 teams, each driven by the shared vision of the brief of reorienting and reimagining ‘Third Places’ to promote community and environmental resilience.
After 80 submissions were made, followed by presentations to local juries in each state and territory, a short list of teams progressed to the national level of judging to be considered for the overall prize of $3000 – thanks to Super Studio 2023 sponsor Alspec.
This year’s creative team who formulated the brief, Lisa Garner, Andrej Vodstrcil and Kathryn Neale, were hopeful that participating students will emerge from this experience having honed their skills in rapid-testing ideas and effectively communicating a compelling narrative within limited time and resources.
Amidst strong competition, the national jury, comprised of Andrej Vodstrcil, Kathryn Neale and Mille Cattlin, ultimately declared Gregory Holmes, Lauren Stegman, and Patrick Wolfe, all talented undergraduate students from the University of Queensland, as the winners of Super Studio 2023, for their project One Meter Initiative.
The One Meter Initiative seeks to address the underutilized third spaces of existing telephone booths. The intervention attempts to assist in the process of re-connecting individuals to the resources and amenities they deserve.
The national jury was impressed by the thoughtfulness and consideration of this team’s interpretation of the ‘Third Places’ theme, and its design intervention was grounded deeply in the context of resilient communities.
The national jury also recognised the work of Monash University and Deakin University students Safa El Samad and Youssef Ibrahim by awarding their project, Pigeon House Studios, as National Runners Up.
The national jury mentioned the Pigeon House design response was impressively illustrated, joyfully communicating the potential of this intervention.
View the full proposal and jury citation here
Celebrating its 18th year, Super Studio remains an enduring and beloved program within SONA. This competition owes its success to the invaluable dedication of volunteers from the architectural community who generously offer their time and expertise. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to these volunteers, including the creative directors, mentors, state jury members, presentation day venue hosts, and design day speakers.
Special thanks also go to our exceptional SONA representatives and the hardworking SONA executive team, whose collective efforts brought this competition to life.
For a comprehensive list of contributors, click here
Thank you to Alspec
We want to thank our incredible Super Studio partner Alspec for supporting the competition and fostering creativity and innovation amongst SONA members. We are so grateful for their support and for providing the resources to make this competition happen for built environment students.
