Winners of 2016 SONA SuperStudio announced

The winners of the Australian Institute of Architects’ 2016 24-hour design competition, SONA SuperStudio, have been announced.

The winning team was made up of three students from the University of New South Wales – Thomas Choo, Ashleigh Edinburg, Yanpei Li – with their project Pandora.
 
SuperStudio was held in seven locations across the country from 12–13 August, with the winners of the local rounds continuing on to the national round.
 
The brief, “Around the Pool: Converse,” created by John Price of Price and Musgrave Architects and professional consultant Catriona McLeod, focused on the themes of garden and water with regards to architectural shelter.
 
The national jury was impressed with the finalists’ submissions and the ideas that the competition evoked. 
 
“The great thing about the annual SONA competition is that it provides a risk-free experience for an important kind of competitiveness," Mr Price said. 

"For those who did not win, the focus to winning in the future comes from the strategic application of what is learned here and in each successive competition, and ultimately leads to the skill and knowledge to formulate and then design the entry to win that job."
 
The winning team said they enjoyed the competition.

“This competition succeeded in bringing three strangers together, pushing and causing them to question their interpretation and understanding of space, place and existence. In short, SuperStudio 2016 was one short stressful, intense, confusing, exciting, challenging and exhilarating competition.”
 
This article was originally published on https://architectureau.com/.
 
View the winning project, Pandora, below.

UNSW Built Environment talked to the winners about their project, why they study architecture here at UNSW and the first thing they'll do when they get to Venice...
 

Ashleigh Edinburg
 
1. Tell me the degree you are studying and what year you are in.
 
I finished the Bachelor of Architecture in 2015. I have taken a gap year before starting the Masters [of Architecture] in 2017. I am working in a residential practice called Madeleine Blanchfield Architects.
 
2. How did you hear about the Superstudio 
 
I heard about Superstudio when I was in second year through SONA. I participated in 2014 with two friends (Tany Tan and Man Hin Ma at UNSW ), and at about 4am in the Sydney Uni computer labs we vowed to never let any of us ever do it again. We were all going to go again this year, but my two friends ended up unable to make it.
 
3. How does the Superstudio work and where do you do it? Are you given a brief or do you have complete choice?
 
Superstudio is a competition for groups of up to three students from any architecture university in Australia. It runs in two stages - the first begins when the brief is released simultaneously in each state and ends 24 hours later. The top three groups from each state then compete in the second stage with an online submission ten days later.
 
4. Is it fun or tons of pressure to do this in 24 hours? Or both?
 
I have been out of uni for the last 9 months, so it was fun to get back into the pressure of a completely theoretical, no real world constraints challenge. It also helped that I knew that it was only 24 hours long, not a whole semester.
 
5. How did you all know each other? 
 
We caught each other's eyes as we were drifting around the unfamiliar UTS building, looking for the registration desk.
 
6. Explain what your winning project is about.
 
Our submission explores the extent to which our environment is built, even when it may at first seem natural.
 
7. Why is it called Pandora?
 
As you approach this installation in Martin Place, you might be curious about its contents as Pandora was about the contents of her gift from Zeus. But what you find inside is the exploitation of this tree's life cycle for the pleasure of people. We are asking if Pandora should've opened the box - should you have walked inside - should we test ideas and technologies when we don't know if we could be creating all kinds of problems for the future.
 
We also are looking at Pandora's experience. She decides to take a small peek inside a box and sets humankind on a path, the consequences of which affect far wider than her own life.
 
8. First of all, you won the state prize and then the national prize! Describe how you felt when you learnt about each award.
 
When the judges announced the state prize, we were surprised. All the projects before us were great ideas and well presented, whereas we were tired with relief from the stress of the last minute prep for presentation. We also hadn't named our project yet, so when they called the winner, we weren't sure it was us.
 
I got the call about winning the national prize. The AIA rang me and said, “you're going to Venice.”  I was in the middle of cooking, and I just dropped everything. I pretty much forgot about the food and nearly burnt it.
 
9. What have you won?
 
All three of us have won flights to Venice for the architecture biennale in 2018.
 
10. What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get to Venice?
 
Have an Italian coffee on the way to the Carlo Scarpa University 
 
11. What made you decide to study the course you are doing?
 
Architecture is a combination of science and arts in a way that can impact people's lives meaningfully. It also seemed like a challenge.
 
12. What made you come to UNSW?
 
Advice from past students.
 
 

Thomas Choo
 
1. Tell me the degree you are studying and what year you are in.
 
I'm a third year student studying architectural studies.
 
2. How did you hear about the Superstudio?
 
I actually heard of SuperStudio or events similar back in first year after applying for SONA. This is the first time I've actually had the opportunity to participate though.
 
3. How does the Superstudio work and where do you do it? Are you given a brief or do you have complete choice?
 
SuperStudio is firstly a state event, which is run at a host university. This year it was hosted AT UTS so we had to arrive on Friday evening. From there, you identify or find (like we did) a group of three to compete with. The brief is released and from there, you are given 24 hours to react to the brief. There are no restrictions in terms of scope, design or presentation as long as everything is completed and submitted within the 24 hours. From there, the three top submissions of the state went into the national competition where we had 10 days to refine our submission. There was a restriction of 10 panels and 150 words for this submission. 
 
4. Is it fun or tons of pressure to do this in 24 hours? Or both?
 
Having 24 hours to react to a brief was challenging, but at the same time, the lack of submission requirements made the situation less stressful. The pressure did begin to mount after 14 hours and we were still sitting around debating what approach we should adopt. 
Looking back at the competition it was great fun to work with two incredible people whom I had just met, as well as mingling with other competitors. It was also interesting to discuss with tutors and to present a well presented panel and hear their feedback. 
 
5. How did you all know each other?
 
Actually, by the end of the 24-hour project, we had known each other for 25 hours! We all ran into each other in the foyer of the UTS Architecture building and were all confused as too where we were expected to meet up and sign in for the competition. From there we realised we were all from UNSW albeit different years and stuck together and ended up doing the competition together.
 
6. Explain what your winning project is about.
 
Interesting question. Our project essentially is about choice. From the beginning, we were intrigued by the concept of experience. We had all made similar decisions that had resulted in our participation in SuperStudio, we had similar backgrounds (coming from UNSW) yet, we had not known each other prior. All this essentially came down to the choices we had made in life; the choice to do architecture, the choice to study at UNSW, the choice to sign up for SONA and ultimately to participate in SuperStudio. So extrapolating that idea, we morphed it with the brief and came up with the experiential cube. A cube about choices, choices that result in various different experiences and understanding. These experiences then became social comments on the Anthropocene which regards the recreation of nature following its destruction. How we seemingly do “good” by “replacing” what nature we destroy during our construction process and how we use this replanting process as “justification” of our construction process.
 
7. Why is it called Pandora?
 
Our project is called Pandora and alludes to the Greek mythology of Pandora’s Box. A mythical box that holds/held the evils and the hope of the world. Whilst our proposal approaches the concept of the Anthropocene negatively, there still exists the concept of hope. Hope that people will choose to change following their experience.
8. First of all, you won the state prize and then the national prize! Describe how you felt when you learnt about each award.
 
Winning the state prize and the national prize was both a huge surprise! We were quite exhausted after the 24 hours and still weren't a 100% sure what our project really was about when we began presenting it. Unlike other groups, we hadn't even decided on a project name which funnily enough caused a bit of confusion when the winners were first announced. For the national prize, Ash got the phone call so she was the one who spread the news. Of course, it was incredibly exciting to hear we won. However, I don’t think it truly sunk in until we got the official email from SONA regarding the results. 
 
9. What have you won?
 
For the state prize, we won ‘Graphic Anatomy: Atelier Bow-Wow,’ moleskin sketchbook and an opportunity for a face-to-face with a local Sydney architect at their firm. For the national prize, we’ve won a trip to Venice and tickets to the 2018 Architecture Biennial. 
 
10. What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get to Venice?
 
Big fan of Italian food, so probably find myself a nice dish of pasta.
 
11. What made you decide to study the course you are doing?
 
From a young age, I was always intrigued by buildings, construction and design, whether it be Lego, design and technology at school or working with timber. Architecture appealed to me as it was a clear discipline and seemed like a challenge. I’ve always enjoyed the design process and would love the opportunity to create something that has a meaningful impact on an individual and perhaps society.
 
12. What made you come to UNSW?
 
I really enjoyed UNSW campus when I first visited. I liked how it was clear where the campus boundaries were as well as the main walkway. I also appreciated the atmosphere and location of the university. 
 
 

Yanpei Li
1. Tell me the degree you are studying and what year you are in.

Second year Architectural studies.

2. How did you hear about the Superstudio?

I got an email from SONA.

3. How does the Superstudio work and where do you do it? Are you given a brief or do you have complete choice?

We all gathered at UTS on Friday night. After a short lecture, the brief was given at 7 o’clock. The brief is really long and abstract. To be honest, until now, I am still not sure what the brief is talking about.

4. Is it fun or tons of pressure to do this in 24 hours? Or both?

Both. It’s really fun when things come together. However, it’s exhausting when it’s late and we are still fighting against each other’s idea.

5. How did you all know each other?

I got lost at UTS and surprisingly I found out we were all lost.

6. Explain what your winning project is about.

It’s about the choice. Your choice determines where you are, who you are going to meet, what you are going to see.

7. Why is it called Pandora?

In Greek legend, this is a box that contained both evil and hope. Only after you open it, you will know what’s inside. Our box is similar to that since there is both brightness and darkness in it. Only if you walk into it, can you explore everything by yourself.

8. First of all, you won the state prize and then the national prize! Describe how you felt when you learnt about each award.

That’s was really an exciting and surprising thing to me. I never expected anything when I registered for the competition. I just felt it could be fun if I could do something in merely 24 hours time.

9. What have you won?

The first thing is supposed to be the honour. After that, it’s the confidence. The last is the prize and the trip to Venice.

10. What’s the first thing you’ll do when you get to Venice?

Take a Gondola.

11. What made you decide to study the course you are doing?

I wanted to do something close to fine art but with more intellectual thinking. Maybe architecture could be a good choice for me?

12. What made you come to UNSW?
It’s said that the Architecture in UNSW is one of the best in Australia.

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