New award highlights young designers' visions for sustainable design

Damy, the patron association for the Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture, has established an award for the best Master's theses in architecture and design. The objective of the Damy Tulevaisuus (Future) Prize is to support the museums in their joint mission and thematic content by giving visibility to ideas of talented students on sustainable and resource-efficient design as well as visual culture that creates well-being.

Nominations were invited from all Finnish universities that offer Master's degree programmes in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design or design. The prize, which was now awarded for the first time, was presented on 20 August, Eliel and Eero Saarinen's birthday, which the association has long celebrated as its anniversary.

Award-winning final projects present concrete solutions

The first Tulevaisuus Prize was awarded to Jyri Fält, an architecture graduate from the University of Oulu, whose work seeks architectural solutions for increasing the resilience of the built environment by observing the parameters of predefined future scenarios. The thesis was supervised by Professors Tarja Outila and Janne Pihlajaniemi.

The jury found the choice of topic for Fält's thesis to be very relevant and necessary. The clear and accessible presentation of the proposed design solutions creates the conditions for discussion between experts and the public.

"In architecture and urban planning, the time span from first drafts to completed projects can be very long, and during this process the environment and living conditions can change unexpectedly. I wanted my thesis to be accessible and to inspire ideas for new design solutions that take into account the built environment's ability to adapt and prepare for changing conditions," said prize-winner Fält.

Two theses from Aalto University's Department of Design were awarded with commendations. Praejeen Kunawong, a graduate of the Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design degree programme, studied the use of waste food in dyeing textile fibres for her Master of Arts thesis. Savannah Vize, a graduate of the Creative Sustainability degree programme, explored the potential of playfulness to illustrate aspects of the environmental crisis by creating an accessible, concrete playbook.

Association for people with a passion for architecture and design

Founded in 1987 as the patron association for the Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the purpose of Damy is not only to support the activities of the museums, but also to promote Finnish architecture and design and to increase the sense of belonging among its members. The association supports the museums' activities through volunteer work and by visiting their exhibitions. The association also organises lectures, guided visits and excursions for its members.

"Our work as the patrons for the Design Museum and the Museum of Finnish Architecture looks to the future, towards bringing the museums together under one roof in a new museum building. Today's newly graduated architects and designers are the future, and with this award we want to highlight their thinking. It was inspiring to see how important and varied the topics were in all the entries – and how many talented people are graduating from our universities," said Damy Chair Matti Rautiola.