Radical Innovation Award, Finalists Announced

Radical Innovation returns with the most innovative and thought-provoking concepts for travel and hospitality as it announces 2018 finalists. Radical Innovation Award, Finalists Announced

For more than a decade, Radical Innovation has challenged designers, hoteliers, and students alike to envision pioneering ideas in travel and hospitality. After receiving entries from over 20 countries, a jury of industry experts has selected this year’s finalists: Aquaponic Experience Hotel by Varinot & Varinot Architectes, Paris; Autonomous Travel Suite by Aprilli Design Studio, Los Angeles; and Le Colline Incantate by Network of Architecture, Bolzano, Italy. Leaders from the three firms will present their concepts at the New Museum in New York City on 3 October 2018, and compete for a US$10,000 grand prize. “These finalists stood out from nearly 50 entries due to their ability to leverage emerging technologies and social conscientious, sustainable global trends within a unique hospitality experience,” explains John Hardy, CEO of The John Hardy Group and founder of Radical Innovation. In addition to the three professional finalists, Daniel Czyszczon and Michał Witalis of Cracow University of Technology were chosen as student winners for their Room Extension Solution (RES) concept. In addition to a US$1,500 cash prize, both will receive the opportunity to pursue a graduate assistantship in the Masters of Architecture programme at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The jury also selected Dinh Tam of University of Architecture Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to receive an honourable mention for his ecological concept, The Floating Hotel.

PROFESSIONAL FINALIST

AUTONOMOUS TRAVEL SUITE

By Aprilli Design Studio

The Autonomous Travel Suite integrates transportation and hospitality through a driverless, mobile suite offering door-todoor transport service between a traveller’s home and destination. The compact suite is equipped with basic sleeping, working and washroom functions, allowing guests to be efficient and productive while on the road. Acting as both a personal rental car and hotel room, the concept offers a new way of travelling and an extension of the conventional hotel experience.

PROFESSIONAL FINALIST

LE COLLINE INCANTATE

By Network of Architecture

Intended to create a place of security and tranquility, Le Colline Incantate is a retreat for single parents and their children facing a new family situation. Designed within its landscape, the structure is covered by plantlife and surrounded by waterways to help establish a sustainable and comfortable environment. The architects have also worked with a psychologist to develop a programme of individual therapeutic sessions and communal group activities.

STUDENT WINNER

ROOM EXTENSION SOLUTION (RES)

By Daniel Czyszczoń and Michał Witalis

Utilising autonomous vehicle technology, RES is a new concept that acts as an extension to the guestroom. Travellers will be collected by RES and transported to a docking station, where the vehicle becomes part of the overall room, complete with a full-size bed, ample storage space for luggage with cabinets and a wardrobe, and a fully operational bathroom.

STUDENT HONOURABLE MENTION

FLOATING HOTEL

By Dinh Tam

Designed to promote ecotourism, Floating Hotel integrates local fishing culture and hotel facilities to create a sustainable floating village. Equipped with fishing cages and space for production, the concept encourages guests to experience and participate in farming first-hand, while supporting locals in developing services along the river community.

sources: Sleeper, July-August 2018.