SolidWorks officially announces its first grand prize winners and runners up of the Green Chair Design. The contest kicked off on April 22, 2011. Contestants used SolidWorks 3D CAD software to design a low-impact airport terminal chair. Other rules: the designs had to be tested with SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress. The contestants were asked to measure the design’s carbon footprint, air and water impacts, and energy consumption throughout the product’s life cycle.
In addition to sustainability tests, every design had to be analyzed with SolidWorks SimulationXpress to ensure that the chair design could withstand the stresses of everyday use.
Commercial grand prize winner was Russell Donovan of New Zealand. His prize? A four-night stay at the Chaa Creek rainforest eco-resort in Belize in recognition for his “leaf” chair design.
Within the education category, the two grand prize winners were Gerald Libby with his “airfoil” chair and Elias Chavez with his bamboo chair reminiscent of a nature lodge. Both won a trip for two to SolidWorks World in San Diego.
A panel of industry and SolidWorks software experts reviewed every design and entry against judging criteria broken up by sustainability, “green” aesthetics, creativity, and manufacturability.
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