Students nab awards for innovative plywood designs

Six students from Western Washington University’s Industrial Design program received recognition and $6,000 in scholarships for their furniture designs as a part of the annual Mount Baker Products Furniture Design Competition.

The objective of the contest is to design and construct a unique furniture solution for storage. The storage is to be designed specifically for another person or organization for their current needs, and will be given to that person or organization as a gift after the contest is over.

A panel of six local judges selected the winning designs among 21 different student projects.

  • First prize and a $2,000 scholarship was awarded to Dan Taylor of Edmonds, for “Topo Table,” a play table with topographical features for the Loving Space Preschool.
  • Second prize and a $1,500 scholarship was awarded to Mikhalia Thornton of Bend, Oregon, for “Chicken Tractor,” a portable chicken coop for the Common Threads Farm.
  • Third prize and a $1,000 scholarship was awarded to Edward Hanko of Lynden, for his design of a side table for Jansen Art Center.
  • Fourth prize and a $700 scholarship was awarded to Tom Olson, for his projector stand designed for Western’s Industrial Design Studio.
  • Fifth prize and a $500 scholarship was awarded to Zach Basher of Yelm, for his “DIY Utility Bench” designed for Habitat for Humanity.

The student choice award for a $300 scholarship was awarded to Ashkon Nima of Bothell, for “Starlight Table,” a light table for exploring biology and color for the Bellingham Childcare and Education Center.

Entries were judged on concept, creativity, functionality, structure, craftsmanship and form. They were judged by Lisa Van Doren, owner of IDEAL in Bellingham; Kyle Thomas, lead industrial designer at Architectural Elements in Bellingham; Arunas Oslapas, professor of Industrial Design at Western; Darrin Seeds, industrial designer at Transition Bikes in Ferndale; Joe Clark, owner of Architectural Elements in Bellingham; and Michael Flaherty, woodworker at Flaherty Woodworking in Bellingham.

The scholarships and wood for the projects were provided by Bellingham’s Mount Baker Products, Inc. For more information, contact Jason Morris in Western’s Department of Engineering and Design, at Jason.Morris@wwu.edu. More photos and information about the winners are available here.

Six students from Western Washington University’s Industrial Design program received recognition and $6,000 in scholarships for their furniture designs as a part of the annual Mount Baker Products Furniture Design Competition.

Second prize and a $1,500
Six students from Western Washington University’s Industrial Design program received recognition and $6,000 in scholarships for their furniture designs as a part of the annual Mount Baker Products Furniture Design Competition.

The student choice award