Crimson Summer Wins Formica® FormationsTM Competition

Crimson Summer Wins Formica® FormationsTM Competition

Christchurch, New Zealand – 27 November 2015

Wendy Tran, senior interior designer with Dalman Architecture, has won the coveted professional category Formica Formations title with her entry “Crimson Summer”. Tran’s winning fabricated lamp was revealed at an awards function at Oram’s Marine Services in Auckland’s viaduct harbour last week.

Formica Formations is a unique biennial design competition which aims to celebrate and showcase the creativity of professional and emerging architects and designers throughout New Zealand. The 2015 entrants were challenged to reimagine the concept of lighting using Formica laminate.

A top judging panel comprising of leading New Zealand Designer David Trubridge, Fletcher Building Laminates and Panels Group Vice President of Design Renee Hytry Derrington and award-winning New Zealand architect Ron Sang judged the entries.

Lighting provides both a technical and design challenge, as the thoughtful delivery of illumination within a bespoke form is key. Tran approached the way light and shape are combined in a non-traditional way as a larger-than-life floor standing sculpture.

A sophisticated solution to a self-supporting floor light, Tran’s design combines art and function in dramatic Formica red and Formica Plex gold metallic laminate covered sprays of light. It was an early favourite of the judging panel with the fabrication “scaring the pants off” judge David Trubridge. Judge Renee Hytry Derrington says “the piece demands attention, not be tucked behind a sofa as an ambient light source!”

Tran’s design “Crimson Summer” is inspired by the red flowers of the iconic New Zealand Pohutukawa Tree.

Tran says “to me the Pohutukawa tree evokes memories of summer, family gatherings, beaches, barbeques and most of all happiness, and it is these feelings I wanted to convey with my design”. David Trubridge says “I loved Wendy’s “Crimson Summer” because it told our New Zealand stories in a new and refreshing way,

and because it is such a strong sculptural form. It must have been very hard to reduce the complex Pohutukawa flower into such a well-resolved design.”

Laminex New Zealand General Manager, Richard Pollington, said he was delighted with the quality of entries received. “It’s really amazing to see such inventive applications of Formica laminate coming from New Zealand designers and we love supporting the design community through our market leading competition”.

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