Radical Innovation 2024 Finalists

The 2024 Radical Innovation competition received over 100 entries across two distinct categories. After thorough evaluation, the distinguished panel of judges selected two professional projects and two student projects as finalists, along with four student product finalists. This year’s competition was exceptionally competitive, showcasing impressive and innovative submissions. Explore the finalists below.

PROJECT - PROFESSIONAL FINALISTS

Taking Flight

RYAN CHRISTENSEN, ENRIQUE GREENWELL | Leo A Daly

Taking Flight is a creative upcycling project that repurposes retired airplane fuselages to create unique hospitality environments, minimizing the need for new construction and raw materials. Originally designed for travel, the fuselages can be transported to remote locations, allowing adventurous travelers to experience luxury in places where conventional construction is impractical.

With utilities integrated into the traditional cargo hold, Taking Flight offers a seamless plug-and-play approach, easily connecting to renewable energy sources and utilizing a large water reservoir to remain off-grid while reconnecting with nature. The internal structure of the airplane allows for a foundation system using simple helical piles, which significantly reduces the environmental impact compared to traditional foundations, granting eco-conscious travelers access to untouched natural environments like never before.

The BBL3

mayte idarraga, tania campos, claudia escutia, valeria otero, rafaela alban, paola gonzalez ordaz | HKS Architects AND ROAM INTERIOR Design

The BBBL3 offers a fully immersive, multi-sensory experience that blends cutting-edge technology with nature-inspired design, redefining how we engage with space, community, and ourselves. You can explore three unique realms: Evoke, where culinary artistry and immersive design combine to create personalized dining experiences; Dreamscape, a luxurious, wellness-focused environment that offers personalized, restorative experiences; and Happening, an oasis dedicated to wellness and rejuvenation, where guests can recharge both mind and body.

Through advanced AI, you can customize your journey, selecting and personalizing environments that engage all five senses—sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell—creating deep connections with yourself, others, and your surroundings. This eco-conscious space integrates effortlessly into cityscapes worldwide, transforming urban spaces into vibrant green areas while promoting community, local economies, and sustainable innovation.

PROJECT - STUDENT FINALISTS

Cielo Colca Hotel

Jeroboam amador bernal rivera, ximena bernice valentina mejia sotelo, ana maria diaz gonzalez | Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey Campus Toluca

Cielo Colca is a project that not only redefines how people experience hospitality in extreme natural environments but also sets a new standard for sustainability and environmental respect. The hotel's immersive, floating architecture seamlessly blends into the canyon landscape, with half of the structure rooted on the canyon surface for stability and connection to the earth, while the other half extends outward, suspended above the canyon void, offering guests the sensation of "walking on air" and unparalleled panoramic views. Committed to preserving the local ecosystem, Cielo Colca employs eco-friendly practices, including renewable energy and water recycling systems, while also supporting the local community by hiring artisans and workers to promote employment and strengthen the regional economy. This combination of visionary architecture, ecological commitment, and cultural connection makes Cielo Colca a unique jewel in the global hotel landscape.

The Water Tower HotEl

sofia Makushkina, Adelina khabibullina | TIArch Studio, Kazan State University of Architecture and Engineering

The Water Tower Hotel not only offers a unique and immersive experience but also solves the issue of limited space in New York City, especially in the bustling center. These historic water towers, perched atop rooftops, provide guests with stunning views and a comfortable, quiet stay above the noise of busy streets and fast roads. Blending seamlessly with the city’s skyline while preserving its identity, these hotels offer visitors the opportunity to experience New York from a new perspective, creating a harmonious fusion of history, modern comfort, and urban innovation.

PROJECT - STUDENT FINALISTS

ATREOS

ebube maduka-ugwu | GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

ATREOS is an enhanced meal service package unit which seeks to merge the convenience of to-go packaging with the elaborate and beautiful presentation of traditional room service. As Upper-mid level hotels are make the shift toward more disposable packaging for meals, the goal of this design is to introduce the user to the best of both worlds. The Atreos unit offers a multilayer, multi-compartment meal vessel, which can be served in a hotel room as well as meal delivery services like Uber Eats. The user can open up the package and dine in place at any suitable locations or take the food unit for a picnic at the park. A curved triangular prism form was deemed necessary in the design to keep the packaging rigid enough to with stand rupture while being easy to carry and comfortable to hold. An added feature is the introduction of custom artwork to the unit. The artwork rests on the inside of the unit so that when opened, the user is offered a pleasant visual entry into the meal and beautifies the environment in which the food is consumed. That is our way of saying “welcome”, anywhere you go.

WHIRL

Lin Yu-He | MING CHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Whirl Home Green Energy Generator, using wind and sun to generate electricity, can be installed on the wall, window or balcony, small and noiseless, assembled in a modular way, according to the space up and down, left and right to increase.

The principle of operation is to use the wind to blow on the device, the vertical cylindrical body has elasticity, when the wind blows, it will form a turbulence at the back of the body, so that the body will produce left and right swaying vibration, to generate electricity; if the sun is bigger outside, the soft transparent solar panels will be spread out, it can block some of the sunshine and generate electricity, it can be used as household electricity, or sold to the Generating station.

H2O Loop

wu yi-chen and prof. li kai-chu | MING CHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

H2Oloop is a shower system design that allows cold water, which would otherwise be wasted while waiting for hot water in the pre-shower phase, to flow to a storage area and wait for the hot water to finish heating before being fused at a constant temperature. The interface also allows users who are not sensitive to temperature to set the temperature of the water, and visualize the current temperature of the water, as well as the current state of the water heating, thus lowering the risk of scald injuries.

Sinkin washer

chuan chu-an | national taipei university of education

SinkIn Washer is a washing machine embedded in a sink, specifically designed for bathrooms. It caters to smaller spaces where traditional washing machines aren't feasible and supports users who prefer hand-washing intimate garments for hygiene. A motor rotates the wash basin, while a detergent compartment in the faucet creates foam as water flows. Users scrub clothes on the textured basin, then activate washing, rinsing, and spinning. The basin can be removed for drying clothes. SinkIn Washer offers a convenient, streamlined laundry solution that meets hygiene and privacy needs in small spaces.