Grainnet

Minneapolis, MN—One student at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is closer to winning Project UDesign, the first competition in the furniture industry to crowdsource the next generation eco-friendly wing chair consumers can buy.

The competition is sponsored by Cargill's BiOH® polyols business--makers of the soy-based ingredient which replaces a percentage of petroleum in foam used for upholstered furniture cushioning.

Based on evaluations of a panel of industry experts, six semifinalist designs were selected following the students' completion of SCAD's soft furnishings design course this summer.

The six designs and related video footage are now displayed on Cargill's Experience BiOH® blog, You Tube channel and its Facebook fan page.

Voting for Project UDesign opens online today and runs through Oct. 19 11:59pm EDT.

The winning student's chair will be announced on Oct. 20. North Carolina-based Century Furniture, a 2009 AHFA SAGE award finalist and Sustainable Furnishings Council member, has pledged to put the new wing chair into production.

The company will pay the popular winner of Project UDesign a royalty for each unit of the winning chair design it sells. The winner will also receive a $1,000 award from Cargill's BiOH® polyols business.

"We want to demonstrate to the home furnishings industry and consumer that environmentally friendly products and great design can go hand in hand," said Cargill BiOH business unit leader, Yusuf Wazirzada.

Additional sponsors of Project UDesign include Toray International's brand of Ultrasuede® upholstery covers, which are made using Toray's EcoDesign(TM) manufacturing process; Century Furniture, and the furniture design department at Savannah College of Art and Design.

The competition culminates at North Carolina's famous High Point Market in October.

Designs from the three finalists will be displayed in the Century Furniture showroom in the historic Market Square building during High Point Market, beginning on Saturday, Oct. 16, where Market attendees will also be invited to vote online during their visit to Century's showroom.

On Wednesday, Oct. 20, all votes will be tallied, with the SCAD student winner recognized at Market during the WithIt (Women in the Home Industries Today) Student Mentoring day.

For more information, call 952-742-6608.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• Cargill

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