Professor Sang-Min Bae’s team from the Department of Industrial Design here at KAIST received three awards for the 2015 Red Dot Award: Design Concept competition, one of the biggest and most prestigious design awards. They were presented with The Red Dot: Best of the Best, a top prize reserved for the ground-breaking works in their respective categories, for BOXCHOOL, and two The Red Dot awards for an Interactive Self-generating Tent and Snow Energy.

BOXCHOOL is a mobile modular smart classroom that utilizes a shipping container to give children residing in neglected areas a fair chance to receive proper education. Collaborating with SK Telecom, they chose a shipping container as their classroom because of its efficient usage of space and its strengths in expansion, independence, and adaptability. By using design techniques, the team was able to overcome unfavorable teaching conditions inside a container, such as confined space or poor insulation. Furthermore, they implemented solar panels and rainwater harvesting systems so that each BOXCHOOL would be able to operate in any environment, independently.

Other entries that were also awarded were the Interactive Self-generating Tent and Snow Energy. The Interactive Self-generating Tent, in collaboration with Kolon Sport, broke from the conventional usage of tents as barriers protecting humans from nature. Instead, their next-generation tent allows users to connect with nature in an ever more proactive manner, by adding design features so that humans can interact with the outside environment. Especially distinctive about this tent is that it has organic solar cells attached to its outside cover, making it able to provide electricity out in the field.

Snow Energy is an innovative charging device that uses temperature differential to self-generate power, making it possible to charge smart devices or to be used as a portable lamp. After pouring hot water inside the device, simply placing it on a cold surrounding(such as ice, cold water, or even snow) will enable Snow Energy to generate electricity due to the difference in temperature. Its value lies in that it is convenient to carry and use outdoors, and that it is a sustainable green energy.

After receiving news that his team won the award, Professor Bae commented, “I believe they gave us the awards to support our cause of creating designs for the lower 90% (of the population). We will strive diligently to create the world’s greatest designs for the neglected.” The award ceremony will be held in Singapore on September 25.