Sculptural Water Catchment System Warka Water Wins World Design Impact Prize 2015-2016 at World Design Capital(R) Taipei 2016 Gala

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Homegrown social innovation platform 5% Design Action also announced winner of Taiwan's first Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award 2015

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World Design Capital

Mar 21, 2016, 11:00 ET

TAIPEI, Taiwan, March 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At an International Design Gala held on Friday, March 18, 2016, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Taipei–a stunning red-carpet design showcase that is part of the year-long World Design Capital® (WDC) Taipei 2016 program–Warka Water, a unique water catchment system championed by Italian design studio Architecture and Vision, beat out two other social enterprise projects to be awarded the World Design Impact Prize (WDIP) 2015-2016.

Onsite view of Warka Water (Ethiopia). Warka Water took home the WDIP 20152016 trophy at the WDC Taipei 2016 International Design Gala. Image courtesy WDC Taipei 2016.

The 5% Design Action team in Taiwan. 5% Design Action took home the Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award 2016 at the the WDC Taipei 2016 International Design Gala. Image courtesy WDC Taipei 2016.

5% Design Action, a Taiwan-based think tank composed of hundreds of design professionals that use 5% of their time to tackle social issues, was also named winner of Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award 2015. Founded by Dreamvok, the initiative has drawn participation from leading global companies like HTC, ASUS, and BENQ.

An initiative of the International Council of Societies for Industrial Design (Icsid), the WDIP (http://worlddesignimpact.org/) recognizes and encourages industrial design-driven projects that benefit society and reflect the expanded field of industrial design. The Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award 2015 was born from a collaboration between Taiwan's premier design award, the Golden Pin Design Award (http://www.goldenpin.org.tw/en/), and World Design Capital Taipei 2016, and promotes the use of design to solve social problems or challenges and create a more liveable city.

At the WDC Taipei 2016 Gala, representatives from Warka Water and 5% Design Action were presented with a trophy exclusively designed by celebrated Taiwanese designer Kevin Yu-Jui Chou (KEV Design). At a press conference following the ceremony, Esosa Precious Desperts, Textile Designer, and Arturo Vittori, Co-Founder and Director, both from Warka Water, said they will be reaching out to new parts of the world and despite encountering new problems, the philosophy behind their project will allow them to adapt. Kevin Yang and Mia Chen of 5% Design Action said that the driving idea behind their project is to get around problems, such as how busy people are or how limited resources are, and find ways to work together on solutions. For more information on each project, visit: http://photos.prnasia.com/prnk/20160321/8521601834

Other finalists in the running for the two awards included HappyTap by WaterSHED in Southeast Asia and RE:BUILD by Pilosio Building Peace Foundation, both selected for WDIP 2015-2016. Jing Si Multi-purpose Foldable Bed by Jing Si Publications, MOXOR by CHIC DESIGN, and Polar Animals Blanket Set by DA.AI Technology, all projects from Taiwan, were among the Golden Pin Design Award social design prize finalists.

The WDC Taipei 2016 International Design Gala, held in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel's stunning Grand Ballroom, was attended by more than 500 design and business luminaries from around the globe, including Dr. Pei-ni Beatrice Hsieh, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government; Dr. Mugendi K. M'Rithaa, President of International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID); Shikuan Chen, Board Member of ICSID and Vice president of Compal IDD; Cristiano Ceccato, Associate Director of Zaha Hadid Architects; and numerous representatives from Foreign Trade Offices in Taiwan.

"I hope that World Design Capital can assist with the development of design and innovation in Taipei and make Taipei a better city. This is the first WDC in the Chinese-speaking world. In order to change Taipei, we must change the culture first. Last but not least, design makes Taipei a better city," said Ko Wen-Je, Mayor of Taipei.

"Through the two themes of Adaptive City and Design in Motion, Taipei City is looking to build a more livable city, and Icsid are excited to be on this journey with you. Your efforts throughout this year will leave a design legacy that will last in Taipei long after 2016," said Prof. Mugendi M'Rithaa, President of Icsid's Board of Directors.

The event is the second in a series of International Signature Events that are set to define the WDC Taipei 2016 year. An extensive series of public Local and Supporting Events run alongside these Signature offerings. For more information, visit the 2016 WDC Events Calendar: http://wdc2016.taipei/en/2016-wdc-events-calendar/.

About WDC Taipei 2016

"Adaptive City – Design in Motion" was Taipei City's core concept in its 2015 application to host World Design Capital 2016. How can we apply innovative "design thinking" practices to overcome the constraints that limited resources place on our city's development, pursue continual change in our urban governance, create happiness in the lives of our citizens–providing them with a better quality of life in a more livable, forward-looking city? These are the goals for Taipei City. 2016 marks the beginning of an evolution for Taipei, where we will take advantage of the potential in change by "Engaging Communities," "Connecting Information," and "Revitalizing the City." For more information on WDC Taipei 2016, visit the official website (http://wdc2016.taipei/) or follow on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/taipeidesign/).

About World Design Capital

World Design Capital® (WDC) is designated by Icsid every two years to recognize a city's innovative use of design for economic, social and cultural development and to showcase effective design-led urban revitalization strategies that other cities can benefit from. Past cities to hold the WDC title include Torino (Italy) in 2008, Seoul (South Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, and Cape Town (South Africa) 2014. Taipei (Taiwan) is this year's WDC, and Mexico City has just been named WDC 2018. For more information, please visit http://www.worlddesigncapital.com.