- November 2008 | Design for Lockwood winner announced
A futuristic and innovative design concept, Mikocki’s stylish biometric solution captures the kinetic energy of an opening and closing door to power electronic based access control technology.
The brief for this year’s award, organised by ASSA ABLOY’s iconic Lockwood brand and the Australian Institute of Architects, was to anticipate building design trends in 2020 and create a complimentary door opening solution that reflected that vision.
More than 45 professional architects and designers, as well as students from around Australia and New Zealand temporarily put aside their traditional work, to produce designs that addressed the criteria of originality, design aesthetic, relevance to the door environment, and sustainability.
Andrew Williams, Product Manager with ASSA ABLOY Australia and member of the judging panel said Lara’s winning design “captured the essence of the competition producing a truly innovative view of what the door environment may incorporate in 2020. A highly creative idea born of a keen sense for future requirements, Lara’s entry addressed increasing technological demands without increasing the total energy requirements of the system.”
This year’s finalists all demonstrated an impressive depth of creativity whilst maintaining a strong adherence to the competition theme and the judging criteria. Choosing the winner was a difficult process for the judging panel.
Lara, a second year industrial design student at RMIT is thrilled with her win. “I relish the manner in which my course enables me to direct my creative efforts towards concepts that have real world application, so to win this competition is absolutely fantastic” she said. Lara will receive a travel voucher valued at $10,000 from competition sponsor ASSA ABLOY.
Download winning design entry
2008 Finalists
- April 2008 | Lockwood launches design competition at DesignEx 2008
With the theme “How Will You Enter 2020?” Lockwood’s prestigious Design for Lockwood competition will be launched at this year’s Form and Function feature at designEX in Sydney.The Lockwood competition has earned an enviable reputation in architectural and design circles,with a past winning design, the Robert Watson lever, now firmly established as a highlight ofLockwood’s stylish and innovative Aquileart™ range of door furniture.
The Robert Watson Lever, an Australian design award winner, has recently been named the winner of the prestigious international ‘red dot design award’, which is among the largest andmost renowned design competitions in the world, receiving more than 7,000 entries from over 60 countries. The distinction of receiving a ‘red dot award’ acknowledges Robert's outstanding creativity, and pays tribute to the success of the Design for Lockwood competition to predict theway of the future!
A passionate advocate for the competition is 2006 finalist William Smart, a decorated architect with more than fifteen years of international experience and principal of the Sydney-based multidisciplinary Smart Design Studio.
According to Will, the Design for Lockwood competition is an ideal opportunity for designers who enjoy the possibility and process of developing and taking a product to market.“I have been interested in the product design process for a long time and I love the idea of designing beautifully detailed components that complement the architecture we produce,” Will says. “It’s exciting to think that something we design may be manufactured to benefit the wider industry.”
The competition in 2008 is not about design and manufacturability for today but about innovative ideas for the future, says ASSA ABLOY Australia’s General Manager, Tom Devine.“This year, entrants are invited to anticipate building design trends in 2020 and create a complimentary door opening solution,” Tom says.
“The scope of this year’s competition has been broadened to include the “whole door opening solution” (e.g. door handle, closer, hinges), rather than just one component of the complete system such as the door handle, if the entrant wishes,” he says. “The system or component maybe mechanical, electromechanical or electronic.”
Another previous winning designer is Melbourne architect, Toby Horrocks, whose design sets ahigh standard having exceeded the competition criteria for originality, creativity and designquality. Toby Horrocks, who is currently working with John Wardle Architects has been closely involved with the QV and 50 Lonsdale Street projects. A passion for sustainability is evident inToby’s designs.
The organisers anticipate that the 2008 winner of the Design for Lockwood Competition will inspire and influence innovative products into the future.
The competition will be launched on 11 April, Form and Function at designEX 2008, with entriesclosing 15 August. The winner will be announced during National Architecture Week in October.In addition to being titled the 2008 Design for Lockwood competition winner, the winning entrant will receive a travel voucher to the retail value of AU$10,000.
An impressive collection of Lockwood door furniture reflecting design excellence, functionality andcreativity, will also be on show at Form and Function during designEx, April 10-April 12 , Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. This collection further propels Lockwood’s reputation as adesign conscious brand into the future.
For more information please email 
- April 2008 | Robert Watson Lever succeeds in red dot design award
In the red dot award: product design competition, the Aquileart™ Robert Watson Lever was awarded the “red dot” quality seal for high design quality by the top-class expert jury. This award is only conferred to particularly creative, innovative, and high-quality products. In total 3,203 products from 51 nations faced the expert judgement this year. The festive awards presentation with more than 1,000 guests will take place on 23 June 2008 in the Essen Opera House, the Aalto Theatre.
The Robert Watson door levers complement modern residential and commercial decors equally well. Requiring no mounting rose, the design is so subtle and integrated that it looks to be in total harmony with most door surfaces. The operating mechanism is housed within a slender cylinder protruding from the door’s surface.
Successful products are in so far different from less successful products that they can survive in the real world,” explains design expert Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator of the red dot design award. “Successful participation in a design competition can already be an initial sign of a product’s later commercial success, because these competitions allow an objectification of otherwise often very subjective design decisions.” Receiving an award in an internationally renowned design competition such as the red dot design award was therefore an important indicator whether a product had the potential to succeed internationally.
Products submitted to the red dot design award are assessed by an international jury consisting of renowned design experts. They examine and test the products and assess them according to criteria such as degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, longevity, ecological compatibility and clarity of function. This year companies from 51 countries with a total of 3,203 products faced the judgement of the jury.
The exhibition of the winning products in the red dot design museum
Together with the other award-winning products, the Aquileart™ Robert Watson Lever collection will be on display from 24 June to 27 July 2008 at the red dot design museum on the premises of the ‘Zeche Zollverein’ World Cultural Heritage Site.
The red dot design award
Today, the red dot design award, the origins of which go back to 1955, is one of the largest and most renowned design competitions worldwide. It consists of the individual disciplines “red dot award: product design”, “red dot award: communication design”, and “red dot award: design concepts”, which has been held annually in Singapore since 2005. In 2007 the competition recorded more than 7,000 entries from 60 nations in total.
For further information please visit the following website: www.red-dot.de/press
For more information please email
- October 2006 | Design a lever competition winner announced
During the 2006 competition 145 professional architects and budding designers from Australia and New Zealand put aside their traditional work - at least temporarily - to design their own door levers. The competition which promotes Australian and New Zealand design and originality offers a unique and exciting opportunity by challenging architects and designers to create a lever for ASSA ABLOY’s iconic Lockwood brand.
“Many of our designs are already made in consultation with architects and the competition formalises this arrangement” said Tom Devine, General Manager for ASSA ABLOY’s commercial division in Australia. “The competition allows architects and members of the design fraternity the opportunity to get involved in another part of the design process.”
Submissions to the 2006 Lockwood Design a Lever Competition exceeded judges’ expectations in relation to excellence in design, with this year’s finalists all demonstrating the best in creativity.
According to Priya Kumar, Product Manager with ASSA ABLOY Australia and member of the judging panel, this year’s winner has gone beyond just designing a lever. Horrocks’ design exceeds the competition criteria for originality, creativity, design quality, presentation of concept, and ease of manufacture.
“The pioneering use of raw materials by Horrocks to minimise waste was an outstanding feature of the design. It is a given that we should all be ecologically aware and conscious of our footprint on the world. It is easy to make significant changes, we can use solar panels, be more frugal with water but at the same time we need to organise our homes and offices in order to improve our state of mind and our quality of life. With society becoming increasingly aware of the adverse impacts of wastage on the environment, Toby’s design recognises that the concept of sustainability can be applied to the design and manufacture of door handles that work for the individual as well as the collective good”, said Kumar.
For Toby Horrocks who competed against four other exceptional finalists, the win means his design may be manufactured by Lockwood for Australian and international markets. The win also means a trip to Scandinavia valued at $10,000.
For more information please email
- May 2006 | Lockwood design a lever competition announced
Lockwood, in partnership with the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA), has launched the first national Lockwood design a lever competition at this year's Form and Function feature of deignEX in Sydney.
Previously a joint project of Lockwood and the Victorian Chapter of the RAIA, the overwhelming success of the previous Lockwood design a lever competition quest has resulted in this year’s Australia-wide RAIA participation.
The prestigious 2006 Lockwood design a lever competition is open to all members of the RAIA nationally as well as entrants from the design fraternity who believe they have the skills to meet the competition design criteria.
Launching the competition, Marketing Manager for Lockwood Tom Devine said the company behind the Lockwood brand, ASSA ABLOY Australia, was delighted that the competition had evolved so rapidly into a national design challenge.
"We are enthusiastic about furthering our association with the RAIA by opening the Lockwood design a lever competition to a wider Australian and New Zealand audience, "Mr Devine said. "By broadening the entry eligibility, we are confident that we can encourage the transformation of utilitarian locking devices into cutting edge creations that demonstrate both creative originality and practicality. It may be a challenging request, but this is what the Lockwood design a lever competition is all about."
RAIA National President Bob Nation said the Institute was delighted to be working with Lockwood, with the competition sure to produce a range of innovative and creative designs of aesthetic and functional appeal.
It is anticipated that the 2006 winner of the competition will be included within the inspirational Aquileart™ series of products, which was launched with the Robert Watson-designed inaugural winning entry. Well regarded nationally and internationally as both an architect and industrial designer, Robert Watson won the award with a design that gave Lockwood engineers a new approach to lever design and manufacture. The winner will also receive a trip for two to Scandinavia to view the unique architectural style and design culture that sets the region apart.
Mr Devine said the design represented a benchmark for the Aquileart™ series and had gone into manufacture late last year, with market demand continuing to increase due to its originality, functionality and simplicity of design. The lever is a finalist for the 2006 Interior Design Awards, to be announced during designEX.
The 2006 Lockwood design a lever competition is set to excel as an award of excellence, with this year’s entries expected to demonstrate the best in functionality and creativity. Entries close on Friday 11 August with the winner to be announced during National Architecture week in October.