Xavier Zhagui Is Honored with the A' Design Award for Plan Ta Modular Vase in 3D Printed Forms and Products Design

Xavier Zhagui acknowledged for 3D printed forms and products design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 15, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ Plan Ta Modular Vase by Xavier Zhagui, designed for DEZIGN for X, has been granted the A' Design Award in the 3D Printed Forms and Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the A' Design Award

The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.

About Plan Ta Modular Vase

The designer was inspired by his childhood upbringing surrounded by natural plants and building blocks in his room. This sparked the question of whether there was a way to combine the two. By utilizing the unique properties of space filling polyhedrons and 3D printing, the designer was able to find an answer to this question. The solution manifested into Plan Ta, a system of magnetic planter building blocks which not only can hold a variety of indoor plants but can also be used to build and play with.

About Xavier Zhagui

Xavier Zhagui is a first generation immigrant. His family brought him over with them to the United States from Ecuador to find their American dream. After graduating high school he decided to pursue a degree in architecture since it aligned with his interest in creativity and art. During college he found a deep appreciation for the creative design process and the limitless amount of exploration concept design brings. After graduating he became a premier design leader at Blue Heron working on modern residential homes valued up words of $150,000,000 and over 100,000 square feet. His side projects include founding a 3D printing initiative and designing a $70,000 sculpture for a client.

Award Record

With this recognition, Xavier Zhagui is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' 3D Printed Forms and Products Design Award

The A' 3D Printing Design Award is an international 3D printing design competition recognizing good 3D printed works by designers and creators worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to 3D printing designers, industrial design studios, product designers and 3D printing brands from all countries. Typical entries include products designed and realized with latest technologies, 3D printed products, prosthetics, architectural models, jewelry and furniture. The awarded 3D printed designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/3d-printing

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://designers.org/159751
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/159751
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!159751
Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/353315
Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.dezignforx.com

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Plan Ta Modular Vase
Function: Modular Vase
Category: 3D Printed Forms and Products Design
Discipline: Industrial Design
Industry: Manufacturing and Innovation
Colors: Gainsboro, Saddle Brown, Sienna, Silver and Dark Olive Green
Images: 5
Client: DEZIGN for X

The Recognition

Laureate: Xavier Zhagui
Country: United States of America
Recognition: A' Design Award
Edition: 2023 - 2024
Design ID: #159751

Credits

Image Credits: All Images: Photographer Xavier Zhagui, Plan-Ta, 2024.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Utilizing the unique properties of space filling polyhedrons and 3D printing, I was able to create a system of magnetic planter building blocks that you can play and build with. The modular properties of the design allow for space saving advantages by packing multiple planters together into one structure rather than spread out on a surface. A series of sizes has been created to house different types of plants, the smallest being an air plant, and the biggest being a house plant.
Inspiration: During my childhood I found a deep appreciation for natural plants in my room, and I spent a lot of time playing around and creating with building blocks. I wondered if there was a way to combine the two simple ideas. That question is what drove me to explore different geometries and manufacturing processes such as 3D printing to discover a solution.
Research: Creating a modular form that was intuitive to use and had a simple form led me to research space-filling polyhedrons. Utilizing the rapid prototyping abilities of 3d printing I was able to iterate and experiment with various polyhedron forms to find the most efficient solution. After concluding that rhombic dodecahedron would be the most balanced solution between efficiency and aesthetics, I experimented with different joint connections that would join the modules together. A series of freely rotating magnetic spheres inserted into the vase provided a simple yet effective way of joining the modules together.
Challenge: Creating an intuitive module that functioned both as a planter and building blocks that were fun and easy to build with.
Realization and Technology: Inner and outer shell are (FDM) 3d printed with a textured finish. Neodymium Sphere magnets are inserted as the connection points. The material is PETG for its water resistance.
Operation and Interaction: All vases connect to each other magnetically by aligning the faces of a vase of the same size allowing you to stack them in any axis. A wall mount has also been designed, allowing you to tile any size vase onto a vertical surface. There are two sizes available, a small one and a large one. For the small vase you simply insert the air plant into the vase and take it out when it needs to be watered. The large vase has two shells, an interior shell where the plant lives in, and the exterior shell that collects the drainage. To ease maintenance, the interior shell can be removed to allow for easier watering and trimming.
Project Duration and Location: The project was started in July 2018 in Las Vegas and is in the final stages of development for production.
Specifications: Small Vase 50.8mm x 71.8mm x 50.8mm Large Vase 127mm x 179.6mm x 127mm
Keywords: 3D Printing, Vase, Modular, digital fabrication, dezignforx