Carnegie Names Three Winners of the TPO Design Competition

Carnegie recently challenged students from four NYC design schools to envision a wallcovering product made of thermoplastic olefin, an environmental alternative to vinyl. The students were encouraged to explore sustainable alternates while still developing unique patterns, scales, and textures.

“We feel it is critical for designers to understand the environmental concerns surrounding vinyl and to know there are more environmental options. This process has been exciting, humbling, and inspiring. The vision of the future of design is holistic and optimistic,” explained Mary Hold, executive vice president of creative for Carnegie. She mentored students throughout the process.

Students from Parsons, Pratt Institute, the School of Visual Arts, and the Fashion Institute of Technology toured Carnegie’s facilities to see firsthand the process each designer employs on new products. They also completed a six-week learning and development process with Carnegie designers.

From over 60 entries, four winners were selected by a panel of judges that included experts from Gensler, Perkins + Will, and Ethelind Cobelin. The top three earned monetary awards. Congratulations to the following:

1st place: Julia Grunberg, MFA at Parsons
2nd place: Alexandra Goldberg, MFA at Pratt
3rd place: Mariel Levine and Caroline Edmondson, AAS at Parsons
Runner-up: Aldana Garcia, MFA at Pratt