Finalists selected for Radical Innovation award

On October 4, an audience at the New Museum in New York will participate in choosing the best hospitality design from finalists in the 11^th Radical Innovation competition.

This annual contest, produced by The John Hardy Group, a development services firm for investors and brands in hospitality real estate, solicits game-changing ideas with practical applications. This year’s finalists, coming from three firms, were chosen by a seven-person jury from more than 65 international entries. Two student entries were also singled out for recognition.

The grand-prize winner receives $10,000 to develop the concept, and the runner-up gets $5,000. The student winner receives $1,500 and an opportunity to pursue a scholarship at the University of Nevada Las Vegas to complete a Master’s Degree in hospitality design.

The finalists:

Vertical Micro-Climate. Image: courtesy of John Hardy Group

•Vertical Micro-Climate, submitted by Arno Matis Architecture in Vancouver, B.C., envisions a mountaintop resort concept near the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, that uses thermal and solar technology to provide a warm and bright year-round indoor/outdoor environment for guests.

Living the Tile. Image: Courtesy of John Hardy Group

•Living the Till, submitted by Florida-based EoA Inc., is the ultimate treehouse: a hotel resort, hovering 30 feet about a forest floor, which allows for seasonal habitation in remote areas. The entire structure would be suspended by nature, and the hotel’s verticality would minimally impact the surrounding environment.

Play Design Hotel. Image: Courtesy John Hardy Group

•Play Design Hotel, submitted by Taipei, Taiwan-based Play Design Hotel, is conceived as an inhabitable design galley that functions as an incubator and living lab for designers. The concept connects the designers to international travelers who, in turn, are connected to their culture through the hotel’s design and interior furnishings.

Hyperloop Hotel. Image: Courtesy John Hardy Group.

•Hyperloop Hotel, by Brandon Siebrecht, a student at UNLV, uses customizable shipping containers that double as suites, where guests can travel and dock at one of 13 locations in the U.S. The experience would be managed by an app.

A student honorable mention went to Caspar Schols of Eindhoven, Netherlands, who submitted Garden House, a wood structure with a double-glass inner shell, topped by a steel roof. The outer shell is fully insulated, and a small Norwegian stove heats the space. The design eliminates the need for artificial climate control.

Sleeper magazine and Architizer are among the sponsors of this event.