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www.andrewmaynard.com.au previous image | next image The Design Pod Competition Entry, 2000 In a time when the office has become more of a shared and less of a private environment, Maynard designed a personal workstation that can create a sense of ownership and territory. Japan Library Competition Entry, 2003 In response to the conventional library, in which the sorting and delivery of books is often a hidden, mechanized, and digitized process, this design seeks to make the experience more open and visual. Kings Meadows Self Storage Tasmania, Australia, 2003 In exploring the “architecture of the mundane,” Maynard was faced with the task of creating suburban storage units. The architect believes in the importance of reponsible suburban design. Beachcroft Orth Residence Victoria, Australia, 2001 A study in “honesty in design,” the timber used in construction was left in its raw state to weather over time. Synthetic materials used in the project—laminate and paint—provide a stark contrast to the natural materials. Styx Valley Protest Structure Tasmania, Australia, 2004 Although protesters have already been gathering within the forest, this new design concept would shelter them in extreme weather conditions. Additionally, the shelter would be attached to three trees, thereby spreading the load and saving more endangered trees in the process. Sproule Residence A study in adaptable aperture, this residence is held together by hinges and gas lifts which allows changes in the design and blurs the boundries to open space. Tomihiro Museum Japan For this international design competition entry, the architect used Tomihiro Hoshino’s paintings as a catalyst for design. Maynard describes it as "an emotive and expressive mixture of natural, earthy, textured material within ordered and restrained structure." All images courtesy Andrew Maynard Architect.

This past September, the Art Directors Club (ADC) in New York City, a membership organization for visual communications, premiered its most recent biennial, Young Guns, a competition that celebrates innovative people under the age of 30 in creative fields including graphic design, art direction, advertising, photography, and publishing. In its fourth year, ADC Young Guns 4 widened its normally graphic-based scope to include young professionals in the fields of environmental design, object design, and fashion design. Opening the contest to a worldwide pool of entrants, as opposed to invitation-only participants from the New York City area, was also new to this year’s competition. Australian architect Andrew Maynard took full advantage of this opportunity and has become the only architect (and Australian) chosen to exhibit at Young Guns 4.

Maynard felt that thanks to the expansion of categories, specifically in environmental and object design, he had found his niche. “I felt at the very least the judges would find my Design Pod interesting,” he says. And on the opening night of the exhibition, he discovered he was right. “One of the organizers of the event explained to me that the judges were particularly enthusiastic about the Design Pod,” the architect continues. Recognized with both an Australia/New Zealand Award as well as the grand prize of the 2000 Asia Pacific Design Award, Maynard’s Design Pod is a new way of thinking about personal space in an office environment. The lightweight structure could allow the user to easily transport the pod, while the media component—or Design Desktop—would be completely viable outside the office.

While many other competitions are category-driven, the Young Guns 4 recognizes an entrant’s entire body of work. Thirty-year-old Maynard, who received a bachelor’s degree in both environmental design and architecture, opened his own practice in 2002 and now has the opportunity to showcase his portfolio to an international audience. The cross section of the architect’s projects shown at Young Guns 4 includes built work, current commissions, and competition entries. Maynard’s work runs the gamut from residential to commercial buildings to conceptual designs. His new concepts in design, including a Japanese library, an arts precinct, and protest shelters, have won him international attention. After the show, consisting of all 35 selected participants, closes in New York at the end of October, it will travel worldwide.

By Randi Greenberg