Graham Hill of TreeHugger Realizes an Ultra-Low Footprint New York Apartment Using jovoto and Mutopo

-jovoto platform drives competition to redesign 420sq ft (~39 m2) space to reduce urban footprint, save money and improve lifestyle-

NEW YORK--()--Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger.com today announced the winners of LifeEdited (lifeedited.org), his open innovation challenge to design an ultra-low footprint apartment in New York City. The goal was to change people’s perception that you could actually live a fuller life with less, and enlighten them on green refurbishment as the future of design. It’s an efficient and cost effective alternative to new green buildings, and essential in areas like Manhattan where finding space to create new buildings is not an option.

Designers were tasked with making a 420 square foot (39 square meter) rundown SOHO apartment a viable space for living, working and entertaining. Designs were required to include seated dining for twelve, a lounge for eight, a home office, space for two overnight guests, and the possibility of a steam room. The competition was a tremendous success, receiving over 300 submissions, nearly 69,000 votes and 570,000 submission views. A list of the contest winners is available at: http://lifeedited.org/presskit

LifeEdited was organized by Colaboratorie Mutopo and hosted on the jovoto platform. Mutopo worked previously with jovoto and Starbucks to organize the betacup, a challenge to re-think the disposable coffee cup. LifeEdited was supported by a number of organizations including Architizer, Autodesk, Cisco, Green Depot, Natural Resource Defense Council, Schinderlhauer, Strida, and Voltaic Systems; media partners Core77 and Crowdbite as well as manufacturers like Amina Technologies, Mechoshade, and Resource Furniture.

The jovoto platform was chosen because architecture contests are usually run in a closed contest format, but their process revolutionizes solving creative problems by hosting public submissions that are open for feedback, review and revision. The great part about it is that everyone learns and gets inspired by each others work, and the conversation that happens around each submission provides insight, understanding and awareness.

Peter Ryder, president of jovoto, said: “For decades the design studio was an open plan room where prototypes were put on display, this encouraged collaboration and allowed creatives to learn from one another. The new workflow has changed the studio dynamic; concepts are passed digitally through a predetermined pipeline with very little chance of external or unexpected input. jovoto provides the infrastructure to connect creatives in an open discussion around design problems: internally, externally and globally. It’s re-defining the creative process and restoring the studio atmosphere to a digital workplace.”

Shaun Abrahamson, president of Mutopo, said: "We're experiencing a time of radical change in the way that we design and communicate. We've been experimenting with new process over the last few years, so we're excited when we find an approach that works, as well as Life Edited. Graham has a great design, the participants told us that they enjoyed the very interactive process and exposure. And perhaps most importantly, we have started a conversation and built a reference list of ideas to help people create ultra-low footprint spaces. We're looking forward to doing more Life Edited contests."

Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger.com, said: “We have triple the space we did 50 years ago, yet still spend 22 billion on personal storage. Our eco-footprints have ballooned, financially we're living beyond our means and we're not happier. We believe that via smart thinking, technology and editing we can design our homes for our financial, environmental and mental benefit. Less but Better, so let's make it happen.”

About jovoto

jovoto is a community of creatives and a platform that enables collaboration and conversation.

The community consists of over 17,000 multi-disciplinary creatives: product designers, graphic designers, illustrators, writers, artists, architects, technicians and enthusiasts. The majority reside in key creative centers: New York, San Francisco, Austin, Berlin, Beijing, London, Sydney, Sao Paulo, Cape Town, Mumbai and Tokyo.

The platform allows individuals to participate with brands to solve various creative challenges. Through the spirit (and science) of collaboration we aim to revolutionize the way businesses ideate, create and communicate.

About Colaboratorie Mutopo

Mutopo is a social product development firm based in New York City. It helps organizations tap into an abundant source of energy and talent: expert and fan communities. Through the use of the Mutopo OPTO framework (Outcomes, People, Tools & Organization), the firm creates organizational scaffolding to support these communities during social production projects. Social production is a new approach to matching those who love to create and produce with the individuals and organizations that need to create and produce, opening incredible new ways to participate.

Contacts

Prompt Communications
Ross Coyle or Hazel Butters
617-401-2717
jovoto@prompt-communications.com

Contacts

Prompt Communications
Ross Coyle or Hazel Butters
617-401-2717
jovoto@prompt-communications.com