When the co-founders of local start-up StandCraft entered a competition for ideas to improve wellness in urban spaces, they did not think they would win it, let alone be close to securing a business deal.
But that is exactly what happened for Mr Galven Lee, 29, and Ms Shirley Lee, 27, who started their company last November to create designs for physical spaces. The two are not related.
Their pavilion, dubbed Peace and Power, is designed for malls.
Equipped with wireless charging for phones and motion-sensor lighting, the pavilion won the pair the top prize of $10,000 in the competition organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and the Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (Redas).
StandCraft has been approached to create such a space by a mall.
Its prototype was open to the public at Raffles City Shopping Mall and Millenia Walk. Ms Lee, who studied architecture, said: "We wanted to create a space where interactions could happen within a public space, and to bring a fun or memorable moment into the day."
Creating "moments of delight" can break monotony and improve emotional wellness, said Mr Lee, who read history in university.
Their design was chosen from 12 submissions and announced as the winner yesterday.
The top three prototypes were displayed in six malls for three weeks for public voting. In all, more than 850 votes were received.
Besides public votes, the winner was also decided by a panel of judges from URA, the Singapore University of Technology and Design and home solution company Home Fix.
Prizes were given out by Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
"Innovation can involve technical solutions, social innovation and even business ideas. It can help our city be more liveable and resilient in a world that is fast-changing," said Mr Lee in his speech, praising the finalists and their projects.
One involved fabric cushions, shaped like the game of five stones, for people to rest. Its creators, architect Nicholas Yeo, 34, and Ms Samantha Tan, 29, who is self-employed, are married with two children. They said they wanted to make malls more family-friendly with spaces for parents and children to rest.
The third was a punching bag that, when hit, issues a positive quote from an attached printer. Its makers, housewife Saranya Subramanian, 32, and her husband Palaniappan Shanmuganathan, 37, an engineer, said it was a stress reliever.
Redas president Augustine Tan said the projects are all "very feasible" for use in public spaces.
