Ryerson students win $3,000 for best design of new bicycle racks for Mount
Pleasant Cemetery

All designs on display Thursday, January 21 to February 12, 2010

TORONTO , Jan. 21 /CNW/ - Where does one of Toronto's most consumer-sensitive organizations look to for the design of a new series of bicycle racks? Toronto's 200 plus acre Mount Pleasant Cemetery approached the Ryerson University School of Interior Design and asked their students to come up with a look for the new bicycle racks, to be installed this coming summer, that was unique and appropriate to this most sensitive of urban environments.

Mount Pleasant provided the prize money for the top designs and Ryerson and its students set to work.

Today's competition jury, led by well-known landscape architect Janet Rosenberg met to determine the design best suited to be produced and installed in mid-town Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The Jury included: Andy Barrie , host of CBC Radio One's Metro Morning; Dr. Daniel Doz , Dean of Faculty of Communication & Design at Ryerson; Daniel Egan , City of Toronto , Cycling Infrastructure and Programs; Christopher Hume , Toronto Star; and Glenn McClary, President and CEO, Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries

Said Janet Rosenberg , a Ryerson graduate and recipient of an honorary doctorate from her alma mater: "We were all pleased with the high quality of the submissions, and thrilled with the winning submission from Katy Alter and Jeff Cogliati. This was no easy task. Students had to consider many complicating factors - especially the fact that Mount Pleasant is a working cemetery where function, shape and colour must all blend in and not disturb its essential purpose."

"What we particularly liked about the winning design is its practicality and playfulness. It's immediately pleasing to the eye - and fun to engage with - and at the same time, it fits perfectly into the existing landscape. Indeed, the boldness of this design makes it a symbol of the ongoing re-design of the urban environment."

The design chosen for production and winners of $3,000: Katy Alter and Jeff Cogliati

Runners up and winners of $2,000: Shiwa Tseng, Kenneth Lee , and Michael Goriup

Runners up and winners of $1,000: Michael Shafir and Tommy Tso

Working with Ryerson Interior Design professor Andrew Furman as part of a studio course, in the fall of 2009, seven teams of upper year students were selected to complete design proposals for a bicycle rack for use in the cemetery. These already high-achieving students had maintained a grade point average of 2.5 or higher and committed to select and lead their teams of up to three full-time Ryerson students from across the University. In December, each team submitted their final designs for course evaluation. At today's announcement of winners, all students were presented with a certificate recognizing their participation in the competition. At the same time, they have earned their course credit and now have an excellent case study for their portfolios. The designs will be on display for the general public from January 21 to February 12, 2010 .

"Thanks to the creativity and work of Ryerson's Interior Design students, this summer, people riding their bikes through Mount Pleasant Cemetery will have a creative and visually appealing bike rack to secure their bikes when they stop inside the grounds," said Mount Pleasant's President and CEO, Glenn McClary. "The bike racks will be a welcomed and complementary addition to the many historical monuments that can be found throughout Mount Pleasant Cemetery."

"Challenging our students with unique experiential learning opportunities that engage with our community is what learning at Ryerson is all about," said Dr. Daniel Doz , Dean of the Faculty of Communication & Design at Ryerson. "When Mount Pleasant Cemetery approached us about this opportunity for our students, we were thrilled to be part of this project. It has been a unique experience for our students to work together in teams and we are delighted with where their creativity and talent have taken them. It will be pivotal moment for them to see their design installed this summer."

Competition timeline:

January 21 to February 12, 2010 - Designs on display - Room SID 106, School of Interior Design, 302 Church Street, Ryerson University

April 5 - Winning team begins to produce prototype with fabricator

Summer - Installation of the winning bicycle rack design at Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Ryerson University: For information on Ryerson's Faculty of Communication & Design, its Schools and programs, contact [email protected].

Mount Pleasant: For information on Mount Pleasant Cemetery visit www.mountpleasantgroup.com or call 416-485-9129.

Note to Photo editors: a winner photo and caption are available at the bottom of the page at "Ryerson winner jpeg."

http://www.mountpleasantgroup.com/New

For further information: Media contact: Victoria Ollers, [phone] or Paul Tyler, [phone]