Leading outdoor footwear brand, Merrell, has launched a nationwide architecture and design competition designed to raise awareness of the many benefits of time spent on activities and experiences in the outdoors on mental health.
The free-to-enter competition challenges UK-based architects, engineers, artists, designers or students of these disciplines to design a small, temporary structure or ‘Beacon’ that can be constructed from natural or fully-recyclable, eco-friendly building materials, with the purpose of providing a sheltered space where visitors can spend restorative time at peace whilst enjoying the wonders of the natural world.
What’s more, the winning design, selected in July by a panel of judges, will be constructed in conjunction with the competition winner, on the UK’s most remote island, Foula, situated near the Shetland mainland.
In a society of overstimulation, the competition has been launched to provide an antidote, an inspirational space outdoors for those seeking solitude – a place where they can take stock, re-gather, refresh and re-boot.
Special design focus will be paid on the ability of the structure to enable visitors to experience and appreciate the natural world in new and interesting ways as well as reflecting nature’s benefit on mental health.
The competition, which is in support of the brand’s mental health charity partner. is open from 6th May 2022 – 30th June 2022 and entry details can be accessed via the dedicated competition website at www.thebeacon-project.com
According to Simon Sweeney, marketing manager at Merrell. “The Beacon Project has been created to inspire adventure and highlight the many benefits of the great outdoors. We’re looking to young designers to help us develop a unique structure that reflects this – celebrating its surroundings and paying tribute to a peaceful and beautiful island.”