Five Daniels Faculty graduates and two of the Faculty's current students have been shortlisted in the "Draw Up A Chair" Design Competition, organized by The Battery Conservancy and NYC Parks. The goal of the competition, which received a whopping 679 submissions, is to promote innovative industrial design in public parks and to encourage a new design standard for outdoor seating.

The top 50 submissions were selected by a world-renowned jury that included Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture and Design at The Museum of Modern Art, and Allison Arieff, design writer at The New York Times and Editor of The Urbanist, among others. Of the six Canadian finalists, five are alumni and students of the University of Toronto's architecture program. One of alumni, Andrew Jones, teaches furniature design as a sessional lecturer at the Daniels Faculty. The shortlisted designs include:

• Battery Park Pretzel, by Michal Maciej Bartosik (BArch 2003)
• NY Kyo, by third year MArch students Minghui Cui & Jisoo Ha
• The Newspaper Chair, by Dave Freedman (MArch 2013) & Nicolas Roland (MArch 2012)
• Fleurt, by Andrew Jones (BArch 1991)
• The Perennial Chair, by Richard Papa (MArch 2012) & team

Images and descriptions of the top 50 submissions can be viewed on The Battery Conservancy's website and on exhibition banners located near the Battery Green. Members of the public are invited to provide feedback to by commenting online and on-site in the park. Visitors to the park can express their opinions by texting (424) CHAIR-55.

In November 2013, the Finalists will be announced and full-scale prototypes of their designs will be developed by The Battery Conservancy. The winning design will be awarded US$10,000 cash prize, and the design will be fabricated for use on the Battery Green, now in construction.

“It is wonderful that more than 1,500 talented designers from 15 countries in North, Central and South America submitted designs for this unique international competition,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White. “We are proud to share the designs with the public to receive feedback since the chair is for all New Yorkers and visitors to use when they come to Battery Park. Special thanks to the team at The Battery Conservancy for moving this innovative project forward.”

For more information, visit The Battery Conservancy's website.