The grand-prize winner, 24-year old student Clifford Goh, walked away with the top prize for his “SEASTADIUM” design, which included a flexible “sea deck” that can be adapted to become a fitness stadium, ocean theme park or even hold a holographic concert.
Novel sporting and entertainment features are, unsurprisingly, high on the younger generation’s list when they were asked to imagine what the future of cruises would look like.
Royal Caribbean International crowned the winners of its two-month-long cruise ship design competition in Singapore.
The grand-prize winner, 24-year old student Clifford Goh, walked away with the top prize for his “SEASTADIUM” design, which included a flexible “sea deck” that can be adapted to become a fitness stadium, ocean theme park or even hold a holographic concert.
Goh said his design caters to the “rise of health-conscious millennials” with “a range of athletic activities on board the cruise ship and at sea”.
The fourth year architecture student at the National University of Singapore walks away with a cruise on the upcoming new ship Spectrum of the Seas and S$5,000 cash (US$3,619).
The competition, Brainwaves: Reimagining the Future of Cruising, launched in July, challenged students to come up with new ideas for a cruise ship that will appeal to a growing new cruising demographic of millennials.
Five finalists presented their ideas before a panel of judging, consisting of Royal Caribbean’s managing director for Asia Pacific, Angie Stephen, Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) regional manager for Asia, Jiali Wong, and Brainwaves ambassador, local architect and TV host, Khairudin Saharom.
Stephen commented on the entries, saying that it “proved that the sky is the limit in terms of innovation and what it can do for the cruise industry”.
“The millennial’s perspective was apparent. We saw technology as a key theme, with ideas making use of augmented and virtual reality. What differentiated Clifford’s entry was his desire to connect with the ocean, and how we can bring the cruise experience closer to it, which is a highly interesting and refreshing concept.”
Coming from a 20-year background in design and architecture, Khairudin Saharom was impressed by the finalists’ quality of work. He said, “They have taken innovation and design for cruising to a whole new level, particularly Clifford, who tapped into his personal experiences in the Navy and adapting it in his design.”
Jiali Wong noted, “Competitions like this provide a good platform for the cruise industry to tap into the minds of millennials and give a good understanding of what they are looking for in cruising. The ideas can serve as a source of inspiration for the industry as it works towards elevating the experience for millennial travellers.”
All submissions were judged based on Innovation & Creativity (40%), Appeal (20%), Brand Suitability (20%) and Buildability (20%).