On Friday, May 30 the three winning projects of the competition, organized by the School of Architecture in conjunction with the General Directorate of Technical and Vocational Education (DGETP) of the ANEP, were officially announced.
Winners of the Cowork Young Entrepreneurs Contest
The competition invited advanced students and graduates of interior design programs to design a versatile, creative, and viable coworking space.
1st Prize: “Prototype,” by Lucía Tagliaferro and Santiago Zeballos
The winning project was Prototype, created by Lucía Tagliaferro and Santiago Zeballos, seventh-semester students in the Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design at the ORT School of Architecture.
When asked about this, architect Jorge Migues, a professor and member of the competition jury, stated:
“The selection was the result of a very close vote, in which the first prize was awarded by a narrow margin based on the project’s functional merits, formal qualities, visual appeal, and feasibility.”
According to Migues, particular emphasis was also placed on the quality of the performance and the layout of the pieces submitted.
As part of the prize, each team member will receive a gaming laptop and specialized mentoring to develop the final design to be submitted for the bidding process.
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2nd prize: “Evos,” by Evelyn Bentancur and Milagros Guillen
Second place was awarded to the project “Evos,” developed by Evelyn Bentancur and Milagros Guillen, graduates of the Interior Design Interior Design Technician.
3rd prize: “Habitat,” by Franco Giménez and Raúl Soarez
Third place went to “Hábitat,” by the team consisting of Franco Giménez and Raúl Soarez, also graduates of the Interior Design Technician program.
Assessment and Participation Criteria
The competition jury consisted of three leading figures in interior design in Uruguay:
- Virginia Figueroa, B.A. (DGETP)
- Jorge Migues, Architect (Universidad ORT Uruguay)
- By Paula Diflores (ADDIP)
About the Cowork Young Entrepreneurs Competition
Cowork Young Entrepreneurs was designed as a training program with real-world impact.
The challenge was to design a preliminary plan for a coworking space that would integrate three key areas:
- A social space with a reception area and library.
- An office for coordination and planning.
- Two multifunctional, designed for hands-on activities, prototyping, and idea generation.
The winning team will commit to prepare the complete construction drawings, with a view to its subsequent tendering and implementation.
- You might also be interested in reading: “20 Years of Uruguay’s First and Only Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design”
Training, creativity, and professional application
This competition reaffirms the School of Architecture's commitment to linking the educational process with real-world professional challenges, offering students and graduates the opportunity to transform their ideas into concrete and feasible proposals.
“Congratulations and many thanks to all the participants for their hard work and valuable proposals,” Migues concluded in his closing message to the contestants.