Celebrating Innovation: Opencyclone Wins 'Best of Best' at the One&Twenty Design Competition

In an electrifying showcase of ingenuity and forward-thinking, the one&twenty design competition, a beacon of creativity held in the vibrant Brera district of Milan, has announced its 2024 champions. The Opencyclone DIY handheld vacuum, a brainchild of the dynamic duo Lion Sanguinette and Jonathan Stein, has been honored with the prestigious ‘Best of Best’ award, setting a new benchmark in the realm of design innovation.

Key Takeaways:

• Lion Sanguinette and Jonathan Stein clinched the ‘Best of Best’ award at the one&twenty design competition with their revolutionary Opencyclone DIY handheld vacuum.
• The competition, orchestrated by the German Design Council, celebrated 21 winners, spotlighting remarkable talent and groundbreaking concepts.
• The Opencyclone project exemplifies the potential of open-source design in fostering sustainable and locally produced solutions.

The Opencyclone project by Lion Sanguinette and Jonathan Stein was honored as the “Best of Best” at the design competition one&twenty | © Lion Sanguinette & Jonathan Stein

As an initiative of the German Design Council Foundation, the one&twenty competition is more than an event; it's a movement. With a mission to champion the next generation of design visionaries, the competition provides a stage for students and graduates to unveil their ideas aimed at creating a more circular, resource-efficient, and inclusive world. The council, a global leader in design, branding, and innovation since 1953, continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of design.

The Opencyclone project emerged from a semester endeavor at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, under the influence of sustainable design pioneer Ezio Manzini’s SLOC paradigms. These paradigms—Small, Local, Open, and Connected—inspire the use of local resources and the bridging of the gap between producers and consumers. Sanguinette and Stein's open-source platform breathes life into this vision, enabling users to collaborate with small businesses to locally produce customizable vacuum cleaners.

Lion Sanguinette and Jonathan Stein receiving their prize for Opencyclone | © Giovanni Emilio Galanello

Have you ever considered making your own vacuum cleaner? The Opencyclone website is a treasure trove of resources, offering blueprints, parts lists, and step-by-step instructions. It empowers users to either DIY their vacuums at home or collaborate with local manufacturers, leveraging everything from basic tools to advanced CNC machines. The project's heart lies in its editable CAD files, housed on the Tinkercad browser app, encouraging community-driven design and innovation.

The platform is set to evolve into a comprehensive portal, not just for designs but also as a directory for verified manufacturers, streamlining the process for users to order parts or connect with local producers.

Their website provides blueprints, parts lists, and instructions to enable users to build different models of vacuum cleaners themselves | © Lion Sanguinette & Jonathan Stein

Through Opencyclone, Sanguinette and Stein envision a world where design and production are democratized, fostering a collaborative ecosystem where innovation thrives. The one&twenty jury, captivated by the project's blend of courage, idealism, and vision, recognized its potential to redefine product development, sustainability, and local manufacturing.

As we reflect on the one&twenty competition and its array of visionary projects, it's clear that design holds the power to catalyze social innovation and sustainability. The journey of Opencyclone from concept to celebrated project underscores the endless possibilities when creativity meets purpose, heralding a new era of design that is open, sustainable, and profoundly impactful.

All winning projects were viewed at the one&twenty exhibition in the Brera district of Milan during Milan Design Week | © Giovanni Emilio Galanello