Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos
Biography
Dr. Carlos Alberto Montana Hoyos is an award-winning industrial designer who joined UC in 2010, bringing a multicultural design teaching and research experience. Through the synergy between professional practice and academia, he develops multidisciplinary design research projects, with emphasis in the creative, aesthetic, cultural, historical, biomimetic and sustainability aspects of design.
He was born in Bogota, Colombia. Being native Spanish speaker, he is also fluent in English, Italian, and Japanese. His cultural background includes living, studying and working in diverse countries such as Italy, Japan, Singapore and Australia. He obtained his Bachelor in Arts from Javeriana University, and after several years of professional practice he was awarded a scholarship from the Japanese Government, Monbukagakusho, obtaining a Master`s degree and a PhD in Design Theory, both cum laude from Kobe Design University (KDU, Japan).
As a professional designer, Carlos has worked in-house for several industries (including Unilever and Colceramica in his country and Whirlpool Europe SRL in Italy), in the areas of package design, electric appliance design, furniture design, lamp design, handcraft design, ceramic design, graphic design, advertisement and product photography .
Several of his projects have received diverse design awards and been exhibited internationally, being the most recent a first prize in the DuPont Imagineering Design Competition in Japan 2004, an honorable mention in the Braun Prize 2005, and being selected as one of the most influential young designers in his country in 2006. In 2007, his "a la lata" lounger was selected among the "top five chairs made with trash" by Inhabitat design magazine and invited for exhibition at Hautegreen, ecodesign section of the New York furniture fair. Most recently, in 2010 two of his projects were finalist and honor mention in the “Springgreening” Ecodesign competition.
As a design educator and researcher, Carlos was an adjunct assistant professor in the product design engineering course of EAFIT University in his country( 2001-03), as well as a Fellow and Assistant Professor in the Industrial Design program of the National University of Singapore (2006-10). He has been an invited speaker and keynote speaker in diverse conferences and events, as well as jury for several design competitions. He has also been external reviewer, advisor and training consultant for academic and professional design related entities. Under his supervision, many student projects have received various design awards, such as the Red Dot Concept Award and the Singapore Furniture Design Award, among others.
Having broad interests in interdisciplinary design, his strengths are mainly in: creative and conceptualization processes, fast-sketching and modeling, visual design and photography, project planning, quality assurance, design management, design promotion, branding, marketing and strategic design thinking. His current research focuses mainly on design for the Environment (DfE) , Design for Sustainability (DfS), Biomimicry and Bio-Inspired Design.
RECENT PROJECTS & CREATIVE WORKS
2011: a la lata ribbon hanging sculpture
http://www.belconnenartscentre.com.au/whatson/creativepractice.html
2011: trophy design for FuturArc Green design Competition
http://www.futurarc.com/prize_winners/winners_toc.cfm
2010: chupitos egg tray (adaptive repurposing of silicone baby-bottle teats) http://inhabitat.com/springgreening/2010/05/22/%E2%80%9Cchupitos%E2%80%9D-egg-traycarrier/
EDUCATION
2006-2009: PhD in Design Theory, (Cum Laude) Kobe Design University, Kobe, Japan
2003-2006: MA Integrated Design, (Cum Laude) Kobe Design University, Kobe, Japan.
2000-2000: Specialization in ISO 9000 Quality Assurance (2000) UIS, Bogota, Colombia.
1992-1997: BA Industrial Design, (Cum Laude) Javeriana University, Bogota, Colombia.
RECENT ACADEMIC AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
2009: Cum Laude (straight A marks), PhD. Kobe Design University, Kobe, Japan.
2008: Nominated for Best Teaching Award, National University of Singapore
2006: Cum Laude (top 5 graduation projects), MAID Kobe Design University, Kobe, Japan.
2006: First foreign student to receive twice the Tanioka Gakuen Scholarship Award .
2005: Tanioka Gakuen Scholarship Award (Osaka, Japan).
2003: Awarded Scholarship by Japan Government ( 1st place among 300 applicants, Colombia).
1997: Cum Laude (top 3 marks among 97 students). BA Industrial Design, Javeriana University.
RECENT AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS (PROFESSIONAL & CREATIVE WORKS)
2010: Finalist & Notable Entry, “SpringGreening” Ecodesign Competition, Inhabitat
2009: Outstanding IQ Award, Waste Recycling Project, National University of Singapore.
2007: “Top 5 Chairs” made with trash, Inhabitat Ecodesign Magazine and Hautegreen, New York Furniture Fair (featured in more than 30 design magazines and some books worldwide).
2006: Most influential young designers of Colombia selected by Axxis Design Magazine.
2006: Selected projects (2), Lapiz de Acero, Colombian Good Design Award.
2005: Honorable Mention, Braun Prize 2005 International Design Competition, Germany.
2005: Selected Project, Milan Fashion Fair, Craft & Design Award exhibition, Col. Handcraft Assoc.
2004: 1st Prize, DuPont Imagineering Design Competition, Japan.
2001: 1st Prize, National Contest for Graphic Design- Colceramica
IMPACT OF HIS WORK (FEATURES IN DESIGN BOOKS, MAGAZINES & MEDIA) :
Some projects have been featured though diverse media, such as:
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST (2011), THE CANBERRA TIMES ( 2011), 2XX, 98.3 FM Radio (2011)
FUTURARC Architecture, Design, Sustainability, Asia Pacific. (2011), INHABITAT (2010), FUTURARC (2008) MAGAZ design, Israel) (2008) ETIHAD INFLIGHT(2007) RED LATINOAMERICANA DE DISENO (2007), FLAIR, May issue, Italy (2007) GALLERY, Ukraine, (2007). URBIS October/November issue, NZ,(2007). COOL HUNTING GREEN Ecodesign book, AU, (2007). COOL GREEN STUFF Ecodesign book, USA , (2007). TREEHUGGER (2007), INHABITAT (2007), AXXIS Design Magazine (2007,2006,2005) PROYECTO DISENO Magazine, COL (2006, 2005, 2004). NIKKEI DESIGN, Japan, (2004). ARTESANIAS DE COLOMBIA, Newsletter, COL, (1998) and others.
RECENT EXHIBITIONS
Diverse projects and works have been exhibited in Bogota (Colombia), New York (USA), Kronberg (Germany), Milan (Italy), Kobe & Tokyo (Japan), Singapore and Canberra (Australia) among others.
2011: “Creative Practice” exhibition, Belconnen Arts Center, Canberra (Australia)
2011: “Embracing Innovation” exhibition, Craft ACT Craft & Design Center, Canberra (Australia)
2009: “Utterrubish” exhibition, Singapore Design Festival. (Singapore)
2009: “Envirofest”: environmental awareness exhibition (Singapore)
2009: Deutsche Bank, environmental awareness exhibition (Singapore)
2008: Photography exhibition, NUS Museum (Singapore)
2006: “Chaos”, exhibition in the Kobe Fashion Museum, (Kobe Japan).
2005: “Chaos”, exhibition in the Harada No Mori Gallery, (Kobe Japan).
2005: “Multi-cultural Art Exhibition”, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency (Kobe Japan.)
2005: Travelling Exhibition, Braun Prize 2005 International Design Competition (Europe, China, Mexico)
2005: Milan Fashion Fair, Craft & Design Award exhibition by the Colombian Handcraft Assoc, (Milan Italy)
PROFESSIONAL DESIGN EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
2001-2003: Ceramic & Visual Design, Colceramica-Org. Corona, Medellin, Colombia.
1999-2001: Furniture Design, Industrias Exporenso Ltda., Bogota, Colombia.
1997-1999: Light & Lamp Design, Trazzo Iluminacion Ltda, Bogota, Colombia.
1996-1997: Electric Appliances Design Trainee: Whirlpool Europe SRL, Italy.
1995-1996: Package Design Trainee: Unilever Andina, Bogota, Colombia.
UNIVERSITY LEVEL TEACHING & RESEARCH SUMMARY
2010- : Associate Professor, Industrial Design, University of Canberra (Australia)
2009-2010: Assistant Professor, Industrial Design, National University of Singapore (NUS).
2006-2009: Visiting Fellow, Industrial Design, National University of Singapore (NUS).
2001-2003: Adjunct Assistant Professor, Product Design Eng., EAFIT University, Medellin, (Colombia).
CO-SUPERVISOR OF PHD THESES (2010 – currently):
Mohammad Azroll Ahmad. A Cross-Cultural Study of Human Responses to Creative Objects with Particular respect to the Design of Public Furniture.(Lecturer in Industrial Design, faculty of Art and Design, Universiti Teknologi, MARA, Malaysia.) Principal Supervisor: Emeritus Prof. Livio Bonollo
Haszlin Shaharudin. A Study of Chair Design: Influence, Image, Identity and Functional Parameters. (Lecturer in Industrial Design, Faculty of Art and Design, Universiti Teknologi, MARA, Malaysia.) Principal Supervisor: Emeritus Prof. Livio Bonollo
Chris Hardy. User Experience and Emotional aspects of Light Design (Lecturer in Industrial Design, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra) Principal Supervisor: Emeritus Prof. William Green
Fanny Lemaitre. Exploring culturally sensitive design in Aboriginal Australia" Indigenous communities, cultural identity and design. (Lecturer in Industrial Design, Faculty of Arts and Design, University of Canberra) Principal Supervisor: Emeritus Prof. William Green
MOST RECENT PUBLICATIONS (last 3 years)
BOOKS
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2010) “BIO-ID4S: Biomimicry in Industrial Design for Sustainability” ISBN 978-3-639-28841- 4 (Reviewed & Edited version of Doctoral Dissertation). VDM-Germany.
• Yen CC. & Montana-Hoyos, C. (2009) “Unpacked, A Collection of Works by BAID Graduates 2009” ISBN 978-981-08-3266-7. NUS, Singapore.
CHAPTERS OR SECTIONS IN BOOKS
(Entry in Encyclopedia: translation to Japanese of History of Bio-Inspired Design, research by Montana-Hoyos, C.)
ARTICLES IN JOURNAL, REFEREED
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2008) “A Proposal of Biomimicry, Human Needs and Ecodesign in an Integrative Method to Teach Sustainability within Industrial Design Education” Design Research Journal, Number 47, November 2008, Japan. (Peer Reviewed, English & Japanese)
CONFERENCE PAPERS, REFEREED
• Bonollo, E. & Montana-Hoyos, C. (2011) “Drawings and the development of creativity and form language in product design education”. Australian Council of University Art and Design Schools (ACUADS) Conference, Canberra October 2011. (Peer reviewed, English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C. Pianca E and Trathen, S.(2011) “Eco-Innovation and Advanced CAD within an Industry + Academia + Consultancy Collaboration: An Integrative ID Studio Case Study in the Australian Context” Proceedings of the International Conference on Engineering and Product Design Education, 8 & 9 September 2011, City University, London, UK ( Peer Reviewed, English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2009) “Solving small problems inside the university”: a case study of biomimicry as basis for a hands-on DfS course in ID”. Paper and Poster presented in ICSID ( International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) International Congress, Education Conference, 25 November 2009, Singapore. (Peer Reviewed, English).
• Alenquer D and Montana-Hoyos, C. (2009) “Observe, Think, Mimic and Revolutionize: A case study of problem seeking and problem solving using user centered design and biomimicry” Paper and Poster presented in ICSID ( International Council of Societies of Industrial Design) International Congress, Education Conference, 25 November 2009, Singapore. (Peer Reviewed, English).
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2008) “Two Case Studies of an Integrative Learning Method for Industrial Design”, Proceedings of the International Conference on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, TLHE, Singapore, December 2008. (Peer Reviewed Paper, English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2008) “A Proposal for Biomimicry as Basis for an Integrative Pedagogy for Sustainable ID”. Proceedings of the National Education Symposium, Industrial Design Society of America, September 2008 (IDSA) (Peer Reviewed Paper, English)
PAPERS FOR SEMINAR, PUBLIC TALK OR SPECIALIZED NETWORK
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2010) “The Bio-Inspired Design Landscape, Industrial Design” BioInspired: Center for Biologically Inspired Design - Georgia Tech. Volume 7, Issue 3, September 8, 2010 (Paper, English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2010) “Merging Service, Teaching and Problem-Based Learning in a Hands-on Design Course in Industrial Design”. Selected papers from Center for Development of Teaching and Learning National University of Singapore.,CDTL Brief, September 2010. (Paper, English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2008) “Experiments to Enhance the Teaching and Learning of a Cross-Disciplinary Design for Sustainability Module”. Selected papers from Professional Development Programme, Volume Three. Center for Development of Teaching and Learning, National University of Singapore Press. (Paper, English)
OTHER PUBLICATIONS (PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS)
• Montana-Hoyos, C.(2011) “Green Light to Sustainable Lighting” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability, Asia Pacific. ( English)
• Montana-Hoyos, C.(2011) “Nature Transforming a Cube: Reflections on the Design of the FuturArc trophy” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability, Asia Pacific. (Exegesis of practice-based research , Special Supplement, English).
• Montana-Hoyos, C.(2010) “Reconnecting with Nature” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability (Asia Pacific) Volume 19, page 36 -39. (Main Feature, English).
• Montana-Hoyos, C. and Garcia, A.(2010) “Inside-Out, Reflections on Interior Workspaces” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability (Asia Pacific) Volume 16, page 74. ( English).
• Montana-Hoyos, C. and Yen CC (2009) “A Journey from concept to product, exhibition review: Unpacked” Education and Research Section, Singapore Architect ,Journal of the Singapore Institute of Architects, Issue # 253, October 2009 page 94 – 97.
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2009) “Biomimicry & Design: Interview with Janine Benyus and Dayna Baumeister” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability (Asia Pacific) Volume 12, page 29. ( English).
• Montana-Hoyos, C. (2009) “Interview with Philip White, Chair of Ecodesign, IDSA” FuturArc: Architecture, Design, Sustainability (Asia Pacific) Volume 12, page 74. (English).
Contact Information