College for Creative Studies students among Ferrari design-contest finalists

Detroit's College for Creative Studies is among seven international design schools chosen for the final stage of the Ferrari World Design Contest.

The competition started with 50 schools tasked to create the Ferrari of the future. The jury encountered a difficult selection process for stage two and raised the maximum number of finalists from six to seven.

Ferrari launched the contest with its partner, design-software firm Autodesk.

More than 200 projects arrived for the first stage. Most were hybrid-focused, emphasizing less fuel consumption with alternative powertrains and weight reduction. Designs were both geometric and organic in shape.

For the second round of the competition, each school will present three-dimensional models of their design, rendered in Autodesk Alias software, and a quarter-scale physical model.

The students will zero in on the details and interior development of the cars, while keeping the functional aspects in mind.

The end goal is to craft a supercar that meets the highest standards in architecture and functionality--"hyperlight and hyperfast, hyperecologic and hypertechnological," Ferrari said. Students can use the latest-generation technologies and materials to accomplish this.

The finalists are:

-- IED and IAAD from Turin, Italy

-- Royal College of Art, London

-- European Design Institute, Barcelona, Spain

-- Hong-ik College, Seoul, South Korea

-- DSK Supinfocom, Pune, India

-- College for Creative Studies, Detroit

Results will be announced in July. The winners get an internship at Ferrari as well as cash prizes.

Autodesk will also present an award to the student team that most effectively used Autodesk Alias software to communicate their design intent and demonstrate the design process.

By Michelle Koueiter