Prize(s) Honorable Mentions
University / School Name Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Lead Designers Milly Clark
Photo Credits Milly Clark
Completion Date August 2025
Project Location Melbourne
Entry DescriptionThe Conexus Lamp is a modular lighting design I first developed during university that’s continued to grow with me. It’s designed to be completely flat-pack, with every piece assembled purely through joinery. No screws, no glue, just a universal joinery method that lets the panels lock together in endless ways. Users can build their own version, then take it apart and reconfigure it whenever they like, so the lamp is never fixed to just one form.
Made from coloured acrylic panels, the lamp doesn’t just light up, it transforms a space. The surfaces reflect and refract to cast colourful shadows and layered tones, changing depending on how it’s built and where it sits. By day it has a sculptural presence and by night it glows with shifting colours and patterns. The idea is that each lamp becomes personal to the person who builds it, a mix of functional lighting and playful creativity that can keep evolving over time.
Sustainability ApproachThe Conexus Lamp is also designed with sustainability in mind. Because it can be taken apart and reassembled into new shapes, it has multiple life cycles encouraging users to keep reinventing it rather than discarding it. While I often work with coloured acrylic for its vibrant light play, the lamp can also be made from sustainable materials like wood, creating a warm, organic glow. This flexibility in both form and material means the design not only lasts longer but can adapt to different spaces and values over time.
