Aleksander Wieneke, 22, always dreamt of creating functional projects that others could appreciate. Ambitious yet pragmatic, Alek created Noah.

His thesis-turned-personal passion is an everyday chair that transforms into a life-saving floatation device whenever necessary, including floods. This multipurpose piece of furniture was hailed with the James Dyson Award, a yearly international citation which recognizes the up-and-coming generation of visionaries, spearheaded by the James Dyson Foundation, the English inventor's charitable trust.

He realized the real-world problem of the recurrence of floods, especially in the Philippines that must be solved through low-cost and accessible means.

Noah, with references to the owner of the Biblical ark, boasts of reflective tape and a paddle, plus sturdy handles on all four sides which can be secured to an anchor with a cord, for rescuers to attach cables and ropes and to connect multiple rafts for families.