MOST INNOVATIVE PRODUCT AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT 2ND URBAN DESIGN & LANDSCAPE EXPO
French company Urban Canopee takes home 1st prize for their innovative green urban furniture
Exhibitor Urban Canopee was today awarded the Most Innovative Product at the Urban Design & Landscape Expo (UDLE) for their “Corolle”, solar-powered structure. The awards ceremony, which took place during the Urban Design & Landscape Summit on the sidelines of the 2nd edition of the Middle East's only dedicated trade fair for urban, green and open spaces running alongside The Big 5 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, aims to highlight innovative solutions that demonstrate value in developing urban areas in the region.
French company Urban Canopee is the creator of Corolle – the first green urban furniture that is a self-standing, connected and lightweight green structure deploying smart and autonomous plant canopies in areas where planting directly in the ground is not an option.
Commenting on their win at UDLE, Urban Canopee CEO CEO, Hubert Michaudet, said:
“This green piece of urban furniture is alimented and controlled by solar-powered sensors, using solar energy to automatically irrigate climbing plants, creating a canopy of up to 50 m². With a minimal footprint for a very large shaded area, and without impacting the existing infrastructures and networks, the Corolle is a very practical and movable cool island solution perfect for the Gulf region.”
Runner-up for UDLE’s Innovative Product Award was SEWA’s smart glove, a unique invention linking smart technology with the actual challenge facing electrical utilities. Created by the innovation team at Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority, the smart glove aims to solve safety issues related to electrical engineers, technicians or workers who are in direct contact with live electricity on a daily basis. The safety wearable aims to reduce or prevent electricity-related accidents and is designed with an electrical isolation cover that will aid technicians to detect the presence of live electricity on an electrical surface. The smart glove can also be integrated with SEWA Smart application to monitor glove usage conditions and calibration.
In addition to today’s Awards ceremony, the one-day high-level Urban Design & Landscape Summit hosted an exciting line up of local and international industry experts with the aim of bringing the industry together to reflect on the interaction between urban development, landscape design, and green spaces through dynamic discussion and impassioned presentations.
The four-day CPD-certified Urban Design Talks highlighted topics such as strategies for urban drainage planning and design, the adoption of humanistic urbanism and designing regional landscapes to promote water preservation. Public mobility was also in the spotlight today as attendees heard from Kourosh Salehi, Design Director, LWK + PARTNERS who discussed the challenges we face both in the UAE and globally.
“One of the future trends in urban planning and landscaping includes the engagement that we make with our cities. Walkability is becoming a key factor. We cannot be stakeholders with our environments and our cities if we are to engage with them through a hermetically sealed capsule like our cars. This is again something that requires a different outlook and a different perspective on behalf of all commissioners, whether they're planners, urbanists or architects,”
said Salehi.
Hosting over 90 local and international exhibitors, UDLE showcases the latest solutions in hard landscaping, irrigation and drainage, machinery & equipment, sports & playgrounds, materials & components, specialist sectors, and design, planning & consulting. Event lighting partner Lumo returns to the event as a sponsor for the second year.
Lumo VP of Business Development, Mehdi Zoghi, said:
“Last year when we decided to sponsor the Urban Design & Landscape Expo, we knew that this was the place where the right brands and products could be presented to professional people, so we have extended our partnership for the second time. At UDLE we present new products to the Middle East market for the first time including sustainable outdoor lights, which bring value to the projects such as outdoor controllable products, eco-friendly products and environmentally friendly lights.”
The event is also supported by SEWA (Supporting Partner), Belhasa Projects (Landscape Solutions Partner), Ducon Outdoor Living (Outdoor Living Solutions Partner), Dynamo Playgrounds (Playgrounds Partner), RAKNOR (Pavers Partner), and Raymond Sport (Sport Courts, Fitness and More Partner).
UDLE and the Urban Design Talks continue tomorrow (28 November) at the Dubai World Trade Centre alongside The Big 5, The Big 5 Heavy, Middle East Concrete, the HVACR Expo, The Big 5 Solar, and Middle East Stone.
To know more, visit www.udlexpo.com.
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