Schneider Electric received creative design solutions from high school students as part of Project Design Space (PDS), the Middle East’s largest annual design competition organized by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). Participants in the competition included aspiring student designers from Middle Eastern schools.
A panel of judges chose student teams from GEMS Our Own English High School Dubai & Sharjah, ADEK – Mixed Schools, Amman Baccalaureate School, and International Academy Amman as the winning teams in the challenge to design a stand-alone, detached villa smart-home prototype.
Natalja Kissina, Vice President of Human Resources at Schneider Electric Gulf, added, “Schneider Electric’s participation in Project Design Space gave us the opportunity to take part in engage with the region’s youth to create and innovate, solve problems and apply their ideas and design skills to real-world projects. Innovation and sustainability are at the core of everything we do at Schneider Electric and our design brief to create a smart home villa that is comfortable, modern, energy-efficient and future-ready was very much tied into our mission and vision as a company.”
This year’s Schneider Electric design brief challenged students to create a smart home that uses technology to enable sustainable, personalized, and connected living. Schneider Electric jury members reviewed over 120 video entries and concepts that reflected how youth envision smart homes, what appeals to them, and what they believe a smart home should include.
The brief was in line with the company’s ‘Life Is On’ vision of empowering everyone to make the most of energy and resources in order to bridge the gap between progress and sustainability. Each participating school received specialized training and program materials to design solutions for the design brief during the 16-week challenge, which ran from March to May. Finalists then attended a DIDI-hosted Design ‘Boot camp,’ where they received expert feedback from Schneider Electric industry experts as well as coaching from University faculty and staff.
“Innovation is a part of our DNA at Schneider Electric,” added Distribution Channel Marketing Manager for Schneider Electric Gulf and Jury member Arda Kutlu, “Our participation in Project Design Space is to inspire passionate students to create bold and sustainable ideas and turn them into practical and feasible projects to and supporting the UAE’s efforts to create a greener and more sustainable future. Congratulations to all the winners from the UAE and Jordan, and a big thank you to all the students who participated from across the region.”
DIDI’s Project Design Space, which debuted in 2017, aims to support the development of design knowledge as an academic discipline while also providing students with the opportunity to experience the tasks and challenges that come with a career in design.
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