Middle East’s largest annual design challenge to promote innovation and youth empowerment… Schneider Electric Reveals Winners of Project Design Space Competition by Dubai Institute of Design & Innovation

Schneider Electric’s brief explored how smart homes can help accelerate the transition to a more connected and sustainable future.

The jury selected 8 finalists out of a total of 120 entries from across the Middle East region.

Dubai, UAE, 19 July 2022: Schneider Electric received innovative design solutions from high-school students as part of Project Design Space (PDS), the Middle East’s largest annual design challenge run by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). Participants in the competition included budding student designers from schools across the Middle East.

Student teams from GEMS Our Own English High School Dubai & Sharjah, ADEK – Mixed Schools, Amman Baccalaureate School and International Academy Amman were selected by a panel of judges as the winning teams of the challenge to design a stand-alone, detached villa smart-home prototype.

This year, Schneider Electric design brief challenged participating students to design a smart home that harnesses the power of technology to enable sustainable, personalized and connected living. Jury members from Schneider Electric reviewed over 120 video entries and concepts that reflected how youth envision smart homes, how it appeals to them and what they think a smart home should consist of.  

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 engaging 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.”

The brief aligned with the company’s ‘Life Is On’ vision to empower all to make the most of energy and resources to bridge progress and sustainability. Throughout the 16-week challenge from March to May, each participating school received specialized training and program materials to design solutions for the design brief.  Finalists then attended a Design ‘Boot camp’ hosted by DIDI, where they received expert feedback from Schneider Electric industry experts and coaching from the University’s 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.”

First launched in 2017, DIDI’s Project Design Space aims to support the development of design knowledge as an academic discipline, as well as to give students the opportunity to experience the tasks and challenges that come with a career in design.