This past March, architectural lighting design and manufacturing firm Novus launched the first edition of the Novus Awards?-?to mark 30 years of doing business in Quebec and to promote Quebec talent and expertise in architecture and design. The competition was open to both practicing and emerging architecture, industrial design and environmental design professionals. The theme of the competition was to design a bus shelter that integrated an LED lighting system powered by solar panels.
Project entries had to meet several criteria, including limiting the manufacturing cost to no more than $6,000 and complying with various North American building codes, climates, spaces and environments. The goal is to develop, build, market and export one or several of the chosen projects. Novus president Ary Alavanthian assembled a jury of experts made up of university professors and directors of architecture and design schools to judge the innovative character and potential of each of the 14 projects entered into the competition.
The winners of the 2007 Novus Awards were announced on June 7 at the Muse National des Beaux-Arts du Qubec. Delcab, the grand prize winner, is the work of environmental designers Ychang Chao,Claudia Pace and Guillaume Blanger, as well as architecture intern Yien Chao from firm _Ctrl; it will be built and marketed between now and 2010. AbriLUX, in second place, is the work of architects Anne Vallires and Chanpiero Moretti, along with architecture interns Laurie Gosselin, Guillaume Morest and Catherine Marcotte; third-prize winner Shelter Box is a presentation by architecture interns Richard Lefebvre Jr. and ve Lamarre-Biebuyck, with industrial designer Jol Rmillard. Both AbriLUX and Shelter Box will undergo further study and may be developed in the next few years.
In addition to having their design concepts taken under wing by Novus, winners received the illuminated Novus trophy and a lighting fixture or system valued at $1,000.