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The European Design Competition "Lights of the Future" Award Ceremony, Tuesday 16th April 2002, Light+Building, Hall 4.2
Dr. Peter, Distinguished speakers, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me start by thanking Messe Frankfurt for their very valuable collaboration and hospitality. We are very pleased and proud of presenting the finalist and winning models of the European Design Competition "Lights of the Future" at Light+Building.
Let me also thank all the co-organisers: PTJ, ADEME, ENEA, NOVEM, the UK Market Transformation Programme, CELMA, ZVEI, Assil, the Lighting Association, AIPI, Syndacat de l’Eclaraige, and Eurelectric; and the competition sponsors: Philips, ERC, Electricite de France (EDF), ENEL.
The European Design Competition "Lights of the Future" is a key component of the European Commission strategy to promote energy efficiency in lighting, and it complements other activities such as the GreenLight Programme. As you know the European Union has a hard task to reduce its CO2 emissions, and lighting can contribute substantially to this goal if the most efficient technologies are used in buildings.
Still, you might be asking what the Kyoto target has to do with a design competition.
Quite simple: we want to promote the design and production of the most efficient and innovative lighting in the residential and building sectors, and to persuade customers to select these most efficient solutions. To achieve this goal we have decided to marry energy efficiency to design excellence. This is to say that we want the best designers to conceive and design attractive, innovative and efficient luminaires. And I believe we achieved this goal.
The goal of the competition is to demonstrate that efficient lighting technologies, such as fluorescent technology, LEDs, etc, can be used in very modern and attractive luminaires intended for residential or home lighting.
The competition "Lights of the Future," now in its second edition, is open to three different categories: students, professional designers and manufacturers, in such a way as to benefit from the freshness of ideas of students, the creativity of designers and the experience of manufacturers.
The second edition of the competition "Lights of the Future", which is here exhibited, has been a great success. More than 300 models have been submitted by students, professional designers and manufacturer representing 19 European countries. The international jury, composed by 10 members representing designers and lighting retailers, selected out of 305 models, 67 models, which are exhibited in this stand, 27 produced by manufacturers, 25 by professional designers, and 15 by students. Already during the first selection very interesting projects were not selected.
During the second meeting of the jury, 26 models have been nominated as winners of the European Design Competition "Lights of the Future" 2002. The winning models will carry the European Excellent in Lighting Design Logo and these models will be promoted by the European Commission and national energy agencies throughout Europe in selected Member States during national lighting fairs and consumer awareness campaigns. We are also very proud that the winning models represent 9 European countries, indicating again the European dimension of this Award.
Let me conclude by thanking the jury members for their difficult task, and all the participants, the finalists and the winners. Thanks to their creativity, hard work and commitment we can show the public visiting Light+Building and the press that energy efficient luminaires can also be very attractive.
Let me also inform you that given the success of the two editions of the European Design Competition "Lights of the Future", the Commission has decided to make the Competition a regular event, and to organise the Competition again in 2004. Therefore I will invite all the potential participants: students, designers and manufacturers to take up this challenge again, and to all the press representatives and public to meet you again in two years at Light+Building 2004.
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