Sustainable energy adviser Codema and Dublin City Council have announced details of a unique design competition to develop an energy-smart plaza in the city centre. The smart feature will engage the public on the benefits of renewable energy and will be created through the Ace project.
Dublin City Council will invest Eur150,000 in the energy-smart plaza as part of Ace project, which aims to promote the uptake of renewable energy throughout North-West Europe. Dublin city is leading the project through Codema. In total, Eur1.5 million will be invested in Dublin through Ace, 50 per cent of which will be covered through the EU INTERREG IVB programme.
The competition will be open to all members of the public and will challenge designers, planners, ICT professionals, creative thinkers and visual communicators alike to come up with a one-of-a-kind concept to inform and inspire citizens about sustainable energy in a thought-provoking way.
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí.comments: “I am delighted that Dublin city is leading such an exciting project. This competition to design and install a smart energy feature in Dublin’s city centre breaks new ground and offers a real opportunity to highlight the benefits of renewable energy to Dubliners and tourists alike in a creative, fun and interactive way.”
Codema and Dublin City Council envisage that although the energy-smart plaza will be a physical installation, it will also be complemented by a virtual component which will showcase how ICT and sustainability are merging to create an energy-smart city.
“This feature must highlight the smart link between renewable energy supply and demand but it must also grab the attention of passers-by,” says Ace Project Manager Edel Giltenane. “The design competition is a blank canvas so we want entrants to be as imaginative as possible in communicating the smart feature, be it through art, technology, light or even sound. There are many people out there who don’t know anything about renewable energy – these are the people we want to inspire.”
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD says: “Ace is a prime example of how technology and renewable energy is converging to create a truly sustainable green economy. This project will adopt an innovative and forward-thinking approach towards renewable energy and, in turn, will help to realise our vision for a smarter way of living.”
For further information visit www.aceforenergy.eu.