THE three-day inaugural Outdoor Design Build & Supply show concluded Wednesday in Dubai and brought together more than 100 international brands involved with the planning, design, and implementation of outdoor spaces, presenting them with a regional audience of key decision makers from government municipalities, developers, landscape architects, distributors and contractors. Hosted by Dubai Municipality, the pioneering design initiative promoted the integration of solar power with public art in urban spaces could soon be a regular feature among parks and gardens in GCC cities, with Dubai earmarked as the ideal launch pad. Solar Artworks is an innovative art form that combines architecture, design and science to create new aesthetic sculptures incorporating renewable technology. Powered by solar photovoltaic panels during the day, the sculptures transform into moving objects at night, dazzling audiences with live multi-colored audio visual shows. Nacho Zamora, Founder and Manager of Solar Artworks, a speaker at the inaugural Outdoor Design Build & Supply exhibition, said the solar designs have an interactive three-way appeal of functionality, aestheticism, and education, with the modern skylines of GCC cities such as Dubai fitting perfectly with the company's ethos of creating public art inspired by renewable energies. “The interactive possibilities of Solar Artworks' designs are their main attraction, and we see Dubai as a blank canvas to develop a pioneering public art program that complements modern architecture,” said Zamora on the sidelines of the Outdoor Design Build & Supply show. “If you look at the history of cities, we have always introduced aesthetic elements to complement the architecture. Public art is necessary, because it humanizes this combination of steel, glass and roads. Today, however we have a new kind of architecture that sometimes seems to be a huge piece of art, and Dubai is a perfect example of this. Public art should be adapted to these new urban spaces, and this is what Solar Artworks offers.” Looking to establish a firm foothold in the Middle East, Solar Artworks is in discussion to develop its unique public art works in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Emaar Boulevard and the Miracle Gardens in Dubai, as well as Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island and a proposed project for fan zones at the Qatar Football World Cup in 2022. Zamora anticipated that many more prospects would present themselves at the inaugural edition of Outdoor Design Build & Supply, launched this year to provide a dedicated business platform for the booming GCC exterior design and landscaping sector, which is expected to benefit from a fresh construction investment surge of $64.5 billion in 2013. — SG
