European Polycarbonate Sheet Extruders (EPSE, Brussels; www.epse.org), the trade association representing polycarbonate sheet suppliers and producers in Europe, has announced the winners of the tenth edition of its EPSE Awards. The Brussels-based association announced the results during the K 2022 plastics trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany (see Plasteurope.com of 27.10.2022).

The biggest winner this time was Saudi resin maker Sabic (Riyadh; www.sabic.com), with two awards –– one for innovation, and the other for design. The innovation award was bagged by Sabic’s Lexan Extrite sheet panels that were used to create an exterior dome in Vouliagmeni, Greece. These PC sheets are said to withstand aggressive saline environments.

The design category award went to Lexan Exell-D sheet panels, which were used to create the façade design of LuLu Hypermarket in Sharjah Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The reason architects chose this PC sheet for the shopping mall façade is the design freedom of the material, as well as its screen-printing capabilities, and impact resistance against glass.

The sustainability award went to the livMatS Pavilion by German Exolon Group (Munich; www.exolongroup.com), which was formerly Covestro’s PC sheets business (see Plasteurope.com of 08.01.2020). The pavillon made of solid PC sheets has been created by an interdisciplinary cooperation. It combines sustainable building materials, architecture, and digital technologies, and is situated inside the botanical garden in Freiburg, Germany.

The second place in innovation went to Anz Stadium in Sidney, made of Palram’s multiwall Sunlite PC sheets, while the design accolade went to Novartis Pavvillon, which was made with Exolon’s material. Second position in sutainability was bagged by the EAVan eCargo bike, made with solid PC sheets from Brett Martin, used to fabricate robust windscreens for the electric/pedaled powered vehicles.

Jury members included Plasteurope.com Editor-in-Chief Ulrike Mau, designate managing director of EuPC Bernard Merkx (see Plasteurope.com of 20.10.2022), École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Nancy lecturer Franck Besançon, and Greenbors Consulting founding partner Zsombor Barta.

The PC sheet trade group has been organising the competition since 2007 to recognise the most innovative, sustainable, and best design projects made using PC. The aim of the event was to promote the material’s properties and the variety of applications in which it can be used.

Outgoing EuPC MD Alexandre Dangis said, “It is impressive to see in how far the unique properties of polycarbonate contribute to use the material in a wide array of applications, especially in the construction sector, mainly in big-size installations. In times when polymeric material is usually only associated with single-use plastics issues, and with bad connotations in the general public, it is crucial to demonstrate and promote the positive impacts of engineering plastics for the society.”