Eco Bike Design Contest 2012

Yarışmaya son teslim tairihi 29 Haziran 2012.

Announcement drawn up in accordance with the international regulations agreed with ICOGRADA, ICSID, IFI; supported by the ADI, Italian Association for Industrial Design.

Section 1 : Aim of the contest
Solsonica and POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano, are announcing a competition with the aim of selecting innovative projects involving an electrically assisted bicycle and a photovoltaic shelter to protect and recharge it. The two products (the assisted bicycle and the shelter) must constitute a single project that exhibits continuity in terms of functionality, usability, and aesthetics, and which can embody the values and identity of the Solsonica brand.

Section 2: Theme of the contest
Assisted bicycle
The appearance of the bicycle must express the identity of the Solsonica brand (www.solsonica.com), and embody the values of sustainable mobility, ecology, and responsible choices. From a functional point of view, the bicycle must be equipped with a detachable, autonomous battery, and it must be possible to switch from using the bike in the assisted mode, to using it as a pedal vehicle. There are, however, no specific restrictions regarding the morphology, typology, techniques, or construction materials.

Photovoltaic shelter
The shelter must be fitted with photovoltaic panels to recharge one or more battery packs. It must house the assisted pedal bike and potentially other types of electric vehicles. The shelter must be installed on a site for private use and be able to be connected to mains electricity.

More detailed guidelines on the photovoltaic power supply system
The (mono or multi) crystalline silicon photovoltaic technology, which is based on cells of the dimensions 156mm x 156mm (thickness 200μm), and can be assembled in series in rigid matrices of variable composition (6×6, 4×8…), should be used as a point of reference. In order to guarantee a useful voltage for charging of 16V, the shelter must have an exposed surface capable of housing at least 32 cells. The colour of the cells is blue-black and cannot be changed.

Since the cells are very fragile, they are usually enclosed in two flat sheets: the upper sheet is made of clear glass, while the lower one is made of a stiff, usually opaque panel, although this could also be transparent.

As an alternative to the stiff panel, it would in theory also be possible to use a transparent protective polymeric film.

In this case the panel can be considered flexible, with a minimum radius of curvature of 2mm, but it cannot be considered self-supporting.

The system must also include a box for the electrical connections of the modules, which must have the minimum dimensions 140x80x20mm, and be positioned at one end of the photovoltaic panel.

Section 3: Composition of the panel of judges
The panel of judges is made up of nine members with the right to vote:
Arturo Dell’Acqua Bellavitis Head of the School of Design – Milan Polytechnic
Luisa Bocchietto Chairman of the ADI – Association for Industrial Design
Francesco Trabucco Designer and full professor, Dip. INDACO – Milan Polytechnic
Silvia Piardi Head of INDACO Department – Milan Polytechnic
Antonio Colombo President of the (Cinelli-Columbus) Group srl
Andrea Ratti Technology professor, Dip. INDACO – Milan Polytechnic
Paolo Mutti CEO – Solsonica spa
Laura Caserta Marketing manager – Solsonica spa
Pasquale Amideo Chief technical officer – Solsonica spa

The decisions of the panel of judges will be made by a majority.
The chairman of the panel will be nominated from the members indicated by the Commission itself.

Section 4: Trustee of the competition
The trustee with the role of intermediary between the sponsor, the judges, and the competitors is:
POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano
Via Durando 38/A
20158, Milan
Tel. 0223997207 fax 0223995970
email info@ecobikedesign.com

Further information on taking part in the contest can be requested by emailing the trustee.

Section 5: Prizes
The total prize money is €7,000, which will be divided as follows:
1st prize €4000
2nd prize €2000
3rd prize €1000

If, due to a lack of projects judged to be suitable, the Contest should conclude without a list of worthy candidates and without a winner, the panel of judges can, at its sole discretion, divide the total prize money and distribute it between the projects that deserve particular recognition.

The sponsor stipulates, however, that all the prize money must be distributed and that it will not be recouped for any deductions allowed by the law.

Section 6: How the competition works
The contest will consist of:
STAGE 1: an initial stage open to all eligible candidates, the aim of which is to select and pick out 3 finalists;
STAGE 2: a second stage, in which only the finalists of the first stage will take part.

In the second stage, the finalists will be asked to develop and give further details of their concept on the basis of guidelines provided by the panel of judges (see section 9).

Each participant (or group of designers) will design an innovative assisted pedal bicycle and shelter system powered by photovoltaic energy, following the guidelines provided under section 2. The panel of judges will asses both how innovative the project is, and the extent to which it corresponds to the possibilities offered by the reference technology.

The anonymous numeric code must be shown on the designs, and no reference must be made to the candidate (name, surname, photographs…).

Section 7: Terms of entry
Entry is open to freelance Italian and / or foreign designers or members of companies if they receive authorisation from the company.

Groups of designers are also allowed to enter, but a group leader must be nominated who will have sole responsibility and be the sole point of contact with POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano.
Members of the panel of judges, their relatives, and employees of Solsonica and POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano are not permitted to enter.

Section 8: Original projects
All projects must be original and developed specifically for the competition.
Cases in which the originality of the project is disputed shall be deferred to the judgement of the Design Jury.

Section 9: Designs
STAGE 1: The designs to be handed in must be in digital format to be sent to the designated email address by the deadlines indicated (see section 12).

Stage 1 will be anonymous; the name of the participant or any other identifying information should therefore never be disclosed in the designs.

Each participant (or group) must send the following to the email address submission@ecobikedesign.com:
• a book of a maximum of 3 landscape ISO-A3 tables in pdf format containing an overview, instructions for use, measurements and dimensions, and the details considered most significant, for both products. The tables must be contained in a single pdf file named “tables_code”) for example, “tables_123456”) (see section 10 for the definition of the code). The use of colour and any graphic representation technique is permitted.

• a short report (max 4000 characters) describing the reasons behind and features of the project, the materials required, and any other information considered useful. The pdf file containing the report must be in ISO-A4 format end must be named “report_code” (for example, “report_123456”) (see section 10 for the definition of the code).

• 1-2 tiff or jpg images in high rendering resolution of the whole of both products (name the files img_01.code, img_02.code)

All drawings and images illustrating the project must be contained in the tables listed above or in the report.

The participant’s numeric code (see section 10) must be indicated on all tables and on the pages of the report.

STAGE 2: The designs to be handed in for Stage 2 must be in digital format to be sent to the designated email address by the deadlines indicated (see art. 12).

Stage 2 will not be anonymous. The finalists will be permitted to contact Solsonica for clarification or elaboration of technical questions and to receive any information relating to the manufacture of photovoltaic technologies. Each participant (or group) must send the following to the email address submission@ecobikedesign.com:
• 3 ISO-A1 tables in the format that will be provided, containing images, graphics, and short texts to explain the project as a whole and in the specific details.
• a book of a maximum of 3 ISO-A3 tables in pdf format containing elaborations of the design and the details of the concept (contained in a single pdf file named “tables_code”).
• 3-4 tiff or jpg images in high rendering resolution of the whole of both products showing the distinctive features of the project (name the files img_01.code, img_02.code etc.)
• a possible supplement to the report handed in for stage 1 (pdf format, max 4000 characters).

All drawings and images illustrating the project must be contained in the tables listed above or in the report. The participant’s numeric code (see section 10) must be indicated on all tables and on the pages of the report.

Section 10: Identification and anonymity
The designs submitted by the competitors must not be signed nor be in any way identifiable or ascribable to the owner, but must be identified with a numeric code chosen by each participant (a six digit number, not in order and with no digit repeated more than twice).
Information regarding the designer or group of designers must be given in the entry form attached to this announcement; the form must be filled out and signed by the participants to accept the provisions detailed in the announcement, scanned, and sent in pdf format named with the chosen numeric code “NameSurname_code (for example JohnSmith_123456) in an email to the address form@ecobikedesign.com by the STAGE 1 deadline. POLI.design, as the trustee, will handle the administration and coordination of the Contest and communications with the participants, and receive the information emails and send the material. The panel of judges will not be involved in any coordination or administrative activities.

Section 11: Rights of use
By paying the prize money, Solsonica reserves the right to an option to use the winners’ projects for the duration of one year from the date of the judges’ report. By the end of this period, Solsonica will assess whether to begin manufacturing the projects, and if so the economic relationship with the designer will be regulated through a specific contract according to the valuation criteria stipulated by the ADI.
Solsonica may also request a one year option for projects that did not win a prize, subject to a payment to be agreed between the parties,
Solsonica undertakes to not modify the projects submitted in any way without the consent of the designer.
The competitor has the right to protect their own work beforehand by means of registrations or patents.

Section 12: Deadlines
The stage 1 designs must reach the email address submission@ecobikedesign.com by 17.00 on the 29th June 2012.
The subject of the email must be ‘Submission_code’.
The files sent (tables and report) must be contained in a single archive folder (.rar with recovery information) named “submission_code”. The archive folder must be no bigger than 6 MB.
The form containing the participant data, duly filled in, signed, and scanned, named as indicated in section 10, must be sent in pdf format to the address form@ecobikedesign.com by the same deadline. The subject of the email should be “data form_code”.
The stage 2 designs must reach the email address submission@ecobikedesign.com by 12.00 on the 17th September 2012.

Section 13: Announcement and dissemination of results
POLI.design undertakes to present the initiative and assess the results of the contest by means of the actions it considers appropriate.

All competitors authorise Solsonica and POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano in advance to exhibit the projects submitted in the competition at any shows and events. The competitors also authorise Solsonica to publish their project in a catalogue, volume, and/ or in the specialised press; this will not require anything except for the author/s to be cited. The non-finalist competitors do, however, have the right to request, in writing and within 15 days of the announcement of the results of the first stage, that their work not be disclosed. POLI.design, Consorzio del Politecnico di Milano will notify all participants of the results of the selection of the finalists within 20 days of the closing date of stage 1 (submission of designs) and of the results of the final assessments of the contest within 30 days of the closing date of stage 2 (submission of designs) by email to the email addresses used to send the designs.