AssiaX to Relaunch the Queen Bee Biodiversity Contest

Open to female product designers and architects

UK, London —19 July, 2022

AssiaX, a non-profit initiative launched by Annabella Nassetti, experienced interior design architect, and Fiorenza Mella, digital technologist and international communications expert, have redefined the previously announced  ‘Queen Bee Contest’, by adding the biodiversity dimension to the global project that had been originally introduced during an online event organised the İstanbul Kültür University Faculty of Architecture.

AssiaX recently partnered with Angus Cunningham a master in biodiversity who founded the London-based Scotscape in1986. Scotscape has grown to become an innovation-led Company, employing over 100 staff, with a product ecosystem of urban greening products and services, designed to introduce sustainable biodiversity to the built environment. He is the inventor of the living walls and he actually has been bringing life to urban centres by creating Living Pillars which are solar powered lamp posts that come with bird and solitary bee boxes.

“In the 35 years since I started Scotscape and with global warming, pollution and urbanisation achieving regular headline space, an exciting marketplace is appearing where we really can make a difference. With our patented Smart Greening systems we have the technology to face up to these challenges using nature as our ally.” Angus Cunningham, Managing Director of Scotscape, stated. “We are as excited as passionate about introducing and maintaining living green and biodiversity into the most challenging of urban areas. Happy to partner with AssiaX and support this contest that provides participants with the chance to be designing our future.”

The ‘Queen Bee Biodiversity Contest’ and its participants will focus on creating green ‘corridors’ with planting to encourage biodiversity and improve air quality. Entries will highlight the idea of adding biodiversity to the existing urban infrastructure. The city of London will be the first, thanks to Scotscape, to welcome the winning project.

Inspired  by Scotscape’s ‘Living Pillars’, the participants will be designing an outdoor multifunctional lamp post to increase pollination. It will include living plants (6m & 8m) and a wayfinder for the streets in London.

The following principles will have to be taken into account:

• Maximise street greening throughout the seasons with eyelevel planting;
• Air pollution mitigation utilising plant species with complex foliage to capture particulate matter at street level;
• Create biodiversity corridors, links between public and private spaces to support urban wildlife and insect population;
• Irrigation recycle system – no water wastage easy to install & low maintenance;
• Create a new method of signalling to help the public to navigate the urban environment;
• Increase biophilic connectivity: facilitate human connectivity with plants and nature;
• Community enrichment: create a common theme with specified green connecting residential and business communities;

The contest is open to all female architects and product designers, young talents and professionals who will be conceiving ideas on this exciting environmental theme and will submit a design to info@assiax.com by February 9^th  2023 at 5.00 P.M. GMT. More details will be available on the AssiaX website.

Scotscape will produce the winning design and will pay the winner royalties.

Participation in this global competition is free of charge.

Participants might want to opt for projects that truly integrate nature with technology. A good example would be to (re)design a multifunctional electric vehicle (EV) charging station.

 A panel of independent industry professionals will evaluate all nominations on the basis of relevant criteria, namely eco-conscious design, biodiversity inclusion, technical excellence, multifunctionality and cost-effectiveness. The winning project will be announced on March 8th, 2023.

In the words of Annabella Nassetti, this redefined contest will require its participants to perceive biodiversity as an inspiring element that cannot be neglected in existing and coming urban projects. “The Queen Bee Biodiversity Contest was initially inspired by the need to raise awareness but it did evolve into a broader project thanks to our partnership with Angus Cunningham, a visionary  green entrepreneur.” She concluded: “We are truly convinced that creative minds can now take urban infrastructure where biodioversity plays a key role to the next level. Let’s go beyond designing a lamp post or an EV charging station.”

 

More info about the Award can be found here: https://assiax.com/

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About AssiaX

In October 2021 Nassetti started AssiaX with Fiorenza Mella to support any non-profit project conceived by young talents. AssiaX, inspired by the global G100 Design & Lifestyle network, aims at taking any creative process to a higher level while turning the most innovative ideas into products. From proof of concept to realisation, from global networking to materialisation of ideas.

Annabella Nassetti, Global Chair of the G100 Design and Lifestyle, is a 20 year-experienced interior architect and product designer, who has also excelled in designing solutions for many exclusive properties in London. Annabella is the only UK interior designer able to offer an in-house construction service. Born and raised in the world’s design capital, Milan, Annabella Nassetti comes from a family of designers, and this deep-rooted expertise is always present in her own work. In 1998 Nassetti founded A Living Concept, an international atelier that specializes in turn-key projects from architectural interior design to construction. This integrated, cost-conscious and efficient approach delivers the ultimate home – one that is ingenious and innovative, where core ideas of comfort, beauty and functionality play a key role.

Fiorenza Mella, Chair of the G100 Design and Lifestyle in The Netherlands, with over twenty-five years’ marketing and communications experience in broadcast, telecom, satellite and related technologies, is both the creative and strategic mind behind several successful marketing campaigns, the launch and growth of numerous businesses. A linguist and digital technologist, founder of the award-winning Xpresso Communications that provides B2B content marketing strategies to innovators in technology-driven markets and creative industries.