Delta Faucet Company, a leader in residential and commercial faucets and a pioneer of water conservation solutions, has selected ‘Junkyard Café’ design as winner of its 2014 Sustainability Challenge.

Designed by Zainab Al Swalhi, a student from the American University in Dubai (AUD), the sustainable café concept was created by reusing and recycling material such as aluminium cans. Nouran Kamel’s futuristic, energy-saving theme based on her ‘TeleFuture’ concept, was placed second, and Bahare Yaghar’s ‘Pyrite’ hotel which merged modern design with traditional features, came third.

The Sustainability Challenge initiative, now in its second year, engaged interior design and architecture students from AUD to encourage innovative and practical designs, in a bid to raise awareness of sustainability and water resources in the UAE and the wider Middle East.

Delta Faucet Company’s 2014 Sustainability Challenge, supported by the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD), and in partnership with Alabbar Energy and Sustainability Group (AESG) and the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID), focused specifically on water conservation within the hospitality sector.

The competition required students to use mandatory design elements that addressed water conservation, energy efficiency, water quality, and product durability in compliance with government design requirements. Submissions ranged from sustainable hotel rooms and spa facilities, to commercial kitchen design and pop-up café concepts, all of which utilised Delta’s innovative technologies and water-saving products. 

Ross Jackson, general manager Delta Faucet Company, Middle East, said: “Following the success of last year’s event, we have already seen a marked increase in the level of participation in the 2014 Sustainability Challenge with 58 participants submitting their designs.”