A Lebanese talent showcasing his project in Dubai Design Week
“For the first time, History will be told visualized and perceived”
Beirut, November 21, 2018: Proving that Lebanese talent is one of the most innovative in the world, Elias Soueidi, a Lebanese architect and life coach has won the first prize of the Audi Innovation Award competition, developing his project “R2R: Ruin to Reality”, an application with the aim of revitalizing history. The award ceremony was held in Dubai Design Week on November 13, 2018.
Developing an interest for plugins and interactions with existing structures, Elias has conceived Ruin to Reality, an application that would allow access to virtual 3D models of historical buildings and cultural sites. The whole idea has seen the light as a consequence of massive destructions happening due to wars, military endeavors and natural disasters. It all started with the idea that buildings, ruins, and urban gaps are home to constant memory formation, where history is born and written.
The application’s intention is to take part in the archiving process of different cultures by preserving their architectural heritage. Through an interactive interface and a user-updated server, the app will allow access to an augmented reality model drawing the timeline of a geographical site. The application will offer the user a unique experience of historical spatial qualities.
Commenting on his idea Elias Soueidi says, “My vision was to create a collection of data aiming at regrouping digital architectural models and information to project them back to the people. It is a revolutionary application that will make you experience in virtual reality what your parents, ancestors and previous generations have built, where and how they have lived.”
The Audi Innovation Award is a competition for design research and the highlighting of innovative ideas. The competition, led by Audi Middle East in partnership with Dubai Design Week, aims to empower regional designers while archiving intellectual progress in the region. The purpose of the prize is to act as a design and technology industry motivator in the GCC and Levant regions. The theme of the competition this year was ‘Connections’.