Graduate students in Product Design, Barbara Quelhas and Zohar Saar (Erasmus+ student), won recognition at the SMC BMC Awards 2026, presented during JEC World 2026 in Paris.

This year’s competition theme, ‘Live Better’, challenged participants to explore innovative applications of SMC solutions that promote healthier lifestyles, wellbeing, and more sustainable living. Responding to this brief, the GROWI project proposes a community- based urban food growing system that reconnects users with fresh produce while fostering both biological awareness and social interaction.

GROWI is conceived as a modular and adaptable system, capable of responding to diverse user needs and spatial environments. It integrates a user-friendly maintenance approach supported by a dedicated smart device application, enabling intuitive management and long-term usability. By bringing food production closer to the point of consumption, the project addresses sustainability, accessibility, and education in a unified design solution.

The students attended the award ceremony at JEC World in Paris on 10 March 2026, where they presented their project to an international audience of industry professionals and peers. The event provided a valuable platform for engagement with the SMC BMC team and fellow award recipients, offering meaningful exposure and important networking opportunities within the global composites and design community.