Amman, 25 April 2009 - The Abdali Innovation Award which was launched in September 2008 by RUYATUK, the CSR arm of Abdali Psc., successfully attracted 157 participants from architecture and engineering students of both Jordan University for Science and Technology and the University of Jordan. Out of the original 88 applications, 79 went on to the next phase of the award.  The 88 project applications consisted of 157 students, of which 53 participated individually and the rest teamed up to form 35 groups. The following phase of the Award ended with the students submitting their theoretical reports, of which after scrupulous assessment and studying by the AIA steering committee, 55 projects proceeded on to the final stage of the Award.  The final stage of the Award consists of the students translating their projects from theory into practical, which will then be studied by the assembled Abdali Innovation Award Jury committee for final assessment.

"Feedback was up to our expectations" claimed Jamal Itani CEO of Abdali Psc., "and this reflects the willingness and the motivation of the Jordanian youth and it certainly proves that the best asset that Jordan can benefit from is its upcoming generation". And to add: "Our aim is to encourage Jordanian Universities' architecture and engineering students towards creative and critical thinking in their last year projects by equipping them on how to tackle the highly competitive markets they will be entering after graduation. We believe this is a good cause and we are putting all our efforts into that".

The deadline for submitting the final projects by students is the last week of May 2009; in the meantime participants will apply for financial support from Abdali Psc. to help them achieve their projects that fall under the following categories:

1- Architecture and Culture.

2- Intelligent/Smart Architecture.

3- Urban Development.

4- Affordable Building Systems.

5- Green Architecture and Engineering.

6- Safety, Security and Disaster Mitigation Innovative Designs.

7- Open theme.

Once all projects are submitted a select and highly qualified jury committee, made up of both the public and private sector, will review them in order to determine the winners and an award ceremony will be organized in summer to announce the final results: 7 winners; one for each category and 1 Excellence award given to the most outstanding project from across the themes.

The Abdali Innovation Award is a unique initiative developed by Abdali Psc, and has enlisted for its first year the cooperation of (the largest two Jordanian Universities in Engineering and Architected) namely Jordan University and Jordan University for Science and Technology, while aiming to expand across more public universities for the academic year 2009-2010. The main intention of the Abdali Innovation Award is to address university students through promoting their innovation, creativity and practical solutions to architectural and engineering challenges, while encouraging their critical and creative thinking.

The Abdali Innovation Award, is considered an innovation by itself in Jordan, and is in line with Abdali Psc.'s vision of positively contributing to the community in which it operates.

-Ends-

About Abdali PSC - Jordan
established to handle the development of the Abdali urban regeneration project, the new downtown of Amman. The Abdali project is by far the largest mixed-use development project ever encountered in the heart of Amman. To be developed on 384,000m² of land, the project will comprise of a total built up area of more than 1,700,000m² consisting of residential apartments, office space, commercial and retail outlets as well as entertainment. Abdali with a value exceeding 5 billion will be the premium central business and residential district of Amman and will catapult the city into the 21st century, placing it at par with most renowned cities of the world.

About RU'YATUK
Abdali's success as a project has always depended on its relation to the greater community: the company has made it a priority to address the needs of Amman and take into consideration the social and environmental aspects of its development. Building on this philosophy, Abdali launched its first CSR full-fledged program, RU'YATUK, the social responsibility arm which seeks to empower Jordanian youth from all ages and backgrounds. The program will coordinate all the activities sponsored by Abdali and finally unite them under one roof, with the theme "Let your vision come to life". In doing so, Abdali will be taking on an active developer's role, enabling young men and women from all walks of life to make a real change in Jordanian society and fulfill their vision through different artistic and educational means.

Contact:
Luna Madi - Marketing Director     
Abdali Psc
Email: lmadi@abdali.jo
Website: www.abdali.jo

Jo Chemali - Regional Communication Director
Leo Burnett - Jordan
Email: jo.chemali@beirut.mslpr.com

© Press Release 2009