European Polycarbonate Sheet Extruders (EPSE) organised for a second time an internal European award competition in two categories (Best Project Award and Best Innovation Award) among its members to raise awareness of the benefits of polycarbonate in different areas of applications. The EPSE Award is not a design competition; it recognises the benefits, innovativeness and the creative applications of polycarbonate sheets.

Polycarbonate is a high quality, transparent, thermoplastic synthetic material with exceptional properties. Therefore in this competition EPSE wants to emphasize the uniqueness, creative and innovative character of polycarbonate. This award is an opportunity for the industry world-wide to recognize innovation and quality business practices.

The 'European Polycarbonate Sheet Extruders' (EPSE) was created in 2003 by five prominent polycarbonate sheet manufacturers as a sector group of European Plastics Converters (EUPC), the European organisation for plastics converters. Over the years EPSE welcomed other important market players. Today, EPSE is composed of 9 polycarbonate sheet manufacturers and 2 of their suppliers.

The Award Jury was composed of renowned professionals representing various players: Mr. Vincente Leoz Argüelles, European Commission, head of unit, DG Enterprise (construction unit), Mr. Jean-Michel Jaspers, a prominent Belgian architect, from M. & J-M. Jaspers – J. Eyers & Partners, Jonas Bensch, a junior architect from Quinze & Milan Designers, Mia de Vits, a member of the European Parliament, and Sarah Gillis, Innovation Advisor, Federplast.

The Award in the Best Innovation category went to ‘Metro Station Carmes’ in Toulouse,
France. The metro station features a 500 m2 ExellD roofing with decorative solid sheet in polycarbonate. By choosing polycarbonate sheets designers and architects can achieve the clarity of glass while overcoming its drawbacks of heavy weight, design restrictions and fragility. ExellD sheet is a transparent, light weight polycarbonate with proprietary UV protection, offering safe installation properties. Its excellent impact strength makes it ideally suited for a variety of building and constructions applications. Exell D meets the requirements of fire performance. It has B (s1, d0) classification, which demonstrates that ExellD exhibits outstanding fire safety features (very limited contribution to a fire, and no flash-over). Compared to glass, polycarbonate sheet is significantly lighter in weight and has a far cheaper price.

The line B of the metro in Toulouse was inaugurated on 30 June 2007. The line B is an automatic line equipped with Val system of the Siemens Transport System, consisting of 16 km long tunnel with 20 stations. This project was one of the most prominent urban construction sites of France and of Europe in the past years (1.4 billion euro).
One of the features of the metro network in Toulouse is the integration of a contemporary art work in each metro station. Each station is the result of a common idea of an architect and an artist. The metro is not a cold and empty shell anymore, it becomes a cultural heritage to visit and to live in; a live museum in the heart of the city. Together they have built a cultural world, which makes Toulouse one of the rarest examples of art works available for the public.