All photography by Jérôme Abou, courtesy of Saint-Étienne Métropole.
DUNDEE STUDENT WINS TRAM PRIZE
Paul Hinnrichs, Digital Interaction Design student at the University of Dundee, wins international tram design competition in Saint-Étienne, France
In celebration of the 13th Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Étienne, the Cité du design and Saint-Étienne public transport company (STAS), launch the winning designs of the A Streetcar Named Design competition.
The two winning designs, focus on the Biennale’s theme: “Resource(s), Foreseeing the future”
The International Prize, only applicable to students studying in a fellow UNESCO Creative City, was awarded to Paul Hinnrichs, Digital Interaction Design student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee.
Dundee student’s design win delight’s 9-year-old tram fan – The Courier UK
Paul’s design, titled Trames d’Énergie: Weaving Tomorrow’s Currents, considers the tram as a dynamic map of France’s energy ecosystem, fusing industrial heritage with 21st-century resources. Inspired by the city’s legacy as a UNESCO Creative City of Design and its historic ribbon-weaving industry, the design visualises energy production and consumption as flowing ribbons that morph into binary data streams, symbolising how physical and digital resources power modern life.
Each ribbon’s width correlates with the regional energy output, creating a “live” tapestry. As these ribbons traverse the tram, they dissolve into binary code, reflecting energy’s role in powering digital infrastructure. The palette—teal, sage, pink, orange— references nuclear, hydro, fossil fuels, and renewable energies whilst honouring Saint-Étienne’s textile past.
“I’m truly honoured to receive this award alongside my fellow winner Lilou Thieffenat and thank everyone involved in the process. It’s never too late to learn, create, and take a chance. [It’s] also a pleasure to represent Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design [University of Dundee] and UNESCO City of Design Dundee internationally!”
“I wanted the Saint-Étienne tramway to be a dynamic map of the French energy ecosystem , merging industrial heritage with 21st-century resources.”
– Paul Hinnrichs
The National Prize (for students based in France) was awarded to Lilou Thieffenat, a Master’s student in Space Design at the Annecy Alpes School of Art. Lilou’s design in entitled Urban Heat, Perceiving the City Differently.
“I wanted to put humans back at the heart of the system, to rethink the city as a living organism , crossed by flows and presences. This tramway, dressed in a thermal imprint, reveals what the eye does not see: the heat that we produce, that which unites us, and that which we seek to tame.”
– Lilou Thieffenat
(as reported by SÉM le Mag)
Each winner will receive a prize of €4,500, with their designs running permanently on the rails of Saint-Étienne. Launched in late May 2025, Paul and Lilou’s designs join 6 further Biennale trams produced for previous iterations of the competition.
About the Saint-Étienne International Design Biennial
The 13th edition of the Saint-Étienne International Design Biennial opens its doors from 22 May to 6 July 2025. With Armenia as the guest country and Resource(s), Foreseeing the future as the theme, it invites everyone to come and discover bold, new projects, share enriching ideas and enjoy a rejuvenating, creative experience based around exhibitions, conferences, workshops and street festivals.
Find out more at biennale-design.com
About Saint-Étienne, UNESCO City of Design
In 2010 Saint-Étienne became the first French city to join the UNESCO creative cities network as city of design. Thanks to concrete initiatives such as the creation of the Cité du design and the International Design Biennial, Saint-Etienne has adopted design as an agent for urban transformation and for economic development. Relying on the creativity of its territory and the engagement of both the public and industrial sector, the city is reinventing itself, leading its numerous small and medium-sized enterprises to innovation, and improving the quality of its citizens’ urban living environment through design.
Find out more at designcities.net/city/saint-etienne
