The Design Lions Grand Prix has been awarded to a new tactile paving system called "Sightwalks" that helps visually impaired people navigate urban areas, directing them towards specific places like banks, restaurants and other establishments. 

The effort was created by Sol Cement and WPP agency Circus Grey, Lima, Peru.  

The system includes a series of cement tiles with numbered lines that help identify the types of businesses or establishments that a visually impaired person is passing by. 

The number of lines can tell them if the shop next to them is a bank, grocery store, accommodation, hospital, bus stop, pharmacy and more as they count them from left to right using their walking sticks. 

Over nearly two years, the project underwent continuous iterations to ensure its effectiveness. A collaborative, multidisciplinary effort involving industrial designers, engineers, and associations for the visually impaired in Peru resulted in a tactile tile system. 

Part of what sets this project apart is its open-source nature. Sol Cement made the tiles a copyright-free invention, encouraging global adoption by cities, organizations, or individuals to improve urban accessibility for the visually impaired. 

“We loved that it is a global, inclusive and scalable design solution that can greatly improve people's lives and make the everyday better,” said Design Lions Jury President Fura Johannesdottir, Chief Creative Officer, Huge Global. “We appreciated the simplicity of both the idea and the execution that was done through an old, but new medium.”