Press Release
Pavelink Intelligent Road Builder by Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou Wins the A' Design Award in Futuristic Design
Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou acknowledged for futuristic design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Pavelink Intelligent Road Builder by Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou, designed for Shandong University of Art & Design, has been granted the A' Design Award in the Futuristic Design category. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Pavelink Intelligent Road Builder
Pavelink is an intelligent, modular road-building machine designed to enhance efficiency, safety, and accessibility in infrastructure development. It features a truck-formed system towing four detachable modules that transform into autonomous compactors, loaders, bulldozers, and excavators. An AI-powered drone provides real-time terrain analysis, optimizing paving strategies. By integrating automation, modular adaptability, and smart coordination, PaveLink not only accelerates road construction but also helps reduce infrastructure disparities, making safe and reliable roads more accessible
About Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou
Yan Zhang, Dean of Industrial Design School, Shandong University of Arts & Design, Director of Co-operation and Development Department. Jialu Hou is a designer whose practice spans product, fashion, and emerging technology. With a background in interdisciplinary design and a postgraduate degree from the Royal College of Art and undergraudtae degree from Shandong University of Arts & Design.
Award Record
This recognition makes Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Futuristic Design Award
The A' Futuristic Design Award is an international futuristic design competition recognizing cutting-edge futuristic design concepts from designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to futuristic designers, futuristic brands, futuristic architects and concept product designers from all countries. Entries typically include conceptual architectures, advanced robotics, innovative transportation systems, futuristic fashion designs, progressive furniture pieces and next-gen electronic gadgets. Awarded futuristic designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/futuristic
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/168268
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/168268
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!168268
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/364735
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Pavelink Intelligent Road Builder
- Function
- Intelligent Road Builder
- Category
- Futuristic Design
- Discipline
- Design Strategy
- Industry
- Innovation and Design Industry
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Silver, Dark Gray, Gainsboro and Light Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Shandong University of Art & Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #168268
Credits
- Team
- Yan Zhang and Jialu Hou
- Image Credits
- Project Assistant Lulu Zhang, Wenyi Qin
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- PaveLink is a next-generation intelligent road builder, designed to enhance efficiency and safety in disaster relief and infrastructure projects. Unlike traditional road machinery, it features a modular architecture, allowing its components to detach and function autonomously for excavation, loading, bulldozing, and compacting. The truck head serves as the central control hub, managing all modules and processing real-time aerial drone data for optimized decision-making. This AI-enhanced system redefines the future of road construction.
- Inspiration
- Road construction is the backbone of local development, yet many underdeveloped regions, disaster-affected areas, and rugged terrains face immense challenges in building and maintaining roads. High construction complexity and safety risks remain persistent issues. Inspired by emerging technologies, PaveLink integrates AI-driven automation and IoT connectivity to address disparities in infrastructure development, making road construction smarter, faster, and more resilient.
- Research
- This research is a collaborative project between academia and industry, exploring how emerging technologies can be integrated into large-scale machinery to solve real-world challenges in infrastructure development and unequal access to construction resources. The study combined academic creativity with industrial expertise, where universities contributed design innovation, and companies provided technical support and operator insights through interviews and feedback. This collaboration ensured PaveLink’s feasibility, advancing smart construction solutions that promote efficiency, safety, and inclusivity in future infrastructure development.
- Challenge
- PaveLink is not a traditional construction vehicle but a new category of heavy machinery, making it a pioneering design with no direct reference models. The challenge was to integrate multiple functions while ensuring practicality and efficiency. Setting high design standards required continuous validation. Through multiple iterations, expert consultations, and prototype testing with industry partners, we developed a modular and intelligent collaborative system to meet real-world construction demands.
- Realization and Technology
- The design follows a human-centered approach, addressing inequalities in infrastructure development while enhancing safety in road construction. A modular design strategy improves efficiency and functionality, integrating cutting-edge technologies such as IoT, autonomous driving, and AI-assisted automation to minimize labor dependency. Powered by electricity, PaveLink utilizes drone inspections and backend data analysis for multi-module collaboration. It is not just an improvement of existing machinery but a new category of heavy machines.
- Operation and Interaction
- Initially, PaveLink appears as a single truck, with all road-building modules connected. Upon reaching the construction site, the truck head acts as the command center, operated by technicians. The modules detach and transition into autonomous operation, optimizing workflow through AI-coordinated control. Powered by electricity, all units remain linked via cables, receiving real-time power and instructions. Aerial drones detach to provide precise terrain mapping and safety monitoring, ensuring optimal performance in complex environments.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was launched in Shandong in February 2024 and concluded in Shandong in June 2024. It was recognized by the Shandong provincial government and participated in the 14th National Art Exhibition of China in 2024.
- Specifications
- 17000mm x 4210mm x 3890mm
- Keywords
- Autonomous Road Construction, Modular Heavy Machinery, AI-driven Paving System, Smart Road Builder, IoT in Construction, Disaster Relief Equipment, Smart Construction Technology, Unmanned Machinery, Collaborative Fleet
