The inventors of the Cubipod mold, nominated for the European Inventor Award 2019 by the European Patent Office

Antonio Corredor, head of the Technical Office at SATO, OHL’s maritime and port works subsidiary, and Carlos Fermín Menéndez, who held the position of workshop manager and supervisor at this subsidiary, have been nominated by the European Patent Office for the “European Inventor Award 2019”, Industry category, for their contribution to the development of the Cubipod’s exclusive concrete mold, a technological innovation used in the construction of the main layers of breakwaters. The mold saves construction costs and improves the protection of the coastline.

The European Patent Office recognizes, through this nomination, the contribution of the Cubipod mold to the large-scale manufacture from common concrete of this artificial breakwater element, without compromising quality or increasing costs. Used in the formation of the protective mantle in the construction of port breakwaters and coastal protection, the Cubipod also has significant advantages over traditional blocks in terms of ease of installation, savings in materials and performance during its useful life. These advantages are especially significant in ports with large design wave heights or in seismic zones, locations where it outperforms any other existing option in terms of technical performance, safety, sustainability and cost.

Developed in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the Cubipod was first used by OHL in the port of Malaga in 2011. Since then, it has accumulated outstanding experience in its use both nationally and internationally. In Spain, they have been placed in the dike of San Andrés, in the port of Malaga, in the first two phases of the out sea wall of at the port of Langosteira (A Coruña) and in the outer sea wall of the Sphinx Basin (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria). On the international level, it has been used in the breakwater of the port of Hamstholm, in Denmark, and in the Algiers Marina, in Algeria. These projects have involved the construction and installation of more than 33,000 Cubipods of different sizes, from 3 tons to 45 tons.

The European Inventor Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious innovation awards given by the European Patent Office, the world’s leading authority on patent information and patent search since 2006. The winners of the 2019 edition will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Vienna on June 20th. 

Carlos Fermín Menéndez and Antonio Corredor, from left to right.