GF wins Red Dot Design Award for its Uponor FastGuard cable protection solution

The Red Dot Design Award, with a jury of 43 experts from 21 countries, is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world. The product design category is judged based on criteria such as the level of innovation, functionality and longevity.

Uponor FastGuard is engineered to meet the demands of today’s construction and infrastructure projects, where speed, safety, and reliability are critical. The system allows for fast, tool-free installation, reducing labor effort and minimizing downtime on-site. Its design is particularly suited for challenging ground conditions and environments where strength and resilience are required.

Ellinor Hjelm, Global Product Manager Infrastructure at GF, comments on the win: “Efficiency and usability are key for today’s fast-paced building projects. Uponor FastGuard follows this philosophy with a design that facilitates a quick, simple, and low-stress installation in a wide range of application scenarios. We are excited that we could win over the jury and are proud of the amazing work by our development team.”

Uponor FastGuard features an ergonomic and tool-free design made of split polypropylene pipes. In the first installation step, workers connect the lower halves of the one-meter-long sections with a simple socket-spigot system. Once the cable is in place, the top halves are secured with a unique top-down locking mechanism that can be operated by hand or with a foot. This not only speeds up the installation process and lowers labor costs, but reduces the strain on workers. Delivered disassembled, Uponor FastGuard also minimizes pallet capacity, making logistics more efficient.

Neea Juvonen, Raw Material Specialist at GF Finland, adds: “Winning the Red Dot Design Award is a great recognition of the work we put into Uponor FastGuard. The top-down locking system was a particular highlight during development, as we were not only able to improve efficiency, but also create a more ergonomic installation process thanks to our unique, patented design.”

Available in the dimensions DN110 and DN160, Uponor FastGuard is ideal for both temporary and permanent applications in areas requiring high-strength cable protection. It helps prevent cable damage in challenging environments, reducing the need for cutting and splicing. Typical use cases include:

-        Protection against unstable or uneven ground conditions

-        Shallow fill height installations (≥ 0.25m)  

-        Impact protection against construction site machinery   

-        Temporary protection during work near active cables  

-        Bypassing sensitive areas with minimal environmental impact

Find out more about Uponor FastGuard