The MegaFaces Pavillion, sponsored by Russia's wireless networker MegaFon, was not only the first Grand Prix won by Russia at the world's biggest annual awards show and festival for professionals in the creative communications industry, but also the first for an architecture firm, Asif Khan Ltd, in London.

The innovative sponsor's pavilion generated 3D images of people who had snapped and uploaded their own headshots with these images then posted onto the side of the building.

As on a pin screen, the cylinders could extend to form the shape of the faces, and LED lights at the ends of the cylinders added the proper colour and shading.

The data for the 3D faces was generated in 3D photo booths inside the building.

In their role as a partner of Sochi 2014 MegaFon will provide all telecommunications services and will use a 4G network for the Winter Olympics and Paralympics.

The MegaFaces Pavillion allowed visitors in Sochi to take "selfies" of themselves and have them uploaded to a giant screen in 3D ©Megafon



The 10-strong jury at the festival consisted mostly of technology experts and venture capitalists, with Tom Bedecarré, the chairman of advertising agency AKQA, taking the role as jury President.

Following the result the judges claimed that the design met the three criteria looked for by the jury, which consisted of a breakthrough technology; an idea that could be scaled rather than a one-off execution as seen in many other Cannes categories; and work that empowers creativity.

"It's just really a beautiful design," said Bedecarré.

"It's the first time we've ever seen anything like this from a technology standpoint."

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