Design Educates Awards

The Design Educates Awards recognize, showcase, and promote globally the best ideas and implementations of architecture and design that can educate. DE Awards reach beyond the regular architecture contest priorities, it searches for something that will have a lasting influence beyond the ever present effects of design and architecture.

Each year, the esteemed panel of judges selects the outstanding ideas and implementations in the categories of architectural design, product design, universal design, and responsive design. The Jury of the edition 2021 has been joined by Prof. Alison Brooks, Prof. Farshid Moussavi, Prof. Jürgen Mayer H., Prof. Toyo Itō, David Basulto, Hani Rashid, Konstantin Grcic, Andrés Reisinger, Enrica Cavarzan, Dr. Peter Kuczia, Aidin Ardjomandi, Ir. Kristina Bacht, Issa Diabaté, Alain Gilles, Hella Jongerius, Hadi Teherani, Marco Zavagno.

In addition to the main prizes, the awards include “emerging designers” recognition (for the best student designs), and “Solarlux Choice” (the selection of the projects made by representatives of Solarlux – strategic partner of the awards).

All winning projects are available on the official website of the awards: www.designeducates.com. The laureates of the main prizes are:

• Winner for the year 2021 in architectural design: “Zheshui Natural Library” (by LUO studio)
• Winner for the year 2021 in product design + Emerging designers 2021: “GoRolloe” (by Kristen Tapping)
• Gold prize in universal design: “Braille meets emoticons – a visual language for visually impaired” (by Walda Verbaenen)
• Gold prize in responsive design: “Villa Ypsilon” (by LASSA and collaborators)
• Solarlux Choice 2021: (1)“Public Library, Dornbirn” (by Dietrich | Untertrifaller with Christian Schmoelz and collaborators); (2)”Prisma – Schorndorf Station” (by schneider+schumacher and collaborators)

The host of the ‘Design Educates Awards is Laka Foundation (a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization). The theme of the awards has been inspired by the research called Educating Buildings (Bildende Bauten) by Dr. Peter Kuczia. Contact the organizer at hello@designeducates.com The strategic partners of the awards are Solarlux GmbH and Architecture in the Foyer. Media sponsors are: Archdaily and v2com. Media partners are: World Architecture Community and Global Design Awards Lab.

Zheshui Natural Library by LUO Studio

Winner for the year 2021 in Architectural Design

GOROLLOE by Kristen Tapping

Winner for the year 2021 in Product Design, Emerging Designers

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BRAILLE MEETS EMOTICONS – A VISUAL LANGUAGE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED by Walda Verbaenen

Winner for the year 2021 in Universal Design

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Public Library, Dornbirn

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Awards Ceremony

During the 2020  edition, there were multiple lectures given by distinguished architects and designers such as Vinu Daniel, Davide Macullo, Anastasia Elrouss, Kilian Kada, Richter Musikowski, Theo Jansen. For the information about this year’s edition, due to the ongoing situation, please follow updates about the final dates of the event on the official website: https://architektur-im-foyer.com/en/ and https://designeducates.com/

Organizer and Partners

The host of the Design Educates Awards is Laka Foundation (a nonprofit and nongovernmental organization). The strategic partner of the awards is Solarlux GmbH, a German manufacturer of bi-folding glass doors, winter gardens, and façade solutions. The program is possible thanks to the kind support of the members of the jury, advisers, participants, partners, media sponsors: Archdaily and v2com newswire, media partners: World Architecture Community and Global Design Awards Lab. Contact the organizer at hello@designeducates.com