The window is closing for the 2026 edition of the A’ Design Award, the world’s most diverse design competition. With the final deadline on February 28 and results set for May 1, this is the ultimate moment for the international creative community to step into the spotlight. Whether you are crafting furniture, building skylines, or designing for social change, the platform offers an unparalleled opportunity to have your work validated by a global audience.

A curated selection of past winners shows the diverse spectrum of categories, proving that innovation knows no bounds. From the glow of lighting products and the immersive nature of art installations to the precision of graphical illustrations and the cultural depth of fashion, the award celebrates excellence in every form. Whether you have designed an ergonomic chair, an avant-garde pavilion, or a project focused on social impact and circular design, submit your best work here before the doors close.

banner and above: Dolomite Armchair by Gabriela Casagrande
image credit: Adalberto Rodrigues

name: Dolomite

designer: Gabriela Casagrande

award: Bronze
category: Furniture Design
year: 2025

A GLOBAL STAGE AWAITS FOR DIVERSE DESIGN CATEGORIES

The A’ Design Award and Competition is built on the belief that good design deserves recognition, regardless of the medium. This inclusive philosophy is reflected in its vast array of categories, ensuring a dedicated space for specialized expertise. From tactile craftsmanship to large-scale impact, past winners have proven that excellence knows no boundaries. For a deep dive into the hundreds of specialized paths available, explore all categories here.

Tianmianshang Pavilion by Art Institute of Xiaoyan
image credit: Art Institute of Xiaoyan

name: Tianmianshang

team: Jianguo Dong, Jinjun Zhang, John Barton, Simba Xu, Michaël Dooley, Zhixuan Luo, Jintao Li, Yawen Wang, Xiwu Chen, Na Ou, Yanjun Zhang, Yaqi Wang, Yuezhuo Hu, Tsingz Huang, Ziqi Wang, Yueyao Huang, Ziyu Zhou, Zimo Zhao, Yiyi Yang, Peichen Dong, Hao Geng, Langbo Shi, Shanghong Shi, Haoxiang Yuan, Xinlei Liu, Chenyu Lai, Yaxin Zhang, Junning Zhang, Zhishun Min, Jiashu Xiang, Zichang Guo, Yanjie Zhu, Yutong Yao, Qixuan Yang, Zixi Liu, Anni Zheng, Ziyan Wang, Zixi Chen, Ziying Chen and Chuyue Li

award: Bronze

category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
year: 2025

RECOGNITION BY A GRAND JURY OF 318 EXPERTS

Winning the A’ Design Award is a definitive career milestone that offers far-reaching benefits beyond the physical trophy. The A’ Design Prize provides laureates with international exhibition opportunities, a place in the prestigious yearbook, and dedicated PR services — including being featured here on designboom. Furthermore, winners gain prestige in the World Design Rankings and project translations in 100+ languages, opening doors to new markets and clients.

Every submission undergoes a rigorous peer-review process by the Grand Jury Panel, which for the 2026 cycle features 318 world-class design professionals, academics, and members of the press. This diverse panel ensures that every entry is judged with the expertise and fairness it deserves.

Kindergarten in Vilnius Educational Building by NG Architects
image credit: Norbert Tukaj

name: Kindergarten in Vilnius

team: Ignas Vengalis, Filippo Erasti, Dovilė Ivanauskienė, Justyna Molis

award: Silver

category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
year: 2025

Free Air Artwork With Medical Functions by Huang Yu Jung
image credit: Kao, Ming-Chieh

name: Free Air

artist:  Huang Yu Jung

award: Silver

category: Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
year: 2025

Anthropology Chinese Textbook Graphics Design by Xu Tang
image credit: Xu Tang Biejinglab / CITIC Press Group

name: Anthropology Chinese Textbook

designer: Xu Tang

award: Silver

category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
year: 2025

Guangzhou Academy of Arts Exhibition Visual Identity by Shi Chun Sheng

image credit: Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts

name: Guangzhou Academy of Arts

team: Shi Chun Sheng, Tang Ruo Fei, Chen Ruoxi, Liu Yi He , Chen Yi Miao and Luo Zhi Kun

award: Gold

category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
year: 2025

Miao Attire Innovation Cultural Fashion Design by Rufan Lin
image credit: Rufan Lin

name: Miao Attire Innovation

designer: Rufan Lin

award: Silver

category: Costume and Heritage Wear Design
year: 2025

CoDe Italian Design Museum by Tihany Design and Matteo Vercelloni
image credit: Andrea Martiradonna

name: CoDe

team: Tihany Design, Matteo Vercelloni, Matteo Vercelloni, Paola Gallo, Cristina Menotti, Roberto Dassoni and Augusta Grecchi

award: Gold

category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
year: 2020

Culture to Technology Identity Placard by Lei Wang
image credit: Hefei High Tech Digital Technology Co., LTD.

name: Culture to Technology Identity

team: Ji Chao, Xu Ning, Jin Lei, Wang Lei and Zhou Jiaxiang

award: Platinum

category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
year: 2025

The Afterlife Cultural Space by Michel Nagi Ghostine

image credit: Michel Nagi Ghostine

name: The Afterlife

architect: Michel Nagi Ghostine

award: Bronze

category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
year: 2024

TCLGreen Sustainable Art Installation by Creazione Sugo
image credit: Giovanni Albani Lattanzi

name: TCLGreen

artist: Kevin Chu

award: Gold

category: Circular Economy and Regenerative Design
year: 2023

DH Seasons in Bloom Enamel Badge by Lets Art Hong Kong Limited
image credit: Lets Art Hong Kong Limited

name: DH Seasons in Bloom

designer: Lets Art Hong Kong Limited

award: Silver

category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
year: 2025

Qiushi Academy by U A D

image credit: Zhao Qiang

name: Qiushi

team: Luo Qingping, Ru Dan, Yin Nong, Cui He, Su Renyi, Xiao Zhibin, Pan Jiafu, Xuan Jican, Wang Zhenggang, Yang Yi, Tian Xiangning, Lu Dehai, Jin Shengjie, Sang Songbiao, Jiang Bing, Dong Hao, Xia Jiming, Chen Dong, Chen Shengxian and Zhang Ying

award: Silver

category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
year: 2023

Hyzy World Youth Activity Center Corporate Identity by Ecust Creplus Design
image credit: ECUST-Creplus Design

name: Hyzy World Youth Activity Center

team: Shan Hao, Du Weimiao and Hua Yizhou

award: Gold

category: Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
year: 2025

Pepsi Diner Milan 2024 Experiential by PepsiCo Design and Innovation
image credit: PepsiCo Design and Innovation

name: Pepsi Diner Milan 2024

designer: PepsiCo Design and Innovation

award: Bronze

category: Interior Space and Exhibition Design
year: 2025

Dance With The Wind Art Installation by Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan
image credit: Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan

name: Dance With The Wind

team: Daisuke Nagatomo and Minnie Jan

award: Gold 

category: Lighting Products and Fixtures Design
year: 2023

Kukuk Box Mobile Playground by Kukuk Box GmbH
image credit: Kukuk Box GmbH

name: Kukuk Box

team: Bernwart A. Engelen and Kim Benjamin Kappenberg

award: Silver 

category: Playground Equipment, Play Structures and Public Park Design
year: 2023

Chambyrinth Social Impact by Ronghao Chang
image credit: Ronghao Chang

name: Chambyrinth

team: Geoffrey Wang, Chengsyuan Tsai, Yixi Gao, Yun Wu, Chiatzu Chiu, Pinchen Yeh and Songyun Ko

award: Silver 

category: Public Awareness, Volunteerism, and Society Design
year: 2017

The Ancient Mexicans Exhibition Identity by Eduardo Guizar Vukovich
image credit: Eduardo Guizar Vukovich

name: The Ancient Mexicans 

team:  Andrea Rodríguez Tapia, Ariadna García Ríos, Daniela de la Fuente Lozano and Isabel Villegas Martínez

award: Silver

category: Cultural Heritage and Culture Industry Design
year: 2024

Shazhou Youhuang Cultural Park by Senem Cennetoglu

image credit: Aaron&Rex

name: Shazhou Youhuang

architect: Senem Cennetoglu

award: Gold 

category: Construction and Real Estate Projects Design
year: 2023

The post submit your best work to A’ design award and competition before the deadline ends appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Prism Shelter is a viewing pavilion by Space10 Studio located at the foot of Changbai Mountain, conceived as an inhabitable optical installation within a winter landscape defined by snow, wind, and low temperatures. Positioned to frame views of the mountain massif, the structure provides a sheltered point from which visitors can pause and observe the surrounding terrain. The project combines the typology of a small timber cabin with a calibrated visual device that alters the perception of the distant ridgelines. While the exterior reads as a compact black volume, the interior introduces a contrasting spatial condition centered on a red chamber and an optical mechanism that refracts and reconfigures the mountain view.

The design draws on the regional tradition of raw timber cabins once common in the forests around Changbai Mountain. Although large-scale logging has ceased for environmental protection, timber construction remains embedded in the area’s building culture. Prism Shelter references this context through a direct construction logic and the use of reclaimed wood sourced from nearby cities. The timber cladding is treated through charring, increasing its resistance to moisture, snow, and low temperatures. The resulting blackened surface forms a durable outer shell suited to harsh climatic conditions. Its coarse texture and linear grain reinforce the building’s orientation toward the mountain, visually directing attention to the landscape beyond.

all images courtesy of Space10 Studio

a small timber cabin turns into a calibrated optical device

Inside, the pavilion shifts from dark exterior enclosure to an intense red interior chamber. This chromatic contrast establishes a distinct spatial atmosphere within the compact volume. At the center of the installation, a calibrated optical device refracts the view of Changbai Mountain. The mechanism fractures and recomposes the distant ridgelines, transforming a familiar panorama into a dynamic visual field. Through this system, the act of viewing becomes mediated and spatially embedded. The shelter functions simultaneously as refuge and perceptual instrument, structuring both bodily occupation and visual engagement.

Prism Shelter forms part of the participatory art experiment site for the Yuxing MARIE DALGAR Nature Theater. Installed within a snow-covered environment, it operates as a small-scale architectural intervention within a broader artistic and environmental context. Through this project, Space10 Studio explores the relationship between human presence and natural cycles under extreme climatic conditions. By situating a compact, materially grounded structure within the expansive landscape of Changbai Mountain, the pavilion frames seasonal change and encourages direct, embodied interaction with the environment.

Prism Shelter by Space10 Studio stands at the foot of Changbai Mountain as a compact viewing pavilion

the black timber volume is positioned to frame views of the surrounding mountain massif

the structure provides shelter from snow, wind, and low winter temperatures

from the outside, the building reads as a compact, darkened volume in the landscape

the charred timber cladding forms a weather-resistant outer shell

inside, the dark exterior gives way to an intense red chamber

the coarse blackened surface directs attention toward Changbai Mountain

the red interior establishes a contrasting spatial atmosphere within the compact volume

a calibrated optical mechanism refracts the mountain view

the device fractures and recomposes the distant ridgelines

vhe device fractures and recomposes the distant ridgelines

the pavilion operates as both refuge and perceptual instrument

the structure forms part of the Yuxing MARIE DALGAR Nature Theater site

the shelter explores the relationship between human presence and natural cycles under extreme climate conditions

project info:

name: Prism Shelter – Seeing the Mountain, Seeing the Self

architect: Space10 Studio

location: Huamei Shengdi Resort, Changbai Mountain, China

area: 98 sqm

lead architect: Yuan Jiang
design team: Zhou Chenhao, Wang Yuehui, Sang Maosen, Gao Pengfei

implementation: Shandong Senwei Exhibition & Display Co., Ltd.

curators: Masa Cui & Jiang Jian

photographers: Penn; Wang Wei; space10; MARIE DALGAR；

commissioned by: MARIE DALGAR; JV Communication

video music song: Weiwei WU Music ‘Silver Wings Symphony’ – Chen Mulian, Zhang Jiangfu

video music vocals: Ling Xi

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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In the valley of Pantalica, Italy, where more than 4,000 rock-cut tombs line the cliffs above the Anapo River, architect Leopold Banchini introduces Asympta, a temporary micro-architecture that shifts attention away from the necropolis and toward the unknown architecture of the living.

Installed in Ortigia in 2025 and traveling to Pantalica in 2026 for the COSMO festival, the structure reflects on the prehistoric civilization embedded within the Syracusa–Pantalica UNESCO World Heritage landscape, proposing a speculative shelter rooted in place rather than in archaeological reconstruction.

The structure is assembled from materials sourced within the region, including lava stone from Mount Etna, local wood sealed by fire, Pietra Pece limestone, bronze, and sheep wool felt. These elements are treated as tectonic components that situate the installation within eastern Sicily’s geological and craft traditions and define a shaded space intended for gathering, pause, and reflection. The choice of fire-sealed wood and volcanic stone reinforces the project’s dialogue with elemental forces, combustion, sedimentation, and extraction, processes that have shaped both the land and its cultures.

all images by Simone Bossi

Asympta: speculating beyond the necropolis in pantalica, italy

While Pantalica’s funerary landscape is monumental and extensively documented, little is known about how its inhabitants once built their homes. The scarcity of domestic remains suggests lightweight construction techniques and the use of local organic materials, long since disappeared. Geneva-based Leopold Banchini Architects approaches the site through conjecture, imagining how architectures and cosmologies might have emerged from the specific topography, climate, and material resources of the valley.

The project distances itself from archaeological authority and fixed historical timelines, and it stages a fictional yet materially grounded hypothesis. The temporary installation echoes the provisional quality of early domestic structures, positioning architecture as an adaptive framework shaped by landscape, necessity, and shared use.

the structure is assembled from materials sourced within the region

from origin myth to site-specific shelter

Asympta’s open structure subtly recalls the conical mass of Etna and the excavated voids of nearby latomie, ancient stone quarries carved into rock, two dominant presences in the surrounding territory. In doing so, the project reconsiders Marc-Antoine Laugier’s Primitive Hut. Instead of framing architecture as a single, universal origin, Asympta suggests that building begins with the specificities of place.

As a temporary intervention, the installation acknowledges the ephemerality that may have characterized early domestic construction. Its lightness contrasts with the enduring stone tombs across the valley, underscoring how architecture of the living often leaves fewer traces than that of the dead.

Within the context of the COSMO festival, Asympta functions as both shelter and proposition. It invites visitors to inhabit a speculative scenario, one in which architecture emerges not from stylistic lineage but from the negotiation between landscape, material, and collective imagination.

Asympta shifts attention away from the necropolis

a temporary micro-architecture

lava stone, local wood, limestone, bronze, and sheep wool felt shape the structure

the materiality situates the installation within eastern Sicily’s geological and craft traditions

a shaded space intended for gathering, pause, and reflection

proposing a speculative shelter rooted in place rather than in archaeological reconstruction

Leopold Banchini Architects approaches the site through conjecture

project info:

name: Asympta

architect: Leopold Banchini Architects | @leopoldbanchini

location: Ortigia (2025), Pantalica (2026)

built by: DiSe | @diseitalia

part of: COSMO festival | @siracusapantalica

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Garden Folly is a small pavilion project developed with an extended temporal approach, allowing the structure to age, weather, and integrate gradually into its setting. Soares Jaquier Architects were interested in creating architecture shaped by time, where material transformation and environmental exposure become part of the design outcome.

The wooden pavilion is constructed entirely from reused materials and is embedded within an existing concrete wall, reinforcing a sense of continuity with the site. Modest in scale and simple in composition, the structure provides a sheltered space for reading, resting, and eating, functioning as an everyday retreat within the garden.

all images courtesy of Soares Jaquier Architects

Garden Folly pavilion integrates time, climate, and habitation

The project responds to a series of site-specific conditions, including exposure to wind, sun, and the absence of a dedicated outdoor room. Located adjacent to an architect-designed house with a restrained internal layout, the pavilion offers an additional space without altering the existing domestic interior. Positioned as an intermediary element, it operates as a threshold between the private realm of the house and the open landscape beyond.

Rather than asserting a distinct architectural object, the pavilion establishes a dialogue between the existing building, the supporting wall, and the surrounding environment. Openings and enclosures are calibrated to mediate light, air movement, and views, allowing the structure to adapt to changing climatic conditions. Conceived by Soares Jaquier Architects as a contemporary garden folly, the project folds into its context, framing the landscape while remaining attentive to everyday use and the passage of time.

Garden Folly by Soares Jaquier, a small pavilion embedded within an existing concrete wall

the pavilion was designed to weather over time, allowing material aging to become part of the architecture

reused materials form the entire structure, reinforcing continuity with the site

a modest pavilion scale supports everyday activities within the garden

acting as a threshold, the structure mediates between house and landscape

the pavilion establishes a dialogue between architecture and its surroundings

openings are calibrated to frame views and regulate airflow

material textures reveal gradual weathering over time

project info:

name: Garden Folly
architect: Soares Jaquier | @soaresjaquier

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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In the gardens of Sunder Nursery in New Delhi, Aranyani presents Sacred Nature, the inaugural edition of the Aranyani Pavilion, on view from February 4th to 20th, 2026. Conceived as an annual architectural commission, the pavilion, designed in collaboration with T__M.space, marks the first time the conservation and creative initiative translates its ecological research into a built, walkable structure. ‘The Aranyani Pavilion explores sacred growth through geometry and material. It emerges from a dialogue between digital design and physical craft, allowing the architecture to grow from its context rather than be imposed on it,’ the architects tell designboom. ‘The spatial trajectory is intentionally slow, encouraging reflection and a quiet awareness of material, landscape, and movement.’

The spiral structure is built from upcycled Lantana camara, an invasive shrub introduced to India through colonial trade routes in the eighteenth century. Now covering more than 13 million hectares and threatening large areas of forest, lantana is recast here as a structural lattice, fabricated by Ekarth Studio. Above it, a living canopy of more than forty native plant species, including edible, medicinal, and culturally significant varieties, forms a functioning microhabitat.

all images by Lokesh Dang, courtesy of Aranyani

‘sacred nature’ by t__m.space guides visitors along a spiral path

Set within the historic landscape of Sunder Nursery, the pavilion by T__M.space takes the form of a spiral walkthrough installation. Its spatial logic draws from India’s sacred groves, community-protected forest sanctuaries that functioned as early biodiversity reserves long before modern conservation law. As visitors follow a continuous, inward-moving path, the architecture modulates light, shadow, texture, and sound, echoing the layered rhythms of a living forest. The journey culminates in a central shrine anchored by a stone monolith, recalling the ritual cores of sacred groves where stone markers traditionally signify a symbolic meeting of earth and sky.

Founded by conservation scientist and creative director Tara Lal, ecological restoration and creative arts initiative Aranyani has worked across diverse ecosystems, from the Himalayas to the Aravallis, through its field arm, Aranyani Earth. The pavilion extends this practice into the urban realm, using architectural form to make ecological processes legible and experiential. ‘Aranyani is named after the forest goddess, who appears in the Rigveda. That we have forgotten Aranyani, and can name more products than forests or trees or springs, says a lot about the times we’re living in,’ Tara Lal shares with designboom. ‘The restoration work we do at Aranyani, this pavilion, and the ten-day programme that will follow, is a small way of calling her back.’

Aranyani presents Sacred Nature in the gardens of Sunder Nursery in New Delhi

building with lantana as a technical and ecological act

Beyond its symbolic charge, the pavilion is also a demanding technical exercise. Spanning nearly 600 square meters of ground, with a footprint of 200 square meters and an inner space of approximately 100 square meters, the structure required thousands of lantana branches to be sourced, sorted, and assembled. Its bamboo framework provides tensile strength and structural clarity, while the lantana lattice acts as a porous skin, allowing air, light, and sound to pass through.

Lantana, typically cleared or burned, is neither disguised nor aestheticized. Its presence is deliberate, structural, and unresolved. By placing invasive material in direct dialogue with indigenous planting above, the pavilion stages restoration as a layered, ongoing process rather than a finished solution.

Aranyani Pavilion is on view from February 4th to 20th, 2026

a pavilion with an afterlife

Sacred Nature, named after the forest goddess of the Rigveda, one of India’s oldest sacred texts, also operates as a platform for discussion and exchange. A public program of talks, workshops, performances, and guided tours extends the ecological and decolonial themes of the pavilion, bringing together voices from environmental activism, architecture, business, and the arts. Speakers include environmental activist Vandana Shiva and historian Sathnam Sanghera, alongside practitioners working at the intersection of ecology, design, and cultural production.

After its presentation in New Delhi, the Aranyani Pavilion will be permanently installed at the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School in Jaisalmer, an award-winning example of climate-responsive architecture by Diana Kellogg Architects. There, it will function as a living classroom for students and researchers. Its edible and medicinal plants will be transferred to community-led environmental projects in Delhi, including the Basti Gardens of Hope in Nizamuddin and Swechha’s urban forest initiatives, extending the material life of the pavilion into local landscapes and communities.‘This installation is inspired by sacred groves I travelled to, and I hope it invokes in you what those groves invoked in me: wonder,’  Tara Lal tells us.

a living canopy of more than forty native plant species forms a functioning microhabitat

the spiral structure is built from upcycled Lantana camara

designed in collaboration with T__M.space

its spatial logic draws from India’s sacred groves

the architecture modulates light, shadow, texture, and sound

echoing the layered rhythms of a living forest

a central shrine anchored by a stone monolith

recalling the ritual cores of sacred groves

beyond its symbolic charge, the pavilion is also a demanding technical exercise

the structure required thousands of lantana branches to be sourced, sorted, and assembled

the Aranyani Pavilion will be permanently installed at the Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School in Jaisalmer

project info:

name: Aranyani Pavilion 2026: Sacred Nature

architect: T__M.space | @t__m.space

location: Sunder Nursery, New Delhi, India

dates: February 4th – 20th, 2026

lead architects: Tanil Raif and Mario Serrano Puche

client / initiative: Aranyani | @aranyanilife

founder: Tara Lal

fabrication: The Works

natural material construction: Ekarth Studio

sound design: Gaurav Raina and Komorebi

photographer: Lokesh Dang | @lokesh.dang

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Located in Cabranes, Asturias, Spain, Taller Agropoetico is a small-scale architectural intervention developed by Atelier Poem for the Foresta Collective. Conceived as part of an agroforestry program involving the planting of more than 1,000 trees across five hectares, the project integrates agricultural practice, education, and landscape observation within a single structure. The pavilion functions as a flexible workspace, a tool storage facility, and a point of reference within a gradually emerging forest environment.

Foresta Collective operates between Germany and Spain, promoting educational models based on direct engagement with natural processes. Taller Agropoetico supports this approach by providing an infrastructure for workshops, artistic residencies, and collective activities involving artists, educators, agronomists, botanists, and local residents. The pedagogical dimension extends beyond use to include the construction process itself, which involved apprentices working alongside local carpenters, as well as community participation in the tree-planting program.

The project is built on the footprint of a former pajar, a traditional Asturian barn, and is informed by the study of local vernacular architecture, particularly hórreos, which historically served as elevated agricultural storage structures. These references are translated into a contemporary architectural language characterized by structural clarity, material restraint, and construction efficiency. Timber framing and metal sheeting form the primary material palette, paired with simple geometry and rational building systems.

all images courtesy of Atelier Poem

Atelier Poem’s Pavilion as Part of a Broader Agroforestry System

Responding to the site’s topography, the structure is elevated above ground level, allowing moisture protection for the timber while preserving soil permeability and enabling vegetation and microfauna to continue beneath the pavilion. The foundation consists of discrete pile caps, minimizing ground disturbance and maintaining natural drainage patterns.

The upper level operates as an open-air classroom and workshop space. Tool storage is integrated into the interstitial zones between the first sets of columns, reinforcing the dual function of the building. Spatial permeability defines the project: the short elevations are fully open, while the long sides are articulated by a regular column rhythm that frames views toward the surrounding landscape. This configuration establishes a sequence of visual openings, positioning the pavilion as an observation structure oriented toward the evolving forest. A gabled roof with generous overhangs defines the building’s silhouette and extends shelter to adjacent circulation paths. The roof form references regional rural typologies while mediating between interior activity and exterior conditions. By spanning both levels and projecting outward, it establishes a transitional zone between architecture and landscape.

Atelier Poem’s designers conceive Taller Agropoetico as the initial architectural nucleus of a larger agroforestry system expected to develop over time in response to ecological growth and agricultural needs. Designed to remain adaptable and open, the structure supports ongoing educational activities while gradually integrating into the forest ecosystem it helps establish. Through material economy, spatial openness, and close alignment with its territorial context, the project demonstrates an architectural approach rooted in collective use, environmental continuity, and long-term landscape transformation.

Taller Agropoetico is a small-scale pavilion by Atelier Poem in Cabranes, Asturias

the project forms part of an agroforestry program spanning five hectares

more than 1,000 trees structure the emerging landscape around the pavilion

the pavilion occupies the footprint of a former Asturian pajar

a gabled roof with deep overhangs extends shelter beyond the building footprint

timber framing and metal sheeting define the restrained material palette

the pavilion functions as a workspace, storage facility, and reference point

local vernacular structures, including hórreos, informed the design approach

the pavilion operates as an observation structure within the landscape

the upper level functions as an open-air classroom and workshop

a regular column rhythm frames views of the surrounding forest

the structure is elevated to protect timber and preserve soil permeability

the construction process included apprentices working alongside local carpenters

open short elevations ensure maximum spatial permeability

project info:

name: Taller Agropoetico
architect: Atelier Poem

location: Cabranes, Asturias, Spain

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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ODDO architects shape the public art pavilion T10A in Hanoi, Vietnam using over 40,000 recycled plastic bags as well as handmade paper. Developed as a temporary exhibition space for Vietnamese architecture projects, the design team draws inspiration from Hanoi’s craft heritage. The structure includes traditional handmade paper, known locally as Giấy Dó, alongside the recycled plastic. Alongside the public art pavilions, there are paper domes within which visitors can explore the architectural drawings and information of the exhibitions from inside. 

The children from a local kindergarten were invited to decorate the paper domes with drawings showing how they imagine their city. Their work adds a personal and playful layer to the public art pavilion in Vietnam, turning the space into both an exhibition and a community artwork. A lightweight steel frame holds the structures together, a reference to the method that mirrors the construction practices common in some Vietnamese urban neighborhoods.

all images courtesy of ODDO architects | photos by Trieu Chien

wing-like roof sections shelter different exhibitions

The local community plays a central role in the ODDO architects’ project because it is the volunteers who helped gather plastic waste and took part in the construction process, turning the public art pavilions in Hanoi, Vietnam, into a collective building effort. Visually, the pavilions stand out through three large wing-like roof sections, each representing different exhibition themes: residential architecture, interior design, and sustainability projects. The recycled plastic panels filter daylight, creating shifting patterns of colored light inside the pavilion, and after sunset, internal lighting allows the structures to glow, transforming them into a luminous landmark within the urban setting. 

After the exhibition ends, the materials used by the design team for T10A aren’t discarded but instead reused to produce new objects, including bags and design products, extending the life cycle of the materials and reducing waste. In the end, it is the aim of the project organizers to encourage architects, designers, and the public to reconsider how materials are valued. In these public art pavilions in Hanoi, Vietnam, plastic waste, which is often viewed as pollution, becomes a revived resource that makes way for reusable design.

recycled plastic roofing filtering daylight and casting vibrant shadows

the construction involves the help of the local community volunteers

the structure includes traditional handmade paper, known locally as Giấy Dó

view of the three public art pavilions in Hanoi, Vietnam by ODDO architects

the exhibition space lies beneath translucent plastic wings

a lightweight steel frame holds the structures together

lantern-like pavilion glowing within the urban landscape

at night, the structure are illuminated by warm lighting

each section represents different exhibition themes

after the exhibition ends, the materials are reused

project info:

name: Pavilion T10A

design: ODDO architects | @oddoarchitects

photography: Trieu Chien | @trieuchien

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: matthew burgos | designboom

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La Memoria del Río is a modular cultural pavilion developed as a reversible urban infrastructure for the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Designed by Alsar-Atelier in collaboration with SDRD, the project draws conceptual and formal references from Bogotá’s river systems, proposing a flexible architectural framework capable of supporting cultural activity without permanently altering its surroundings. The pavilion is conceived to appear and disappear across different urban contexts, establishing a decentralized model for public cultural space.

Positioned between public art and ephemeral architecture, the project operates as a temporary structure intended to reactivate underused urban sites through cultural programming. Commissioned by the Secretaría Distrital de Recreación y Deporte (SDRD), the initiative promotes temporary intervention as a strategy to distribute cultural activities across multiple neighborhoods rather than concentrating them in fixed locations. This approach allows the pavilion to be deployed repeatedly in diverse areas of the city, adapting to local conditions while maintaining a consistent architectural identity.

The conceptual framework is informed by Bogotá’s hydrological systems, particularly its rivers, which originate in the eastern mountain range and traverse varied topographies before reaching the savanna. These systems are understood as dynamic, adaptive infrastructures shaped by time, movement, and context. This understanding translates into a modular roof structure characterized by flexibility, expandability, and fluid formal expression. Rather than reproducing literal representations, the design abstracts the spatial and phenomenological qualities of water and flow.

La Memoria del Río Pavilion | all images courtesy of Alsar-Atelier

A Reversible Modular Unit that responds to wind and light

Based on these principles, the design team, formed by El Líder S.A.S., INGEACERO, and Alsar-Atelier, developed a modular unit measuring 6 meters in length, 8 meters in width, and 5 meters in height. The module features a vaulted elevation and unidirectional expandability, allowing it to be combined or subdivided depending on site requirements. The construction system relies entirely on dry connections, enabling rapid assembly and disassembly without permanent foundations. This allows installation in a wide range of urban settings, including streets, plazas, sports courts, and heritage areas, without causing irreversible impact.

The interior atmosphere further reinforces the project’s conceptual basis through an abstract interpretation of water movement. Suspended beneath a transparent polycarbonate roof, approximately 15,000 blue fabric fragments are distributed across the ceiling. Their motion, activated by wind, creates shifting patterns of light, shadow, and transparency that recall the behavior of flowing water. This element establishes a spatial experience that changes continuously with environmental conditions, reinforcing the pavilion’s temporary and responsive nature.

La Memoria del Río is a modular cultural pavilion designed as reversible urban infrastructure in Bogotá

Temporary Architecture as a Tool for Urban Cultural Exchange

Parque Bicentenario, located between Parque de la Independencia and the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá and designed by Giancarlo Mazzanti, served as the project’s initial site and testing ground. The pavilion adapts to the park’s variable topography and lack of a rigid spatial order, responding to the site in a manner comparable to how a river occupies a valley. Constructed over a four-week period, the structure has hosted a range of cultural events, including gastronomic festivals, circus performances, and theatrical and artistic programs.

During the first half of 2026, La Memoria del Río will remain at this initial location before being redeployed across different areas of Bogotá. Through its modularity, reversibility, and mobility, the project establishes a repeatable cultural infrastructure that operates at an urban scale. Rather than functioning as a permanent building, La Memoria del Río positions architecture as a temporary spatial device, one that facilitates cultural exchange while referencing the city’s overlooked natural systems through form, material, and spatial experience.

the pavilion is conceived to appear and disappear across different urban contexts

the design draws formal and conceptual references from Bogotá’s river systems

rivers dynamics inform the pavilion’s flexible and expandable roof structure

vaulted geometry allows unidirectional expansion and subdivision

the pavilion by Alsar-Atelier supports cultural programming without permanent site alteration

the project operates between public art and ephemeral architecture

approximately 15,000 blue fabric fragments are suspended beneath the roof

the installation creates an abstract spatial interpretation of flowing water

construction

project info:

name: La Memoria del Rio
architect: Alsar-Atelier | @alsar_atelier, SDRD

location: Bogotá, Colombia

models and diagrams: Sebastian Pineda | @sebaspinedah

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Mexican architecture studio LANZA atelier, founded by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, is appointed to design the Serpentine Pavilion 2026. Titled ‘a serpentine’, the pavilion will open to the public on June 6th, 2026, at Serpentine South in London’s Kensington Gardens. The announcement coincides with the Pavilion’s 25th edition, which Serpentine will mark through a special collaboration with the Zaha Hadid Foundation, reflecting on the legacy of the inaugural pavilion designed by Hadid in 2000.

LANZA atelier’s proposal draws from the serpentine, or crinkle-crankle, wall, a historic English architectural feature composed of alternating curves. Originally developed in ancient Egypt and later introduced to England by Dutch engineers, the serpentine wall gains its structural stability from its geometry, allowing it to be only one brick thick while maintaining strength. 

Serpentine Pavilion 2026 a serpentine, designed by Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo, LANZA atelier | design renders © LANZA atelier. courtesy Serpentine

a serpentine is shaped by curves, climate, and movement

The pavilion is positioned on the northern side of the site and structured through two main walls. One traces the serpentine geometry, while the other aligns with the existing tree canopy. A translucent roof rests lightly on brick columns, evoking a grove of trees and allowing light and air to move freely through the structure. 

Brick is used as the primary material, referencing both the English garden tradition and the existing brick facade of the Serpentine South Gallery, which was originally a tea pavilion itself. Through rhythmic repetition, the brick columns transition from opaque to permeable, creating a gradient of openness. LANZA atelier frames this material strategy as a metaphorical bridge between Europe and the Americas, linking vernacular traditions through shared construction logics rather than symbolic gestures. According to the architectural duo, the project is conceived as ‘a device that both reveals and withholds,’ shaping how people move through space. They draw parallels with England’s fruit walls, which historically moderated climate and created sheltered micro-environments. From this lineage emerges a Pavilion built from simple clay brick, foregrounding what the architects describe as ‘the elemental capacity of architecture to bring people together.’

LANZA atelier’s proposal draws a historic English architectural feature composed of alternating curves

a platform for cultural exchange and experimentation

Since its inception, the Serpentine Pavilion has served as a platform for architectural experimentation, offering architects a rare opportunity to test ideas in a public, open-access context. Over time, the commission has evolved from a one-off structure into a broader cultural infrastructure, hosting lectures, performances, screenings, and interdisciplinary events. 

Serpentine CEO Bettina Korek frames the Pavilion as a structure that extends beyond its physical form, connecting people, landscape, and ideas. Artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist emphasizes the institution’s increasing focus on younger practices over the past decade, describing LANZA atelier’s work as deeply embedded in material, context, and lived experience. Their pavilion, he notes, will function as a ‘content machine,’ hosting live events across disciplines throughout the summer and autumn.

The 2026 edition will also include a dedicated architectural program developed in collaboration with the Zaha Hadid Foundation. This initiative aims to reflect on Hadid’s legacy while fostering transnational and transgenerational dialogue around contemporary architectural questions. Former Pavilion architects will be invited to contribute, linking the Pavilion’s history to its future trajectories.

the serpentine wall gains its structural stability from its geometry

the pavilion is positioned on the northern side of the site and structured through two main walls

conceptual sketch, worm’s eye view | image © LANZA atelier. Courtesy Serpentine.

Isabel Abascal and Alessandro Arienzo of LANZA atelier | image © Pia Riverola

project info: 

name: a serpentine
architect: LANZA atelier | @lanzaatelier

lead architects: Isabel Abascal, Alessandro Arienzo
location: Serpentine South, Kensington Gardens, London, UK

event: Serpentine Pavilion | @serpentineuk
opening date: June 6th, 2026

The post LANZA atelier reveals curving brick design for the 2026 serpentine pavilion appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Cappella del Suono is a small-scale architectural installation located in the grain fields of Italy’s Marche region. Positioned on a hillside, the pavilion is designed as a lightweight wooden structure that maintains a close relationship with its surrounding landscape. Developed by Studio Carraldo, the project was realized independently in the summer of 2025 after being selected as the winning entry of the Festival di Microarchitettura. The pavilion is also among the twelve nominated projects for the Klimahouse Wood Architecture Prize 2025.

The structure is composed of a regular grid of vertical wooden slats that define the spatial enclosure while remaining visually permeable. The slats are suspended at varying lengths, forming an irregular lower edge that softens the boundary between architecture and landscape. Perforations integrated at the ends of selected elements introduce an acoustic dimension, allowing the pavilion to respond to wind conditions. As air moves through the structure, the wooden components interact to produce layered sound effects, which vary in intensity depending on wind strength and direction. Under certain conditions, the sound recalls the distant bells of the nearby Convento di Monte Illuminato.

all images by Jonas Zauels

Studio Carraldo’s Pavilion is Defined by Light and Landscape

Light and shadow play a central role in shaping the spatial experience. The open arrangement of the slats allows sunlight to pass through the structure, creating changing patterns throughout the day and reinforcing the pavilion’s temporal and environmental responsiveness. Structurally, the installation rests on slender vertical supports anchored directly into the ground, minimizing impact on the site and reinforcing the project’s temporary character. Studio Carraldo’s material choices further support this approach. The use of untreated wood allows the structure to weather naturally and visually integrate with the surrounding grain fields. Rather than asserting itself as an object, the pavilion maintains a low visual profile and reads as an architectural extension of the landscape.

Cappella del Suono is conceived as a permeable architectural space, defined enough to establish a place while remaining open to environmental forces. A built-in bench extends from the interior toward the exterior, supporting different modes of occupation and allowing visitors to engage with the pavilion through rest, observation, and listening.

participation with a local piano maker from Lunano

when the wind is calm, the Cappella del Suono reads like a monolith

dynamic interplay of light, shadow, and transparency

the structure appears to grow directly out of the surrounding grain fields

in interaction with the wind, the structure comes alive

the bench encourages resting and experiencing the surrounding field of slats

through varying lengths and precise perforations, the slats create a layered acoustic effect

the sound slats are suspended by delicate threads, letting them sway freely in the wind

the pavilion creates an permeable architectural space open to environmental forces

project info:

name: Cappella del Suono

architect: Studio Carraldo | @studio.carraldo
design team: Franka Ruhnau, Jonas Rosenfelder, Luis Navarro, Valentin Fick, David Zauels
location: Marche, Italy

photographer: Jonas Zauels | @blackbvrds

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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