Tetris House by studiomk27

© Fernando Guerra | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

With the 2020 A” design award and competition calling for regular submissions entries, ArchEyes highlights 20 of our all-time favorite design and architecture-winning projects.

For over ten years, the annual award has aimed to distinguish, share, and inspire good design, creators, and companies. As well as a whole list of prizes, the competition is intended for architects, designers, and innovators who desire to gain worldwide recognition and publication for their projects. ArchEyes is set to announce the winners of the 2021 edition with a unique feature on May 1.

Registration to A’ Design Award & Competition 2020-2021 is open now.
The deadline for regular submissions is September 30, 2020. Results will be announced to the public on May 1, 2021.  

One Main Office by dECOi Mark Goulthorpe, Raphael Crespin

One Main Office by dECOi Mark Goulthorpe, Raphael Crespin

© dECOi architects & Anton Grassl | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: dECOi – Mark Goulthorpe (Principal), dECOi – Raphael Crespin (Designer), dECOi – Gabriel Blue Cira, dECOi – Matt Trimble, dECOi – Priyanka Shah, MIT – Kaustuv de Biswas, Oxford University – Prof Alex Scott, Gensler – Helen Heitman, Gensler – Pablo Garcia, Tricore
  • Winner Category: 2015 – 2016, Platinum A’ Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: The project displaces the combinatorial logic of ready-made components typical of the late-industrial process for a seamless and non-standard protocol of customized fabrication. A formal aesthetic emerges from these processes, imbuing the design with a curvilinear continuity at a detail and spatial level.

The Curtain Sales Office by Larry Wen and Yibo Wang – Aoe

The Curtain Sales Office by Larry Wen and Yibo Wang - Aoe

©  Ligang Huang | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Larry Wen, Yibo Wang, Chao Xie, and Yusong Zhang
  • Winner Category: 2017 – 2018, Platinum A’ Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: Reshaping the cultural self-confidence with innovative design solutions. The Metal Mesh works as an energy-saving material to block the direct sunlight and aesthetically related to Chinese culture.

Tetris House by studiomk27

Tetris House by studiomk27


© Fernando Guerra | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Marcio Kogan, Carolina Castroviejo, Diana Radomysler, and Maria Cristina Motta
  • Winner Category: Golden A’ Design Award Winner for Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Category in 2014
  • Inspiration: There is continuity not only of the circulation between the inside and out but also of the materials, dissolving spatial limits.

P Residential House by studiomk27

P Residential House

© Fernando Guerra | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Marcio Kogan, Lair Reis, Diana Radomysler, Carolina Castroviejo, Carlos Costa, Laura Guedes, Mariana Simas, Oswaldo Pessano and Suzana Glogowski
  • Winner Category: Golden A’ Design Award Winner for Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Category in 2014
  • Inspiration: Since China has developed from agricultural civilization to industrial civilization, history never goes back. The Chinese peaceful and indifferent life aesthetics and faith for the integration of nature and humans are challenged and neglected. We do not deny development, but China needs to regain attention to its own culture at this stage.

Mop House by AGi

Mop House by AGi

© AGi architects, 2012 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Nasser Abulhasan, Joaquín Pérez-Goicoechea, MªEugenia Díaz, Gwenola Kergall, Georg Thesing, Lucia Sanchez Salmon, Jose Angel del Campo, Daniel Munoz, Hanan Al Kouh, Babu Abraham, Abdul Hafiz Bahi El-Din Mohammed, Robert Varghese and
  • Winner Category: 2012 – 2013, Platinum, Building, and Structure Design Category,
  • Inspiration: Mop House is a residential project by AGi architects that was initially planned to house one family with two small children; however, in the future, it could be divided into two units. The structure of the house and the distribution of the circulation, as well as the positioning of the entrances and lift, allows for guaranteed privacy between parents and children in the prospective future. The site can be accessed from either side of the surrounding streets to allow for both a private and a public entrance while establishing a strong relationship with the adjacent public garden.

Twins Seating Units by Ece-Oguz Yalim

Twins Seating Units by Ece-Oguz Yalim

© Ece-Oguz Yalim, 2011 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Ece Yalim, Oguz Yalim, and Feride Toprak
  • Winner Category: 2011 – 2012, Gold A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Category
  • Inspiration:The challenge was to create a friendly, simple design that can find its place in various contemporary office designs. Linear furniture, rectangular spaces of contemporary office interiors inspired us to create a pleasing contrast with a sculpturesque, dynamic form which comes from slight angles of the object.”

The Ring House & Atelier by MZ Architects

The Ring House & Atelier by MZ Architects

© MZ Architects, The Ring House, 2013 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Marwan Zgheib
  • Winner Category: 2013 – 2014, Platinum A’ Building and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:The house – atelier has been designed for a young Saudi jewelry artist who wished to have a private living and working space expressing her soul and creations within the garden of her family’s main residence where she currently lives.”

Up Your Street Cottage Cheese by Springetts Brand Design

Up Your Street Cottage Cheese by Springetts Brand Design

© Springetts Brand Design, 2012 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Kelly Bennett and Creative Director: Moyra Casey
  • Winner Category: 2012 – 2013, Platinum A’ Packaging Design
    Award Winner
  • Inspiration:In response to a brief set by The Grocer magazine to revive the cottage cheese market, we drew inspiration from the idea of a street of cottages needing to be renewed and revitalized.”

Termalija Family Wellness by Enota

Termalija Family Wellness by Enota

© Miran Kambič | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Dean Lah, Milan Tomac, Peter Sovinc, Nuša Završnik Šilec, Polona Ruparčič, Peter Karba, Carlos Cuenca Solana, Jurij Ličen, Tjaž Bauer, Sara Mežik, Eva Tomac, Jakob Kajzer, Maja Majerič and Goran Djokić
  • Winner Category: 2019 – 2020, Gold A’ Building and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: Termalija Family Wellness is the latest in the series of projects which we have built at Terme Olimia in the last fifteen years and concludes the complete transformation of the spa complex. A lot of effort was invested in designing the buildings in such a way that they don’t fill the space but connect it even more with the surrounding nature. The volume of necessary space required siting of a larger structure that couldn’t merely be buried below the grade like in our previous projects on the site. No longer being able to reference only the surrounding natural landscape, the solution was found in scale and form of surrounding vernacular structures. The large roof above the water area was divided into sets of smaller segments to prevent its scale from overwhelming surroundings. Viewed from a distance, the shape, color, and scale of the new clustered structure of tetrahedral volumes is a continuation of the cluster of surrounding rural buildings, which visually extends into the heart of the complex.

Coupe Kitchen Stool Kitchen Stool by Nagano Interior

Coupe Kitchen Stool Kitchen Stool by Nagano Interior

Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Hisao Hara, President: Takahiro Nagano, Vice President: Yohei Nagano, Product Development Section Chief: Kazunari Tanaka, Product Development Sub Section Chief: Kenichi Imagawa and Sales Promotion Section Chief: Keisuke Maeda
  • Winner Category: 2019 – 2020, Platinum A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:In the living space, dining chairs and relaxation sofas have been proposed as necessary furniture already. However, when we were analyzing actual behavior, it was found that there were many situations where a chair was required to hold the posture of movement in the middle of standing and sitting. We found the possibility of a high stool that can sit in a posture close to standing.”

Codependent Table by Fletcher Eshbaugh

Codependent Table by Fletcher Eshbaugh

© Fletcher Eshbaugh | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Fletcher Eshbaugh
  • Winner Category: 2019 – 2020, Gold A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:This design was inspired by a fascination of how profound a role psychological conditions play in an individual’s lives. This often goes unnoticed by the affected and is the source of unresolved discomfort. With this, the larger vision for this table was the hope that the design can spur a larger conversation about mental health, psychology, and well being.”

Bandage Sofa by Olga Bogdanova and Elena Prokhorova

Bandage Sofa by Olga Bogdanova and Elena Prokhorova

© Elena Prokhorova, Bogdanova Bureau, 2019 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Art direction – Olga Bogdanova and Product designer – Elena Prokhorova
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Platinum A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: Creating this product, Bogdanova Bureau team wanted to embody a comfortable piece of furniture that meets all the requirements of the consumer. Soft lines and modern design – creating this sofa, the team wanted it to fit into almost any modern interior.

Bo Du Resort Hotel Design by Zhang Can – CSD Design Office

Bo Du Resort Hotel Design by Zhang Can - CSD Design Office

© Wang Ting | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Zhang Can and Lighting Design: Wan Xia
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Platinum A’ Interior Space and Exhibition Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: Bodu in Chinese means providing a place for rest. And that is precisely what the Bodu hotel brand aims to offer, a place to meditate close to nature. The historic Tengchong is inseparable from the ancient silk road. Many of Tengchong’s charms come from its rich culture, which inspired many poets and calligraphers.

EN Skincare Salon and Store by Yusuke Kinoshita

EN Skincare Salon and Store by Yusuke Kinoshita

© David Foessel | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Yusuke Kinoshita
  • Winner Category: 2019 – 2020, Platinum A’ Interior Space and Exhibition Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: Adding a series of circular partitions across four rooms and two levels to define the various functions of the space gently. This leans into the Japanese hospitality principle of discovery; patrons must wind through the store to find each treatment area, rather than walking into an obvious open-plan. The unusual geometric forms serve to spark curiosity in the customer. The concept of ”beauty” by choosing golden polished brass for the circular partitions and accent pieces throughout the store.

Beel Seat Ware by Selami Gündüzeri

Beel Seat Ware by Selami Gündüzeri

© Selami Gündüzeri, 2018 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Selami Gündüzeri
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Gold A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:I was inspired by the clean and minimalistic shapes and designed with inspiration from the human spine system, Beel offers comfortable sitting and healthy posture.” –Selami Gündüzeri

Drum Pouf by Serge Atallah

Drum Pouf by Serge Atallah

© Serge Atallah, 2018 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Serge Atallah
  • Winner Category:2018 – 2019, Gold A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:The idea was to promote fun and happiness in offices and houses. Our inspiration was led by an exotic and aesthetic musical instrument that could help people to dream. the zero-gravity aspect of a suspended seating and the blink evocating the creole steelpan gives this furniture a friendly and unusual aspect.” – Serge Atallah

Dream House Island Rural Renewal by Tianqi Guan

Dream House Island Rural Renewal by Tianqi Guan

© Tianqi Guan, 2018| Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & CompetitionArtist

  • Designer: Tianqi Guan
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Gold A’ Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:This is a project for the TV program to convey a notion that makes people more aware of the relationship between environment and structures, encouraging them to care about the living environment and maximize spatial delight and spirit. People often concern grand narrative-themed buildings and usually turn a blind eye to many houses that are humble but still relevant to daily life. Moreover, we pay too much attention to how good a building looks on the outside while ignoring what lies inside.” – Tianqi Guan

SOL Pocket Rocket Urban Commuter Vehicle by Manuel Messmer

SOL Pocket Rocket Urban Commuter Vehicle by Manuel Messmer

© Gökçe Baturay | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designer: Manuel Messmer
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Silver A’ Vehicle, mobility, and transportation Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration:After an extensive search, we realized that there wasn’t anything available on the market that we loved, in terms of performance and design. We believe in sustainable design, individual mobility, and the freedom that comes with it, and maximum performance with minimum maintenance.” – Manuel Messmer

The Black House Housing by Buero Wagner

The Black House Housing by Buero Wagner

© Fabian A. Wagner, BUERO WAGNER | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Fabian A. Wagner, Sophia Eun Joo Pfeiffer, Maxi Wagner
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Gold A’ Architecture, Building, and Structure Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: The Black House is located next to a forest not far from Ammersee, one of Germany’s largest lakes one hour southwest of Munich, Bavaria. Encompassing an 80 square meter plot, ”The Black House” directly adjoins to a larger family home next door, yet is distinguished as an independent building. The residence is characterized by its carbonized wood facade, with rooms of different heights stacked together to create a variety of spatial situations.

Niwa Outdoor Furniture by Robby Cantarutti and Partners

Niwa Outdoor Furniture by Robby Cantarutti and Partners

© Robby Cantarutti and Partners, 2018 | Courtesy of A’ Design Awards & Competition

  • Designers: Robby Cantarutti and Partners
  • Winner Category: 2018 – 2019, Platinum A’ Furniture, Decorative Items, and Homeware Design Award Winner
  • Inspiration: The project brief was to design a comfortable chair/armchair with simple lines that could be made of die-cast aluminum. The design solves the problem of external resistance since it is made of aluminum and with elementary shapes. Comfort has been delivered in a very profound way alongside an intriguing futuristic form.

Registration to A’ Design Award & Competition 2020-2021 is open now.
The deadline for regular submissions is September 30, 2020. Results will be announced to the public on May 1, 2021.