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The 2024 edition of the annual Monocle Design Awards, published in our May issue, is finally here. The 50 selected projects show how attractive and practical design can enhance our homes, offices and cities, and help to build communities too – take, for example, the renovation of the Zürich Hauptbahnhof (pictured). Below, we celebrate this year’s winners.
Opinion / Nic Monisse
What makes good design? That’s the question that we have sought to answer in the fourth edition of the Monocle Design Awards. This annual survey of the industry’s finest work features everything from leading architectural projects and the best in furniture production to community-building initiatives and top graphic works.
As in previous years, our editors and correspondents have scoured the globe for those who are setting new benchmarks. There are 50 prizes, presented in no particular order, covering works from six continents and 31 countries.
Our hope is that this list doesn’t just recognise best practice and acknowledge those making our lives better and more beautiful – but that it serves as a resource too. Want to find out who to work with on your next residential project? Which design studio to commission for a packaging update? Or which chair would perfectly complement your dining-room table? Well, take a look below, then pick up a copy of Monocle’s May edition, which features full reports on each of the winners.
Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more fresh insights delivered to your door, subscribe to Monocle today so that you never miss an issue.
Winners / Graphic design
1. Best new branding
Cask by Shinanoya, Japan
Design studio Faa, comprising graphic designer Junichi Ishikawa and creative director-cum-photographer Satoshi Matsuo, is behind the branding, logo and typeface of Cask, a new bodega-style concept for grocery company Shinanoya. The resulting logo features a shape that references the ropes that encircle traditional Japanese barrels alongside a circle that evokes a cask or bowl. It’s a design that is both symbolic and direct.
2. Top game
Uno x Kartell, USA
3. Best exhibition
Mise en Page at Le Bon Marché, France
4. Best packaging solution
Acquabox by Monday, South Africa
5. Best type development
ADLaM alphabet, Guinea & USA
6. Best design imprint
Ediciones Puro, Chile
WINNERS / ARCHITECTURE
7. Best retrofit
Renata by Metro Arquitetos, Brazil
Restoring one of São Paulo’s most celebrated buildings, Edifício Renata Sampaio Ferreira, was no easy task. But Metro Arquitetos accomplished this with panache, designing a café, bar and brasserie in the former 1950s office block. Commercial spaces have also been transformed into residences; 93 new apartments have been furnished with a mix of modernist Brazilian furniture and Japanese minimalist pieces.
8. Top school design
International Community School, Iraq
9. Best community project
Mariam’s Library by Parallel Studio, Tanzania
10. Best new museum
Siyadi Pearl Museum, Bahrain
11. Best in brick
Dr Vishnuvardhan Memorial Complex, India
12. Best institutional renovation
US Embassy Campus by the Miller Hull Partnership, Guatemala
13. Best healthcare
Ersta Sjukhus by Tengbom, Sweden
14. Best adaptive-reuse project
Newlab by Civilian, USA
15. Best in transit
Zürich Hauptbahnhof by Aebi & Vincent Architekten, Switzerland
WINNERS / INTERIOR & LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
16. Best design bookshop
Hyper Hypo, Greece
In addition to stocking a unique mix of classic and contemporary theoretical texts and art publications, this Athens bookshop also hosts events that foster a sense of community. The crowds packed inside Hyper Hypo’s whimsical bright-white and cobalt-blue interior are a reminder of the power of a bookshop to bring people together.
17. Best café
Byasa Café by Studio Asa, Indonesia
18. Best shop fit-out
Bottega Veneta, Italy
19. Best in the kitchen
J*Gast, Germany
20. Best urban intervention
Golden Horn Sports Park, Turkey
21. Leading urban landscape
Marrinawi Cove, Australia
WINNERS / TRANSPORT & VEHICLE DESIGN
22. Best two-wheeler
Monopole No 1, Switzerland
Those seeking to enhance their commute should get in the saddle of a Monopole No 1. The e-cargo bike is designed in Switzerland and manufactured in France. On a full charge, it has an impressive range of 45km.
23. Best new car
Renault 5 EV, France
24. Best airline update
Air France A350, France
WINNERS / PEOPLE & COMMUNITY
25. Best in education
Krabbesholm Højskole, Denmark
Krabbesholm Højskole is a school for adults that offers courses in art, design, architecture, visual communication and more. Most of its 122 students are between the ages of 18 and 24, and classes explore the effect that design and craft can have on the world. It’s an approach that is helping Krabbesholm foster a new generation of socially conscious designers.
26. Best community initiative
Community Plant Library by One Bite Social, Hong Kong
27. Champion of craft
The Invisible Collection, France
28. Leading design gallery
Omet, Mexico
29. Top architect: Community
Tosin Oshinowo, Nigeria
30. Top architect: residential
Point Supreme, Greece
31. Top architect: retail and hospitality
Norm Architects at Audo, Denmark
32. Most creative workspace
ASL Studio, France
33. Designer of the year
Studiomake, Thailand
34. Best temporary installation
‘Of Palm’ Pavilion by Mula, UAE
WINNERS / MANUFACTURING & PRODUCTION
35. Leading furniture maker
Frederik Fialin, Germany
Looking to commission a piece of furniture? Consider working with Fialin, whose designs don’t easily fall into a category (he cites Carlo Scarpa, Maarten van Severen and Yrjö Kukkapuro as influences).
36. Best storage solution
Tylko, Poland
37. Workshop of choice
La Metropolitana, Mexico
38. Top material innovation
Bananatex, Philippines & Switzerland
39. Best manufacturing hub
Hall 4 at Mühle, Germany
40. Best new brand
Tamart, UK
WINNERS / PRODUCT & FURNITURE DESIGN
41. Best folding chair
Olaio ‘ik’, Portugal
Looking for an elegant folding chair? This easy-to-store perch by Portuguese design brand Olaio is available in light natural ash or dark freijó wood, with a cane-woven seat. Perfect for a quiet dinner party (or a raucous afterparty).
42. Best portable light
W241 Faro lamp by Wästberg, Sweden
43. Best office edition
Zuzulu System by Alki, France
44. Best floor lamp
G21 by Ligne Roset, France
45. Best lamp
Céramique by Flos, Italy
46. Best radio
TechniSat, Germany
47. Top dining chair
Villetta by De Padova, Italy
48. Best for the terrace
PK4 by Fritz Hansen, Denmark
49. Best student project
Fire extinguisher by Albin Jonsson, Sweden
50. Best for furry friends
Kanto, Finland
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