A cemetery in Sweden . A floating school in Nigeria . A cast - Fe window dressing in the UK . The wildly divergent inclination of nominees for the Design Museum ’s annual award make you wonder : How the hell do you pick a single building to interpret such a broad profession ?
A little background : Every year , theDesign Museumpicks a group of nominees for its Best Design of the Year awarding — they come from literary genre like product invention and UX design , as well as architecture . In April , they ’ll herald a unmarried success — last class , it was a government web site — but it ’d be nice to see a building win this year .
Why This Simple Government Website Was discover the Best Design of the class
You could be misanthropic about why so many awards exist — after all , this is mainly a direction to bone up up publicity for the museum . But on the other hand , it also give us a probability to ogle a bunch of really interesting pieces of purpose that might not ordinarily follow across the radar . contain out the shortlist below .
Paul Smith Store Facade designed by 6a Architects
Cast iron ornament is n’t something you often see on buildings from this C — but this amazing ornamental facade revives a confounded graphics , make “ a sharp contrast to the adjacent Georgian townhouses , ” report the panel . “ A wiggly pattern of interlock band puts an nonobjective spin on a Greco-Roman Regency shape , while slew windows nod to the glass in nearby arcades . ”
Makoko Floating School, Nigeria by NLÉ and the Makoko Community Building Team
Floating social organization have been built in prototype form all over the world , as flood levels rise in low - lie countries . In Makoko , a water supply community of interests in Nigeria , inexpensive material and local know - how make this simulation for a building that , in theory , could be repeated in coastal region across the globe .
The New Crematorium at the Woodland Cemetery in Stockholm by Johan Celsing
“ construct on an undulating terrain in a wild wood section of the Woodland Cemetery , the New Crematorium feature exposed whitened concrete and white glazed bricks in a building which is at once racy and sensible , ” say the jury of this understated , dignified crematorium outside of Stockholm .
Wa Shan Guesthouse in Hangzhou, China by Wang Shu
Wang Shu , the winner of last year ’s Pritzker Prize , build this guesthouse at the China Academy of Art . Amazing play on corporality and craftiness — check out the carpentry under the eve — make it a fascinating but unpretentious construction .
St. Moritz Church in Augsburg, Germany, by John Pawson
An old Baroque church in Augsburg might seem like an unlikely add-on to the shortlist — but architect John Pawson ’s overhaul of its interior is beautiful and thin , “ quarter the optic to the apse ‘ the doorstep to transcendence ’ which is design as a elbow room of light . ”
Mont de Marsan Mediatheque designed by archi5
“ Standing in an austere military quadrilateral drill yard , the Media Library is an uplifting ethnic symbolization , ” say the curators of Arch5 ’s contribution to the list . “ Designed as a cover ethnic square , its transparent planes munificently open to the view of the public . ”
Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan designed by Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher
Zaha Hadid ’s elaborate Heydar Aliyev Center — a controversial building in a Baku , a city with its fair part of white elephant architecture — made the list nonetheless . “ Elaborate wave , bifurcations , folds and inflections modify this plaza surface into an architectural landscape that performs a multitude of functions , ” say jury members .
Frac Nord-Pas De Calais in Dunkerque, designed by Anne Lacaton & Jean Philippe Vassal
An old ironical dock was the site of this amazing gut restoration : Lacaton & Vassal turn the aging warehouses into a modern-day artistic creation center filled with gallery and event space . The guileless roofline — which hosts one such space — look incredible :
Frac Centre in Orleans, France, designed by Jakob + MacFarlane
Somehow , another Frac locus also clinch a nomination — this one in Orleans . Its faceted facade looks like it was extract direct out of Maya ( which some will see as a negative ) , and each panel is embedded with tiny LEDs that shift to broadcast data :
Museo Jumex in Mexico City by David Chipperfield
Sited like a shot contiguous to one of the most florid building in recent memory board — Fernando Romero ’s Museo Soumaya , built for Carlos Slim — David Chipperfield ’s Museo Jumex is an austere counterpoint . The industrial sawtooth roofline is a overnice touch sensation , too .
Newhall Be in Harlow, Essex by Alison Brooks Architects
One of the only housing complexes on the list , an 84 - whole prefab complex by Alison Brooks was nominated for its “ highly efficient masterplan to maximize animation infinite and tractableness for individual homes , ” excuse the panel . “ The scheme challenges the presupposition by housebuilders that we need very traditional looking houses . ”
Praca das Artes Performing Arts Centre by Brasil Arquitetura
Weaving through a complex space in a lead - down expanse of São Paulo , this complex connects older performance buildings to a brand - newfangled structure — a marvelous edict , give the historical significance of the continue buildings .
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