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    Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023

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    Continuing our 2023 review, we have selected 10 striking staircases published on Dezeen this year, from prefabricated plywood steps at a Cornish home to a colourful set for an opera in a Swiss theatre.

    Architects and designers have continued to find clever solutions to travelling on foot from one storey to another in 2023 by creating staircases that are both beautiful and functional.
    Ranging from the spectacular to the space-saving, here are Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2023:
    Photo by Purnesh Dev NikhanjRibbon House, India, by Studio Ardete
    An angular balustrade with tilting black rails twists around sweeping concrete steps to form the staircase at Ribbon House, a home in Punjab with an equally sculptural exterior.

    Architecture office Studio Ardete placed open living spaces next to the staircase on each floor to create lobby-like communal areas on the house’s different levels.
    Find out more about Ribbon House ›
    Photo by Lorenzo ZandriHouse by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture
    House by the Sea is the home of a surfer-and-artist couple in Newquay, Cornwall, that was designed to be “simple, robust and utilitarian”.
    For the interior, London studio Of Architecture inserted prefabricated plywood steps leading to a cosy mezzanine level tucked beneath the dwelling’s sloping roof.
    Find out more about House by the Sea ›
    Photo by Schnepp RenouHaus 1, Germany, by MVRDV and Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten
    A bright yellow, zigzagging staircase juts out from the facade of the Haus 1 building in Berlin, creating the appearance of a striking crane and providing a beacon for approaching visitors.
    Dutch studio MVRDV worked with local studio Hirschmüller Schindele Architekten to design Haus 1, which forms part of the city’s Atelier Gardens redevelopment.
    Find out more about Haus 1 ›
    Photo by Pezo von EllrichshausenLuna House, Chile, by Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen
    Brutalist-style spiral staircases connect the storeys of Luna House, an expansive geometric complex in Chile comprised of 12 individual buildings.
    Chilean studio Pezo von Ellrichshausen designed the stairs and the majority of the structure in reinforced concrete, which is highly textured thanks to imprints left behind by wooden formwork.
    Find out more about Luna House ›
    Photo by Paolo Abate.Rigoletto set design, Switzerland, by Pierre Yovanovitch
    French interior designer Pierre Yovanovitch embedded moving, curved walls within an undulating staircase that stretched the full width of the stage for a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Rigoletto at Theatre Basel.
    Bathed in coloured light, the flexible walls created a neutral set for the performers to balance the play’s complex plot, according to the designer.
    Find out more about this staircase ›
    Photo by James Leng (also top)Hairpin House, USA, by Studio J Jih and Figure
    This Boston house was renovated to revolve around a sculptural “hairpin” staircase informed by the twists and turns of mountain roads.
    Designed by American firms Studio J Jih and Figure, the white oak stairs were created to increase the home’s useable floor area by 20 per cent.
    Find out more about Hairpin House ›
    Photo by Alex Shoots BuildingsHouse in Pernek, Slovakia, by Ksa Studený
    This home in the village of Pernek, Slovakia, was designed in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, mirroring its longitudinal profile.
    Architecture studio Ksa Studený positioned a chunky white staircase over a slanted slab of concrete to divide the interior space.
    Find out more about this house ›
    Photo by Jim StephensonThe Arbor House, Scotland, by Brown & Brown
    A spiral staircase made from birch plywood winds into the dining area at The Arbor House by Brown & Brown, located in a conservation area in Aberdeen.
    The studio assembled the stairs over three weeks, with timber treads individually cut and hand-layered to form a smooth curve.
    Find out more about The Arbor House ›
    Photo by Gokul Rao KadamSNN Clermont residential tower, India, by FADD Studio
    Indian practice FADD Studio renovated two apartments within the SNN Clermont residential tower in Bangalore to create a fused multi-generational home.
    The studio took cues from the curves of caterpillars when creating a swooping staircase, which connects the two flats and features deep red marble risers.
    Find out more about these apartments ›
    Photo courtesy of The Conran ShopThe Conran Shop, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa 
    Japanese designer Keiji Ashizawa created interiors for The Conran Shop in Tokyo to reflect the inside of someone’s home.
    The store’s mezzanine floor is accessible by a minimalist geometric staircase featuring a handrail made from black paper cords.
    Find out more about The Conran Shop ›

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      Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado create “most extravagant and most traditional” hotel in Portugal

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      Fashion designer Christian Louboutin and architect Madalena Caiado’s 13-room boutique hotel in the village of Melides, south of Lisbon, celebrates craftsmanship and has been “designed at the scale of the hand”.

      Named after the French designer’s signature colour, Vermelho, which is Portuguese for red, is Louboutin’s first hospitality project.
      Each room is furnished from Louboutin’s collectionThe hotel features 13 rooms – all of them filled with the work of local craftsmen and a selection of materials and furniture from Louboutin’s personal collection.
      “This project has allowed me to empty my storage full of antiques and objects I have purchased over many years!” Louboutin told Dezeen.
      Floor tiles are in Louboutin’s signature shade of redAt one point in the development of the project it looked like it might not be approved to operate as a hotel and so Louboutin decided “if it’s not going to be a hotel, I’m going to do it as my house”. As a result, each of the hotel’s rooms have been individually designed and have their own identity.

      “If you build a house, you’re never going to design the same room,” the designer said. “I don’t know a house where you have the same room three times – it only exist in hotels.”
      “Houses have feelings – they have different rules to hotels,” he continued. “You can’t have your house looking like a hotel”.
      The hotel has been designed in the local architectural styleVermelho was designed to be “well-integrated into the village” and it was important to Louboutin “that it really respects the area and environment”.
      Working with Portuguese architect Caiado, the resulting hotel meets the street as a series of traditional buildings in the local architectural language: white render with blue plinth and window detailing, terracotta-tiled roofs and a scattering of chimneys punctuating the skyline.
      There was nothing on the site before work began”We have tried to imagine a building that could have existed in that place, and that was part of the landscape,” Caiado told Dezeen.
      “To achieve that, we made a project adapted to the topography, relating to the surrounding buildings, and re-discovering traditional construction systems and materials.”
      The hotel looks onto a private garden and poolThe site, which curves round a private garden and swimming pool that looks out to reed marshes, culminates in a tower, punctuated with playful window openings that hint at the internal character of the project.
      Discreet from the street, the interior design and garden-facing facade is full of detail, colour and craftmanship.
      The tower features unusual diamond punctuationThe hotel’s maximalist and eclectic style was intended as a reflection of Louboutin’s personal taste, while also celebrating Portuguese savoir-faire and the traditions of local craftspeople.
      Having already worked with Caiado on his Lisbon house, Louboutin’s brief for Vermelho was to show Caiado an Indian bracelet from his collection, which from the outside looks like a simple gold bangle, but on its inside face was engraved with busy animal designs and set with diamonds.
      The interiors are highly detailed”I said to Madalena, the hotel should be like the bangle; from the outside, you don’t see anything,” Louboutin explained. “It’s to be a very simple, well-designed building that doesn’t give away much information about the inside,”
      “But when you go inside, it should be this animal and diamond thing,” he continued.
      Bedrooms feature murals by Konstantin KakaniasTo achieve the highly decorative and detailed interior Louboutin collaborated with designer Carolina Irving, who acted as an advisor on textile creation and decoration, and ceramic tile designer and interiors consultant Patricia Medina.
      Hand-painted frescoes by Greek artist Konstantin Kakanias cover the walls, while bedrooms features wardrobes with Maison Gatti French latticework.
      Playful murals adorn walls throughout the hotelBespoke woodwork and carpentry was completed by Spanish master craftsmen company Los Tres Juanes. Throughout the project Louboutin used Alentjo tiles, as well as giving the Italian artist Giuseppe Ducrot a blank slate to design sculptural ceramic details for the facade.
      The hotel restaurant, called Xtian, features a Klove Studio mural chandelier and a bespoke bar covered in hammered silver leaf, which was made by Seville-based liturgical goldsmiths Orfebrería Villarreal.
      The bar is made from silver by Spanish goldsmithsSpeaking to Dezeen, Caiado described the project as “at the same time, the most extravagant and most traditional project I’ve ever done”.
      “The biggest challenge was balancing the different constellations of ideas for each space, so that it results in a harmonious way,” she explained.
      “Especially during construction, Christian was present and brought his own creative universe, but also a more tactile way of thinking and with an artistic component of searching for novelty, even when it came to traditional materials and techniques – almost as if the hotel was designed at the scale of the hand of those who built it.”
      Local Atlentjo tiles are used throughout the projectOther recent boutique hotels featured on Dezeen include Dorothée Meilichzon’s revamp of Cowley Manor Experimental and Beata Heuman’s interiors for Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris.
      Photography is by Ambroise Tézenas.

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      Ductus coats blocky apartment complex with red plaster in Switzerland

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      Architecture studio Ductus has designed an apartment complex coated with a monochrome red plaster facade into a sloping site in Schwarzenburg, Switzerland.

      Located on the outskirts of the village of Schwarzenburg in eastern Switzerland, the complex was designed by Ductus to have the appearance of a series of intersecting blocks of various heights that protrude and recede throughout the design.
      The red plaster-covered block was has a blocky appearanceAccommodating 16 apartments, the complex comprises two buildings sat perpendicular to one another that are connected by a shared garden.
      Balconies constructed from pressure-impregnated white fir and green columns contrast with the red plaster facade and overlook the garden and neighbouring buildings.
      Adjoining balconies are constructed from pressure-impregnated white fir, which contrast with the red facadeFlat roofs lined with untreated copper top the apartment complex, which distinguishing it from the surrounding more traditional pitched-roof buildings.

      On the exterior, untreated copper was also used for downpipes, while red-toned window frames and mechanical shutters match the plaster’s colour.

      PSLA Architekten tops urban townhouse with cascading roof terraces

      Within the apartments, textured white walls were set off by wooden flooring, while stylish bathrooms were characterised by red-toned fittings and decorative tiles to match the facade.
      Bright living spaces are lit by floor-to-ceiling doors that also provide access to the adjacent balconies.
      The complex contains 16 apartments split across two buildings”All 17 apartments were designed as condominiums,” Ductus partner Marcel Hauert told Dezeen.
      “The client’s desire was for all buyers to determine the interior finishes themselves. We provided a basic concept that could be adapted virtually without restrictions.”
      Red-toned fittings and tiles feature in the bathroomDuctus is an architecture studio operating between Sweden and Switzerland.
      Elsewhere in Switzerland, BE Architektur recently used intersecting sculptural blocks to form a barn-like house and Enrico Sassi has transformed a wood store into a micro home.
      The photography is by Rasmus Norlander.

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      La Balsanera house aims to revive “tradition of living on the river” in Ecuador

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      Architecture studio Natura Futura Arquitectura and architect Juan Carlos Bamba have created a floating house along the Babahoyo River in Ecuador.

      Situated within a centuries-old floating village at risk of disappearing, La Balsanera is designed as a model for the preservation and sustainable redevelopment of the river’s depleting community.
      La Balsanera is a floating house along the Babahoyo RiverFollowing the river’s current closure as a commercial fluvial route, the community saw the number of floating structures decrease from 200 to 25.
      La Balsanera is hoped to help revive “the tradition of living on the river”, according to Natura Futura Arquitectura and Bamba.
      It has a terrace with a colourful hammockBuilt for a family of three, whose livelihoods include selling food to the local community and repairing wooden boats, the 70-square-metre design highlights the river as a vital socio-economic resource.

      A two-metre-wide extension to an existing platform provides terraces for them to use as “productive environments”, such as a cafe seating area or anchor point for tourist boats.
      Slatted openings provide ventilation”La Balsanera explores possible floating solutions that recover local artisan techniques while promoting the active and productive participation of the occupants in vulnerable communities,” Bamba told Dezeen.
      The home is built from wooden porticos constructed every two metres to form a gabled truss structure. This is topped by a corrugated roof that shelters the outdoor terraces and a colourful hammock.

      Floating Bamboo House offers model for “stable and safe accommodation”

      A central space hosts a shared living room, dining area and kitchen along with two bedrooms, while two external strips at either end provide a toilet, shower, laundry space and boat workshop.
      Slatted openings, known locally as “chazas”, have been made from recycled wood and help naturally ventilate and cool the interior.
      A bridge made from bamboo and wood connect the home to the mainlandA bridge made from bamboo and planks of wood provides a walkway between the floating home and the mainland.
      Meanwhile, shutter doors used throughout the design link the living spaces to the surrounding terraces.
      A seating area is provided on the river-facing terraceNatura Futura Arquitectura and Bamba are based in Ecuador and Spain respectively.
      Other projects completed by Natura Futura Arquitectura include a fitness centre featuring giant shutters and a mirrored viewing platform in the Ecuadorean countryside.
      The photography is by Francesco Russo.

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      Dezeen Awards 2023 winners announced at ceremony in London

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      All 50 Dezeen Awards 2023 winners have been announced at this evening’s ceremony in central London.

      The winners were revealed at a party at Shoreditch Electric Light Station attended by shortlisted studios along with Dezeen Awards judges past and present including Nelly Ben Hayoun, Omar Gandhi, Patricia Urquiola, Sumayya Vally and LionHeart.
      All Dezeen Awards 2023 winners revealed
      The winning projects have been selected from more than 4,800 entries from 94 countries. The 39 project category winners were shortlisted for the architecture, interiors, design and sustainability project of the year awards. These projects went head to head to win the overall project of the year awards.
      The six Designers of the Year and the inaugural Bentley Lighthouse Award winner were also announced at the ceremony.

      View the winners on the Dezeen Awards website or read below:
      Simba Vision Montessori School in Tanzania was named architecture project of the year. Photo by Nadia ChristArchitecture
      Simba Vision Montessori School by Architectural Pioneering Consultants won the prestigious architecture project of the year award, sponsored by Material Bank. It was also named education project of the year.
      The judges said: “This exemplary building manages to do the most with the least. A truly sustainable project with a very limited budget, the building provides a much-needed educational space for the local community that is responsive to people, place and purpose.”
      The winning Montessori school with tactile qualities was up against projects that included a linear park with an elevated walkway in Mexico City, a copper-clad shelter constructed from bamboo in Bali and a timber-lined community centre made from salvaged local wood in east London.
      Read more about Simba Vision Montessori School and the architecture winners ›
      A restaurant in a former mechanic’s workshop in Guadalajara won interior project of the year. Photo by Gillian GarciaInteriors
      Restaurant Xokol in Guadalajara by studios Ruben Valdez Practice and ODAmx was named interior project of the year, sponsored by Moroso. It also won restaurant and bar interior of the year.
      “Xokol understands the place where it lives and the importance of designing in a specific way for a specific location,” commended the judges. “The result of this understanding is deep and poetic.”
      A palazzo with circular elements in Rome, a retail space defined by curved resin walls in the Art Gallery of New South Wales and an exhibition with shrink-wrapped blocks as scenography in Hanover were a few of the projects competing with the Mexican cross-cultural dining space.
      Read more about Xokol and the interiors winners ›
      Design project of the year was awarded to designer Yves Behar for his bionic leg wrapDesign
      The Cionic Neural Sleeve by Yves Behar’s Fuseproject and neuro tech startup Cionic was crowned design project of the year, sponsored by Solus Ceramics and Mirage Spa. It was also awarded product design (health and wellbeing) project of the year.
      “For the millions of people suffering from muscular degenerative diseases or injury, this product has the greatest potential to improve the user’s ability to walk and therefore their quality of life,” said the master jury.
      Projects vying with the winning bionic leg wrap included sunglasses that have adaptive focus lenses, a climate-change calculator that makes use of real-world data and a minimalist log-like perch designed for active waiting.
      Read more about Cionic Neural Sleeve and the design winners ›
      The latest phase of the redevelopment of Park Hill estate in Sheffield was crowned sustainable project of the yearSustainability
      London architecture studio Mikhail Riches won sustainable project of the year, sponsored by Brookfield Properties. Park Hill Phase 2 was also named sustainable renovation of the year.
      The judges said: “Mikhail Riches has taken the ruin of a concrete post-war mass housing project, which was an iconic building of its time, and shown how to care for its legacy while giving it dignity.”
      Other contenders for sustainability project of the year included an affordable housing block with pigmented precast concrete panels, a whiskey bar decked with oak from discarded distillery barrels and a chipless, paper-only version of a radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag.
      Read more about Park Hill Phase 2 and the sustainability winners ›
      Photo by Måns BergDesigners of the Year
      Scandinavian practice White Arkitekter took home the architect of the year award and Sumayya Vally of Counterspace Studio was named emerging architect of the year.
      Interior designer of the year was awarded to Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and emerging interior designer of the year was awarded to Paris-based studio Uchronia.
      London design duo Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd won designer of the year for their practice Pearson Lloyd and Parisian Audrey Large was named emerging designer of the year.
      These categories are sponsored by Bentley.
      Read more about the Designers of the Year winners ›

      Bentley Lighthouse Award
      Natural Material Studio founder Bonnie Hvillum has been named the first winner of the prestigious Bentley Lighthouse Award.
      The inaugural award recognises designers who are curious and courageous in their approach, and whose work has had a beneficial impact on social and environmental sustainability, inclusivity or community empowerment.
      “The whole oeuvre is impressive and beautiful and demonstrates the path that our industry needs to take towards bio-based research, creating greater material diversity whether by repurposing waste or growing new materials,” lauded the master jury.
      This category is sponsored by Bentley.
      Read more about the Bentley Lighthouse Award winner Bonnie Hvillum ›
      Dezeen Awards 2023
      Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent. More

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      Video reveals Austin guesthouse perched above existing family bungalow

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      This exclusive video produced by Dezeen features The Perch, architect Nicole Blair’s elevated house extension in Austin, which was designed to maximise living space.

      As its name suggests, the structure is perched just two feet above the roof of the existing home to minimise disturbance to the residence below.
      Blair clad the guesthouse in weathering-steel panels and added wood-framed windows provided by Windsor Windows & Doors. The Burnt Pumpkin colour of the windows was selected to complement the Corten-steel exterior.

      The structure spans 660 square feet and consists of an irregularly shaped steel volume supported by four columns.
      The assembly of the steel structure took place offsite, in order to minimise disruption to the mature vegetation on the premises and reduce on-site material storage.
      The wood-clad windows were provided by Windsor Windows & DoorsThe architect designed the interior of the guesthouse to have a bright, airy atmosphere and adorned it with colourful accents.
      It features wood flooring supplied and installed by local company Artisan Hardwood Floors, which was complemented with pink cabinetry and exposed plumbing fittings throughout the home.
      The materials used for the wood flooring were a mix of pre-finished plain and rift-sawn white oak, along with excess wood recycled from a larger project by the company.
      The wood flooring was supplied and installed by Artisan Hardwood FloorsThe first floor of the guesthouse encompasses an open-concept kitchen, living room and dining area with compact footprints and vaulted ceilings for an increased sense of space.
      The upper level includes a room facing the street and another overlooking the backyard, designated for use as a guest bedroom and a hair salon for one of the hairstylist owners.
      The photography is by Casey Dunn.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen for Windsor Windows & Doors and Artisan Hardwood Floors as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos convert historic Detroit building into colourful school

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      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos have transformed a building at a former Catholic college into the School at Marygrove Elementary, filling it with colours and shapes that help spark “experimentation and exploration” among children.

      Located in northwest Detroit, the building is part of the School at Marygrove, a new educational institution that will eventually serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12). The curriculum has a special focus on engineering and social justice.
      PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos converted a Catholic college in Detroit into an elementary schoolThe school occupies the site of a former religious college, Marygrove College, that closed in 2019. The campus – which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places – is now owned and managed by a nonprofit organization, the Marygrove Conservancy.
      Several buildings on the 53-acre (21-hectare) campus are being converted into facilities for the School at Marygrove.
      The school is on a historic campusThis project involved transforming a brick-faced, concrete building that first opened in 1941 into a public elementary school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

      The design was led by PLY+, a studio based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and MPR Arquitectos, which is based in Ann Arbor and Murcia, Spain.
      It was led by firms run by Michigan architecture professorsBoth firms are led by professors at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.
      The architects aimed to preserve original features in the 65,000-square-foot (6,039-square-metre) building while integrating a host of new elements.
      Features of the original architecture were maintainedThe goal was to “establish a foundational, collaborative educational environment” while preserving the historic components.
      The building’s exterior was kept intact, the only change being the addition of an accessible entrance.
      Plywood millwork was addedWithin the building, the team modified rooms and added new finishes and plywood millwork. The decor was carefully selected, and special details – such as visually dynamic ceiling baffles – were incorporated.
      The building’s original layout was mostly retained, as the double-loaded corridor layout was deemed historically significant and kept in place.
      The brick of the original building was kept exposed for some of the interiorsThe corridor received new storage nooks with spots for bags, coats and shoes. In the classrooms, the team inserted counters, sinks, benches, chalkboards and storage space.
      “Custom millwork elements provide design flexibility without impinging on historic elements,” the team said.
      Colourful patterns adorn the walls and floorsThe project also called for the creation of maker spaces, reading rooms, a media centre and a restorative justice centre. An existing gymnasium was renovated.
      Throughout the facility, the team used a mix of soft and bold colours, ranging from bright peach to pale yellow-green.

      KOKO Architecture + Design creates interactive children’s space for the Met

      The palette was informed by historic hues and the desire to introduce colours that signal “the new use of the building and the new model of pedagogy being fostered”, the team said.
      “Colour and form play an important role in establishing unique identities for individual classrooms and signal the vibrancy and joy of collaborative learning,” the team added.
      The design is meant to encourage exploration for the childrenOverall, the design is meant to speak to its young users.
      “The design engages children’s sense of curiosity and encourages experimentation and exploration,” the team said.
      The project was a collaboration between Detroit Public Schools Community District, which operates the school, and the University of Michigan’s School of Education.
      Other school projects include an athletic centre at an Oregon school that features trellises laced with climbing vines and a boarding school in southern California that has buildings with jagged rooflines.
      The photography is by Jason Keen.
      Project credits:
      Architect: PLY+ and MPR ArquitectosPly+ team: Craig Borum, Jen Maigret, Andrew Wolking, Yusi Zha, Olaia Chivite Amigo, Yibo Jiao, Masataka YoshikawaMPR Arquitectos team: Ana Morcillo-Pallares, Jon RuleArchitect of record: Integrated Design SolutionsClient: Marygrove ConservancyCollaborators: Detroit Public Schools, University of Michigan School of Education

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      Dezeen Awards China 2023 Designers of the Year shortlist revealed

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      Dezeen has announced the Designers of the Year shortlist for the inaugural Dezeen Awards China, which includes Mario Tsai, OPEN Architecture and Ziin Life.

      The Designers of the Year award rewards the best emerging and established talent or studio across architecture, interiors and design, and recognises those whose innovative work has made a notable impact on the design, interiors and architecture industry in China.
      18 studios shortlisted across six categories
      The 18 shortlisted names, which are in the running for awards in six different Designers of the Year categories, include Beijing-based Vector Architects, shortlisted for architect of the year, Chengdu-based MUDA Architects, shortlisted for emerging interior designer of the year and Shanghai-based Studio Kae shortlisted for emerging designer of the year.
      Other shortlisted studios have designed projects such as a cultural centre with sweeping white-concrete geometries, a modular lighting system informed by scaffolding and a playful fashion boutique which references tailoring motifs.

      All Dezeen Awards China 2023 shortlisted projects revealed
      The Designers of the Year were nominated and shortlisted by Dezeen Awards China judges and Dezeen’s editorial team.
      This is the first edition of Dezeen Awards China, which is in partnership with Bentley Motors. This is the final shortlist revealed this week. The architecture, interiors and design shortlists were unveiled earlier this week.
      Above: Vector Architects Studio by Vector Architects. Photo by Vector Architects. Top: Shenzhen Fuqiang Elementary School by People’s Architecture Office. Photo by People’s Architecture OfficeAll shortlisted Designers of the Year are listed below, each with a link to a dedicated page on the Dezeen Awards China website where you can find an image and more information about the designer.
      The winner of each category will be announced at a party in Shanghai in December.
      Read on for the full Designers of the Year shortlist:
      Shanfeng Academy by OPEN Architecture. Photo by Jonathan LeijonhufvudArchitect of the year
      › OPEN Architecture› People’s Architecture Office› Vector Architects
      Haikou Xixiu Park Visitor Center by MUDA Architects. Photo by Arch-Exist and Archi-translatorEmerging architect of the year
      › HCCH Studio› MUDA Architects› Roarc Renew Architects
      Ravine by A Work of Substance. Photo by A Work of SubstanceInterior designer of the year
      › AIM Architecture› A Work of Substance› Vermilion Zhou Design Group
      Som Land Hostel by RooMoo Design Studio. Photo by RooMoo Design StudioEmerging interior designer of the year
      › FOG Architecture› Office AIO› Roomoo Design Studio
      Building within building series by Ziin Life. Photo by Ziin LifeDesigner of the year
      › Mario Tsai› U+› Ziin Life
      DONG Series by Restudio. Photo by RestudioEmerging designer of the year
      › MMR Studio› Restudio› Studio KAE
      Dezeen Awards China 2023
      Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent in China.

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      Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group create “floating” classrooms for Johns Hopkins University

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      New York-based studios Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group have completed the renovation of an academic building for Johns Hopkins University in Washington, DC with “floating” classrooms at its core.

      Called the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center, the 435,000-square-foot (40,400 square metre) building will serve as an interdisciplinary educational and event centre for the university and the public.
      Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group have renovated an academic building for Johns Hopkins University. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.Located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, the 10-story building was designed to evoke a “democratic society”, with a large central atrium that contains conference and classrooms seemingly suspended in its core.
      A central staircase doubles as seating and sits at the base, while multiple floors span upwards and contain a number of classrooms and event spaces.
      It will serve as both an education and event centre for the university and the public. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.”The design is focused on multiple gathering spaces that can shrink and grow to accommodate every type of convening, from an intimate policymaker breakfast to a teeming global conference,” said interior architect Rockwell Group.

      “A large floating transparent classroom and treehouse-like, stacked assemblage of glass classrooms and open lounges hang, suspended on either side of the atrium, providing vistas of the Hopkins community at work and evoking the openness of academic inquiry in a democratic society.”
      The team updated both the interior and exterior of the building. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.Rockwell Group worked with exterior architect Ennead Architects and architect of record SmithGroup to renovate the interior into a “vertical quad”, distributing 38 classrooms, a library, a multimedia studio, 26 study rooms, three floors of conference centre space, workspaces, a banquet hall, a fitness centre and a 375-seat theatre around the building’s central atrium.
      Ennead Architects, then Polshek Partnership, previously built the building in 2008 for the Newseum before undertaking its current transformation for Johns Hopkins University.
      The team opened up the interior to create a “vertical quad”. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.16,888 square feet (1,586 square metres) of outdoor terraces were also added to the exterior.
      “As architects, it is a rare opportunity to revisit an earlier design and reimagine it for an entirely new purpose,” said Ennead Architects design partner Richard Olcott.
      Suspended classrooms hang in the interior of a central atrium. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.”Major interventions include the complete reworking of the vertical circulation to suit the needs of the complex academic program, numerous realigned floors, and structural transfers to accommodate classrooms and a completely reconfigured auditorium.”
      “The new central spaces will create a nexus of activity throughout the day and evening, offering meeting, classroom, lounge and gathering spaces of varying types and scales, and blurring the traditional boundaries between them.”
      A floating unit at the centre of the atrium contains classrooms and workspaces. The photo is by Jennifer Hughes.The exterior was also refinished to reflect the architectural language of the surrounding buildings such as John Russell Pope’s National Gallery of Art and IM Pei’s National Gallery East Building.
      Pink Tennesse marble wraps around a newly installed, central glass curtain wall with horizontal sunscreens trimmed in bronze and copper.

      Triangular glass panels wrap Knight Center at the University of Oregon

      The sunscreens provide protection from heat gain, while Ennead Architects shifted facade elements to bring more daylight to the space.
      Rockwell Group outfitted the interior palette to include a warm mixture of wood walls and panels, terrazzo tile floors, brick and wood floor tiles and accents of an earthy red, blue and grey.
      Warm wood panelling, terrazzo floors, and accents of an earthy red complete the interior. The photo is by Alan Karchmer.”The Hopkins Bloomberg Center is a holistic example of everything our studio is interested in – creating an urban environment within the larger structure, gathering spaces within larger spaces, and a sense of place that is defined in part, by adaptability and use,” said Rockwell Group founder David Rockwell.
      “How people move, interact, and meet is at the core of every inch of the building.”
      Elsewhere, Ennead Architects recently completed a research facility at the University of Oregon, while together, Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group recently created a food distribution centre in Brooklyn.
      The photography is by Jennifer Hughes and Alan Karchmer. 
      Architect: Ennead ArchitectsInterior architect: Rockwell GroupArchitect of record: SmithGroup

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