At some point, you might have found yourself pondering, "Who is the world's leading architect?" It's a difficult question, but fortunately, there isn't just one definitive answer. If you're curious about the global state of the art, architecture, and design industries, the World Design Rankings (WDR) offer an interesting glimpse into the creative pulse of nations. These rankings don't just name names; they paint a broad picture of each country's strengths, weaknesses, and untapped potential in the world of design.
For 2023-2024, WDR has unveiled its latest rankings, providing a wealth of insights for journalists, economists, and policymakers alike. At the top of the table is China with a number one spot out of 114 countries and regions, boasting an impressive haul of 130 Platinum A' Design Awards. Hot on its heels are the United States, Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Taiwan, Turkey, Germany, and Portugal.
The rankings go beyond a mere leaderboard. WDR's Design Business Insights feature digs deeper, breaking down performance across categories such as industrial design, interior design, fashion design, and more. For each country, three additional tables reveal strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, offering a detailed roadmap for understanding and improving design potential. These insights can guide policymakers in identifying industries ripe for growth or in need of strategic investment and subsidies.
While the A' Design Award rankings themselves make for compelling reading, the true magic lies in the works that earned these accolades. After all, what's a design ranking without the designs themselves?
So, if you're looking to get inspired—or simply want to see what's shaping the global design landscape—delve into the works behind the past winners of the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category.
A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award 2023 - 2024 Period Winners
Artsy D9 Office by IMPLMNT Architects
The project operates as a multi-functional space, seamlessly transitioning between an office and contemporary art gallery. Throughout the day, it transforms based on use - from bustling work environment to vibrant art exhibit. Interaction is key; it's an inviting space, encouraging dialogue between visitors and creators. Key frames include flexible furniture, movable walls, which optimize the space.
Looping Flower Ikebana Cultural Space by Ni Jie Guo
In designing the entire space, Ni Jie Guo dismantled the design based on the spirit of the flow of grass and moon: extracting elements from traditional Japanese architecture and transforming them into the modern architectural language, and exploring the relationship between structure and contemporary aesthetics with abstract Japanese features. So that it is not necessarily a traditional depiction but has a Japanese temper.
Sunshine Rhythm Shared Space by Chiun Ju Interior Design
The project is a shared space. The project strikes a balance between breakthrough and innovation. By reducing the amount of intricate carvings and embellishments, kept the aesthetics symmetrical to make the 4.2-meter-high space more grand. Gold panels and metal lines frame each area to create a depth of field. The copper metal lines are applied to the ceiling and flooring to achieve symmetry between the top and bottom.
Chuan San Hao Train Hotpot by Yiming Zhu
The iconic green-skinned train, a symbol of China's railway passenger transport for 50 years, holds a nostalgic place in the memories of two generations. Concealed within the mixed-oil wood veneer are insulation materials and dual exhaust systems. The original train exterior is polished and repainted, preserving the authentic green-skinned train structure. Interior adjustments accommodate base settlement, and concealed ventilation ensures comfort. The carriage is enhanced with an intermediate space for connectivity, integrating air conditioning, kitchen, and exhaust systems seamlessly.
Abu Dhabi Oasis Cafe by Bofa Design
The site is a 50-year-old apartment located on the edge of an alleyway. The name of the project, 'Abu Dhabi Oasis Impression', comes from its distinctive West Asian style. The warmth of the interior is conveyed by the brand's signature color, dark orange, which links to the desert impression and is balanced by stylish stainless steel. The project is centered on the collision and cooperation between the old and the new. The bright and eye-catching colors bring vitality to the old apartment, while rustic textures with subtle layers add to the visual appeal.
Sushi Koji Restaurant by Ryuji Kojo and Toshihiro Obata
The sushi restaurant was designed using natural materials. There is only an 8-seat counter where guests can enjoy the sushi while watching the chef's work. The scrap ginkgo wood used for the countertop was utilized for the sushi board and cutting board. Chairs designed with the grain of the wood in mind, walls covered with original Washi, and signboards made of maple plates dyed by iron mordant not only reduce the waste of resources, but also create a healing effect with the use of solid wood.
Metro Salon by Kun-Sen Chang
The project is named 'Silky Glow' because of the uniform lighting warm color accents, and the round and curved imagery in the space. The designer adopted a 'minimalist
Re Sauna by Masahiro Yoshida
Japanese word "shinkan" means "deep stillness" and it expresses a way of falling into a complete silence. Therefore, Masahiro Yoshida focused their design on the sound and created a sauna space where one can relax in a tranquil environment. To achieve this, partition walls were extended to the attic and uneven finish materials were used. They also used lighting that corresponded in direction, intensity, and color.
Dawn Home Residential House by Wei Ju Teng
This is an old house built in 1975, originally used as a dormitory for government employees, with local characteristics. By improving the spatial environment, using intelligent home system, and introducing the concept of "therapy and life at the same time" into the interior space, the design makes the old house suitable for "young Parkinson's disease" patients, and combines "tea mat aesthetics" to revitalize the old house to create new life, providing a five-sensory experience for the occupants and visitors.
Lakeside Mansion Sales Office by Hangzhou Heyi Space Design Co., Ltd
Located in Linping, Hangzhou, this sales center, with understated luxury as the design direction, carefully selects traditional cultural elements with local characteristics, including rain, architecture, landscape, etc., and makes some innovation, to create an artistic space catering to modern aesthetic tastes. It integrates modern metal technology with natural elements, leading to an atmosphere that is both luxurious and elegant.
Himalaya Designer Office Workplace by Roy Hu
The design of the office area attempts to deliver the flow in a modern space with diverse materials in a vague atmosphere, meanwhile strengthening the connections in the space in texture contrasts and collisions. Dark tone pervades the space, complemented by unique textures and lighting reminiscent of commercial spaces. This design rebels against the traditional conception of an office that features brightness in broad daylight and simple interiors.
Andaman Resort by Kyan Foo
The design is inspired by the surrounding environment, which refers to the Nineteen Peaks Scenic Area in Xinchang and the self-built houses with a rural style. The resort integrates with the Jiangnan style and the surrounding environment to become a part of the local context. The interior design is inspired by the natural mountains, water and stones of the Nineteen Peaks Scenic Area, the natural environment of the scenic area is brought into the space through the application of materials and abstract techniques, and then the overall space texture is enhanced by the embellishment of artworks.
Yueji Diffuse Space Meditation Room by Haibo Liu
The designer chose the most primitive materials, using visual and tactile senses to feel the beauty of nature, providing an immersive experience and arousing people's emotions. The essence of Yueji Diffuse Space is to design a tranquil and pure, but exceedingly warm and real space. Its purpose is to provide a space for people to relax their spirits, including spiritual rehab, tea ceremony and yoga. Customer wants this space to be a more inclusive one, rather than confined to a certain type.
Wagamachi Sauna and Bar by Shunsuke Ohe
The facility has a public sauna, a private sauna and a bar. The entire space has a feel reminiscent of a high-end hotel, but with a futuristic, edgy and impactful finish. The overall atmosphere is dark and gives the sensation of being transported to an extraordinary world of another dimension. The public and private zones are extraordinary spaces where visitors can immerse themselves in their own world, whether it is to relieve daily fatigue, to refresh their mood or for pleasure.
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