The DFA Awards showcase and honour the best in design all across Asia, as well as work inspired by the region’s culture and aesthetic. We reveal some of the 2019 grand award winners of DFA Design for Asia Awards and their inspirational works.
Asian design
The Hong Kong Design Centre rewards exciting designs in Asia and those inspired by the region
The prestigious DFA Awards don’t just celebrate design in Asia, they also look to recognise the best work by designers that incorporate elements of Asian aesthetics and culture.
The DFA Awards 2019 were organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre, and the judging panel – compromising of industry leaders and experts – recognised 211 design projects for their design excellence under the DFA Design for Asia Awards, along with 16 winners of the DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards.
The story of the DFA Design for Asia Awards
The awards received a record 1,100 entries in 2019, showing how significant they’ve become. Professor Eric Yim, Chairman of the Hong Kong Design Centre, says that, “Design can improve quality of life, promote social innovation and preserve cultural heritage. The DFA Awards programme is one of the most prestigious and important awards in the design industry.”
The awards aim to shine a light on how good design can enhance life and so entrants were judged on four main criteria: overall excellence, impact on Asia, use of technology and general societal and commercial success.
The crème de la crème
While there are 211 design projects receiving awards, there are a handful of Grand Awards recognising outstanding excellence. The Grand Award winners span a variety of uses and applications.
In China, Shulin Architectural Design’s work on the Mountain House in Mist project received particular acclaim, incorporating classic features in an ancient part of Zhejiang Province. By contrast, Raffles City Hangzhou, also in China, is a thoroughly modern project by UNStudio that builds sustainability into an urban hub.
The awards delve deep into all aspects of design, exemplified by the Grand Award for Technology given to Konica Minolta, Inc. for their Cosmo Leap Sigma planetarium projector, bringing fresh insight to our understanding of the mysteries of the stars.
Other Grand Awards include winners in Hong Kong for sustainability and one for culture in mainland China, displaying the breadth of the DFA Awards and the work they shine light on. You can find out more about the winners and their projects at the official site.
