Dezeen, the popular architecture & design magazine, recently announced its annual Dezeen Awards winners in the Sustainability category.
Three projects received honors as Sustainable Building, Design, and Interior of the Year. They were judged along three criteria – they had to be beautiful, innovative, and beneficial in some way to both people and the planet. Read about the winners below!
sustainable building of the year: mustardseed junior school
The Sustainable Building of the Year is Mustardseed Junior School, a kindergarten and primary school in Sentema, Uganda, designed by Localworks. Almost all of the building was constructed with natural materials sourced from within 2km, keeping its carbon footprint extremely low.
The walls of the school are built with earthbag technology, which uses bags filled with tamped-down soil or earthen materials. The roof’s structure is made from eucalyptus trees. No classroom is the same, and all are organically shaped – in fact, none are in the shape of a rectangle. Plus, each room has a dedicated area for outdoor learning under the shade of trees, which sounds just wonderful!
sustainable design of the year: k-briq
Sustainable Design of the Year is the K‑BRIQ®, the most sustainable brick in the world. Created by Kenoteq, it’s made from 90% recycled construction waste. Its carbon footprint is less than 5% of a traditional clay brick.
The construction and design sector is responsible for a large share of global carbon emissions, and it’s estimated that this new innovation could allow it to reduce its emissions by 90%.
sustainable interior of the year: circus canteen
Sustainable Interior of the Year is the Circus Canteen in Bengaluru, India, designed by Multitude of Sins. It’s a whimsical farm-to-table eatery and the ultimate example of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Most of the interior elements like the lighting, flooring, furniture, and art came from a city-wide waste donation drive. Less than 10% of all materials were newly sourced.
There are dining tables decorated with old CDs, chandeliers made from bicycle chains and refurbished vehicle headlights, and colorful coffee tables created from old oil barrels topped with glass. They call it a “collage of unwanted items with a curatorial spirit”!
Congratulations to Dezeen’s 2022 Sustainable Design award winners!
Sources: Dezeen Sustainability Award Winners; Mustardseed; K-BRIQ; Circus Canteen. Image from Kenoteq.
