An office in London, a cancer care centre in Southampton and a workplace in Gujarat, India are among the 48 finalists announced for the 2022 Surface Design Awards.
An integral part of the Surface Design Show held every year, Surface Design Awards received a record number of entries this year, with nearly 200 submissions from 24 different countries around the world including China, France and the USA.
Demonstrating a wealth of talent and material innovation, projects shortlisted include 22 Handyside, an office in London by Coffey Architects; Maggie’s Centre for Cancer Care in Southampton by AL_A; and Sangini House, a workplace in Gujarat, India by Urbanscape Architects. This year’s awards program has drawn entries from familiar practices as well as new designers from across the globe.
The Surface Design Awards are given in 12 categories across interior and exterior spaces, and include commercial building, housing, light + surface, landscape + public realm, public building and temporary structure, with each project judged on a variety of criteria including materials used, type of surface, sustainability, and aesthetic design. A new category, Architectural Photography will be introduced at the 2022 Awards to recognise the most outstanding photography achievements by both amateurs and professionals, capturing the best in architecture and interior design.
The jury, co-chaired by Nicola Osborn, creative director, Basha-Franklin and Joseph Henry, principal project officer with the Greater London Authority (GLA) expressed their delight at the quality and variety of the entries, with social values and a duty of care as well as sustainability and surface creativity scoring high during discussions.
In the housing exterior category, the Freeholders project in Wells-Next-The-Sea by Mole Architects was highlighted for its “narrative of the pickled steel, how it responds to its coastal complex, difficult environmental considerations”, while in the Landscape + Public Realm shortlist, there was praise for the Valley Gardens scheme in Brighton by Untitled Practice as a “romantic gesture, uniting strategic ambition and managing to deliver it”.
Among the international entries, the Peacock Cellar in Shanghai by August Green, which made the Light + Surface shortlist, drew this comment from the judges: “A beautiful use of local craftsmanship and cultural sustainability, reviving ancient skills to achieve the unique colour for each ceramic form, the overall effect is stunning.”
The Adharshila School Extension by Forum Architecture is a finalist in the Public Building interior category. Located in Madhya Pradesh in central India, the school was described as “a great educational space for the whole community using traditional techniques that have been tweaked to make a functional and attractive building”.
The winners of the 2022 Surface Design Awards will be announced on Thursday 10 February in a breakfast ceremony during the Surface Design Show (8-10 February 2022) at London’s Business Design Centre.
Surface Design Show is the UK’s leading event for architects and designers to explore the best in surface material innovation.
