Winners of the DFA Designer for Asia Awards 2019

In 2019, the Hong Kong Design Centre organised their annual Design for Asia Awards. The awards recognised a total of 211 award recipients last year, which included – 9 Grand Awards, 1 Grand Award for Culture, 1 Grand Award for Technology, 1 Grand Award for Sustainability, 7 Grand Award with Special Mention, 15 Gold Awards, 29 Silver Awards, 63 Bronze Awards, and 85 Merit Awards

The DFA Awards acknowledges the importance of designers, it celebrates design leadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impact in Asia, as well as recognising the rising force of emerging designers in Hong Kong since 2005. The awards covers 4 major design disciplines in 26 categories.

Extending a  hearty congratulations to all the recipients of  the DFA Design for Asia Awards 2019! 

Here’s a special review on DFA 2019’s Grand Award winners:

Grand Awards

JAHADAM Project / South Korea
Seoul Metropolitan Government, THE allium
South Kor

Turning one of the oldest overpass structure into a public art structure, the Jahadam Project has turned this three-way pedestrians overpass in Shinyoung-Dong, Seoul, Korea into a new cultural space – making it truly iconic. 

Mountain House in Mist / Mainland China
Shulin Architectural Design
Mainland China

The book house located in the ancient mountain forest in Wuyi County, Jinhua, Zhejiang Province aimed to create a serene and peaceful community space for those living in the village –  a place for people to find peace, and also a place for children and the elderly to enjoy freely.

Raffles City Hangzhou / Mainland China
UNStudio
Hong Kong

This sustainable urban hub is mixed with rich 24/7 functions, set atop a podium and plaza and an underground connection to the metro. Achieving a LEED Gold sustainability certificate, Raffles City Hangzhou is the first retail mall in China  to use natural ventilation on a large scale.

Rhys
Rhys Company Limited
Hong Kong

Rhys is an adaptive clothing brand in Hong Kong that was created for the elderly and people with special needs. To improve the experience and ensure the comfort of their users, light fabric and waterproof interlining are used in their designs. Besides that, the brand creates job opportunities for the grassroots by employing their local ladies to join their training programmes.

Tsingpu Retreats / Mainland China
Beijing Tsingpu Retreat and Culture Co.Ltd
Mainland China

An innovative retreat located in the Yangzhou City, was created with the concept of “back to the original” – blending innovation and traditions within their design. Tsingpu thrives to be China’s leading provider of humanistic vacation lifestyle. 

Tunnel of Light / Japan
MAD Architects
Mainland China

A restoration of the historic Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel, the ‘Tunnel of Light’ in Echigo-Tsumari Triennale cuts through distinctive rock formations, offering panoramic views over one of Japan’s three great ravines.

Xiqu Centre / Hong Kong
Revery Architecture and Ronald Lu & Partners
Hong Kong

Located in the new West Kowloon Cultural District (WLCD) in Hong Kong, the XIqu Centre is the first performing arts venue in the area. A blend of East meets West, the centre embraces both Chinese cultural heritage and the ever evolving contemporary technology.

Grand Awards & Grand Award for Culture

The Power of Action
Zhejiang Made In Natural Culture Creative Co., Ltd.
Mainland China

To preserve China’s traditional culture, this documentary takes its viewers on a journey of traditional culture in China’s rural hinterlands – focused on finding China’s folkways, local customs, and artistic practices, bringing awareness to the rich culture the country has to offer.

Grand Award & Grand Award for Sustainability

The Mills / Hong Kong
Nan Fung Design
Hong Kong

A 3-in-1 complex that consist of a business incubator, experiential retail and a non-profit art and cultural centre – The Mills is a landmark revitalisation project that aims to celebrate and preserve Hong Kong’s industrial legacy. 

Grand Award for Technology

Cosmo Leap Sigma
KONICA MINOLTA, INC.
Japan

The smallest system in its class with multiple projectors integrated in it, the Cosmo Leap Sigma is an exceptionally compact optical planetarium projectors for medium-sized planetarium domes. The first in the world to succeed, Knica Minolta was able to in build 80 projections into the Cosmo Leap Sigma.

Once again, CONGRATULATIONS to all the award recipients for DFA Designer For Asia Awards 2019. For more information, visit DFA Awards.