The German Design Council (Rat für Formgebung) recently announced the winners of the ICONIC AWARDS 2026. The award is understood as an international platform for innovations in the fields of architecture, interior design and product development. A total of around 800 submissions were received from over 45 countries, underscoring the global relevance of these awards. Of these projects, 45 received the highest distinction as “Best of Best”.
The awarded works reflect the current response to contemporary challenges: they include the transformation of existing buildings, the development of products as integral components of infrastructure, and the design of interiors that enable both communal use and individual retreat. A detailed examination of material, light, and purpose becomes evident. Behind the projects are working methods that demonstrate responsibility and develop context-specific solutions. The definition of architecture is hereby expanded, taking into account not only the finished building but also the underlying processes, partnerships, and forms of responsibility.
Lutz Dietzold, CEO of the German Design Council, emphasised that the awarded projects open up new perspectives on architecture and interior design. They respond to the demands of the present with diverse design approaches and combine spatial quality with responsibility. Dietzold highlighted that sustainable solutions arise from the precise analysis of location, material, use, and atmosphere. This understanding of quality is particularly evident in the five Special Awards 2026, which honour individuals, offices, projects, and clients for their formative role in architectural discourse.
The “Architects of the Year” category recognises Tiantian Xu and her office DnA_Design and Architecture from China. The office is characterised by a consistent contextualisation of architecture, where location, use, and their interactions form the starting point of every design. This leads to projects that emerge from the spatial, cultural, and social conditions of their environment, rather than following a recognisable formal signature. Works such as “Quarry No. 9” illustrate how minimal interventions can transform existing landscapes into public spaces and revitalise the cultural identity of places.
The Milan-based Studio Wok was awarded “Interior Designers of the Year”. The office understands interior design as the creation of living spaces, where architecture, interior, and landscape are developed as interconnected disciplines. In cooperation with local craft businesses and considering local conditions, precision and atmospheric quality are created. The “Farini Bakery” serves as an example of creating places through natural materials, precise details, and spatial restraint, whose quality evolves with use. The jury honours Studio Wok for a contemporary understanding of interior design that prioritises durability and material appropriateness over short-term staging.
The “Creator of the Year” award went to TEN, a practice that views architecture as an open process of research and design. TEN works in interdisciplinary teams, combining design, research, and knowledge exchange. Each project develops its own methodical and narrative framework, with workshops and design sprints offering space for collective authorship. This award underlines that architectural innovation arises equally from new forms of collaboration as from the built result.
The Zheshui Village Committee was awarded “Architects' Client of the Year”, highlighting the importance of committed clients and their collaboration with architects and users. In cooperation with LUO Studio, the Zheshui Natural Library was created as an educational and meeting place for children and the village community. Local materials and traditional construction methods were combined here with a contemporary understanding of participation. The jury recognised this project as architecture that not only fulfils a building task but also promotes cultural identity and social cohesion.
The special award “Debut Work of the Year” went to ABF-LAB for the “Maison du Département des Solidarités” in Langon. This French office integrates architecture and engineering, with ecological requirements determining the design from the outset. Bioclimatic strategies, low-tech principles, and constructions using wood, straw, and clay form the basis of this social housing project, which understands material, construction, and use as a coherent system. The jury thus recognised an approach that views sustainable building as an integral part of architectural quality. The award is endowed with EUR 10,000 and supported by dormakaba.
The ICONIC AWARDS, together with the architectural magazine DETAIL, promote international exchange on architecture and building culture. This media partnership creates a platform for in-depth engagement with the awarded works and accompanies the discourse on current developments in planning and building beyond the competition. The expert jury of the ICONIC AWARDS 2026, which is newly appointed annually, consists of leading international figures in architecture, design, and material culture. The jury members for 2026 include Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen from Norm Architects, Caroline Nagel from COBE, Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau from Besau-Marguerre, Lara Katscher from Werner Sobek AG, and Peter Ippolito, founder of the Ippolito Fleitz Group.
