THE PLAN AWARD 2020, winning projects - First episode

THE PLAN AWARD 2020 awards ceremony was held against the sumptuous backdrop of the Hotel Excelsior, Lido di Venezia, as part of the #Perspective2020 International Architecture Forum.

Despite the current health crisis, the final evening of this annual international award for excellence in architecture, interior design, and urban planning took place in front of a live audience in complete safety. The ceremony was also streamed live on the GoToWebinar platform to allow for the participation of architects, designers, and others who could not be present at the event.

Here are just a few statistics from the 2020 edition.

THE PLAN AWARD 2020 saw the submission of over 1000 entries by over 450 architecture practices from around the world. The first round of selections shortlisted 650 projects (featured here), which were assessed by a special jury, made up of leading international professionals from the world of architecture:

Winka Dubbeldam (founder of Archi-Tectonics)
Margherita Guccione (director of MAXXI Architettura)
Valerio Paolo Mosco (architecture critic)
Raymund Ryan (curator of the Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art)
Maurizio Sabini (professor of architecture at Drury University)
Yehuda Safran (adjunct professor at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture)
Benedetta Tagliabue (cofounder and CEO of Miralles Tagliabue EMBT)
Martha Thorne (dean of the IE School of Architecture & Design, and executive director of the Pritzker Prize)
Michael Webb (architecture writer)
Li Xiangning (professor and assistant dean at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Tongji University)

After careful assessment, and some heated discussions, the international jury announced the winners of the Completed and Future sections in each of the twenty participation categories.
THE PLAN AWARD 2020 also included the Home Efficiency Special Contest award, organized in partnership with Mitsubishi Electric, the Wish List Special Prize awarded by the public, as well as the Overall Future and Overall Completed awards, assessed by two live juries made up of respected professionals (Live Jury Future Projects and Live Jury Completed Projects).

This series of five articles will discuss the winning projects in each category for the Completed and Future sections.

Second episode
Third episode
Fourth episode
Fifth episode
Sixth episode

COMPLETED WINNERS

CULTURE
WETLAND RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER
Atelier Z+

The five buildings – a conference room, exhibition room, canteen, research wing, and accommodation – are interconnected by a bridge that zigzags on its poles across the water. This architectural complex harnesses raw materials and a scattered design to skillfully forge its relationship with its lake setting. A research and education center for the study of birds, as well as the environment, it is a functioning example of integrating nature and architecture.

Find out more about Atelier Z+

EDUCATION
THE LAMPLIGHTER SCHOOL INNOVATION LAB
Marlon Blackwell Architects

When education meets architecture and the two speak the same language. This is a school where teaching takes place both indoors and outdoors, in perfect synergy with the surrounding garden, simulating the dynamics of a village. The Innovation Lab forms the epicenter of the entire campus, clearly communicating, through its architectural composition, the concept of learning through discovery and exploration.

Find out more about Marlon Blackwell Architects

HEALTH
BAYALPATA HOSPITAL
Sharon Davis Design

Health also means sustainability. Set in some of the most remote mountains of Nepal, Bayalpata Hospital brought hospital care to an area where many people previously had no access to healthcare services. With rammed earth as its structural material and a 100kW photovoltaic array as its primary energy source, the hospital’s construction costs were reduced and its energy problems were overcome through environmentally sustainable solutions.

Find out more about Sharon Davis Design

HOSPITALITY
CHOUI FONG TEA CAFE2
Jeravej Hongsakul, Eakgaluk Sirijariyawat, Sakorn Thongdoang, Sittipong Wiriyapanich

The second version of an earlier tea room, Choui Fong Tea Cafe2 was designed to make its panoramic views an essential element of the dining experience, regardless of where customers sit. At the same time, the architects paid special attention to the needs of elderly and disabled guests. Occupying a single level – but built with tiered sections that follow the gradient of the site using materials in perfect symbiosis with one other – the design of this restaurant has genuine architectural heart and soul.

HOUSE
ANEKONA HOUSE
Anderson Architecture

This minimalist design organically harnesses the few cues offered by the surrounding wild and bare landscape to create a complete and comfortable home. The designers have used raw materials, including local timber, lava stone, and gravel, to create a series of open, transparent pavilions that alternate with the same number of closed structures, made of reinforced concrete for privacy and security. The entire designed is then connected by a large canopy. Other essential measures, including total energy self-sufficiency, make this house a place of gradual transition between nature and home, between open and closed, between the natural and built environments.

Find out more about Anderson Architecture

HOUSING
MLK1101 SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [Loha]

A message of hope, inclusiveness, and openness conveyed through modern, ecological architecture that forges a deep connection with its urban setting. The idea of social justice is even reflected in the L-shaped plan, which means that every apartment receives direct sunlight. Its green roof and the close attention paid to environmental impact make MLK1101 an innovative experiment in social architecture for its previously homeless residents.

Find out more about Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects [Loha]

INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
CUBO MAGICO 240
Alfonso Femia / AF*Design

Responding to the modern need for flexibility and adaptability, Cubo Magico 240 has brought the rules of industrial design up-to-date, offering dynamic modular workspaces ideal for every need. With the option of reassembling its elements into different configurations, the basic 240 centimeter (95 inch) Cube can be used to create three types of workplaces (static, dynamic, creative), each of them light and manageable, able to satisfy a wide range of needs, and aesthetically pleasing.

Find out more about Alfonso Femia / AF*Design