seoul design award 2024: global citizen's choice vote for top 10 projects

seoul design award 2024 ASKS PARTICIPANTS TO CAST THEIR VOTE

Seoul Design Award continues its legacy of spotlighting design projects that enhance everyday life and promote sustainable living. The 2024 award ceremony offers a special opportunity for citizens worldwide to participate in the Global Citizen’s Choice Vote, recognizing designs that positively impact our planet and its inhabitants. With a focus on sustainability, social progress, and the harmonious coexistence of people and nature, the Seoul Design Award is set to inspire once again. From a spatial design project creating lasting memories for dementia patients and caregivers to co-living offering affordable urban housing solutions, the 10 winners selected from 575 entries and received from 65 countries are being presented in a ceremony at the iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).

Participants from across the world can cast their votes online, or at the exhibition held at DDP, and even engage through social media by liking posts on the Seoul Design Award’s Instagram page.

Canal Park by 128 Architecture & Urban Design (Mexico)

october 25th marks a celebration of design

Since its inception in 2019, the Seoul Design Award has become a global platform for recognizing and encouraging designers who use their skills to foster a sustainable future. Hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation, and backed by prestigious organizations like the World Design Organization (WDO) and UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the Award has grown into a significant force in the global design community.

In 2024, this prestigious event coincides with ‘Seoul Design 2024,’ the city’s largest design festival. The centerpiece of the celebration is taking place on October 25th at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), featuring a conference, award ceremony, and exhibitions of the Top 10 projects.

Chaki Wasi, Handicrafts Center by La Cabina de la Curiosidad (Ecuador, France)

seoul Design Award 2024 Day reveals the top 10 projects

On Seoul Design Award 2024 Day, attendees are bound to experience in-depth discussions on sustainable design under the theme, ‘Coexistence with the Earth for the Future.’ The conference, open to both professionals and the public, is headlined by Ezio Manzini, a leading voice in sustainable design, whose keynote speech, ‘Spotting Possible Futures,’ challenges the audience to rethink human-centered approaches and explore how design can harmonize with ecosystems to create a sustainable future. Alongside this, the Top 10 winning projects, selected from 575 entries spanning 65 countries, are being presented in detail, showcasing groundbreaking ideas in areas such as public design, technology, and upcycling.

The platform isn’t just about accolades – it’s about celebrating design that transforms lives. In the first thematic session, ‘TECHNOLOGY, the new future for us to get closer,’ attendees get to discover universal projects that assist marginalized communities, while the second session, ‘Design, changed my life,’ explores how public design has driven societal transformation. Finally, in ‘Design, from nature, for nature and with nature,’ sustainable projects that incorporate upcycling and eco-friendly practices are taking center stage, showing how creativity can directly contribute to the preservation of our environment.

Lighthouse & Buoys: Dementia Friendly Neighbourhood by SOULab – SUTD Social Urban Lab (Singapore)

The Top 10 projects selected for the Seoul Design Award 2024 embody the spirit of innovative, problem-solving design. Among them is Canal Park from Mexico by 128 Architecture & Urban Design, a project that revitalizes an ancient aqueduct into a lively community park, and Chaki Wasi by La Cabina de la Curiosidad, a handicrafts center in Ecuador and France, which empowers local artisans and preserves traditional craftsmanship. In the Sahel region of Niger, Classe rouge by ACTA – Action Through Architecture provides an affordable and replicable model for building classrooms using local materials, while the EYELIKE PLATFORM from India and South Korea by LABSD, INC. brings portable eye exams to low-income areas, preventing blindness.

Other notable projects include Singapore’s Lighthouse & Buoys: Dementia Friendly Neighbourhood designed by SUTD Social Urban Lab (SOULab), which creates comforting environments for dementia patients, and MO de Movimiento from Spain, a sustainable restaurant model created by Lucas Muñoz Muñoz. From the UK comes ProxyAddress by Chris Hildrey, offering homeless individuals a crucial lifeline by providing them with a temporary address, while Malaysia’s Skyblox Co-Living Housing by TKCA Architects offers affordable urban housing solutions. Lastly, projects like YOLK’s Solar Cow & ATANTU (Ethiopia, South Korea) combine innovative design with energy solutions to help reduce child labor. Lastly, Cambodia’s Water Hyacinth Floating Garden from AC/AL studio exemplifies a sustainable approach to food production, improving the overall quality of life.

In its 2024 edition, a total of 27 awards are being presented, including the prestigious Main Prizes, Special Prizes, and the Research Prize. A highlight of the event is the announcement of the two Citizens’ Choice Awards, one chosen by Korean citizens and the other by global voters. Participants from across the world can cast their votes online, or at the exhibition held at DDP, and even engage through social media by liking posts on the Seoul Design Award’s Instagram page. This interactive component reflects the award’s commitment to involving the public in shaping the future of design.

‘Seoul Design Award serves as a platform to encourage designers striving for a sustainable future,’ says Cha Kang Heui, CEO of Seoul Design Foundation.‘By recognizing outstanding projects that address social issues worldwide, we aim to make a positive impact on the design community.’

SkyBlox Co Living Housing (Malaysia)