The Surface Design Awards have announced the winners of its 2026 awards, celebrating the best in surface design across the built environment.
More than a hundred people gathered to celebrate the winners, bringing together the design and architectural community to recognise outstanding projects that demonstrate both creativity and a commitment to sustainable practices. Presented by Hamish Kilburn of Kilburn Communications, the winners were awarded trophies designed and made by Revive Innovations using their RE-CD material, made with 100% recycled CDs.
This year’s judging panel was flush with industry experts including: Muyiwa Oki – President RIBA, Tina Norden - Principal at Conran & Partners, Arthur Mamou-Mani – Director of Mamou-Mani, Seetal Solanki- Founder and Director of Ma-tt-er, Barbara Chandler- Founder of Green Grads, Oscar Pearce- Co-Founder of Design Burger, Michael Grubb- Founder of Michael Grubb Studio and Tim Bowder-Ridger- Principle and Partner at Conran and Partners, Roddy Clarke – Design Journalist, Presenter & Consultant and Tim Gledstone – Partner at Squire & Partners.
Amongst the standout winners were Studio RAP and Liza C Design. Studio RAP had a fantastic night, winning the Lighting, Hospitality, Public Realm and Facades categories. Also sweeping the board was Agri- Fruit-bag by Liza C Design who won the Regenerative Design, Innovation and Sustainability categories and then took the ultimate accolade of the Supreme Winner.
Project
Studio RAP won the Project category with the Blue Voyage installation at the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. This project redefines the decorative potential of ceramics through a monumental arrival experience featuring two six-by-nine-metre ceramic walls. Composed of approximately 900 unique 3D-printed tiles, the installation features wave-like patterns inspired by the nearby Gulf that interact dynamically with light and shadow throughout the day. By merging computational design with traditional glazing techniques, the project creates a sculptural gateway that guides guests toward the lobby while reflecting the hotel’s coastal context.
Public Realm was also won by Studio RAP with New Delft Blue. The project reimagines the historic Dutch ceramic tradition as a contemporary architectural experience through two gates composed of 3,000 unique 3D-printed tiles. Installed at the PoortMeesters courtyard in Delft, the gates feature algorithmically designed curves that cause blue glaze to pool and flow, creating a shimmering surface that reflects the city’s porcelain heritage. This project demonstrates how digital innovation can revitalise traditional craftsmanship, transforming a functional city threshold into a sensory experience for both residents and the public to enjoy.
The Ceramic House in Amsterdam by Studio RAP took home the award for Facades. It stands as one of the world’s first fully 3D-printed ceramic facades, bringing the city’s historic identity with contemporary innovation. Studio RAP utilised propriety algorithms to generate textile-inspired patterns that translate the craft of knitting into an architectural language of folds and layers. The facade transitions from pearl-white tiles at the street level to deep red tones on upper floors, utilising recycled clay and traditional Dutch glazing to celebrate both digital precision and material heritage.
Product
Agri-Fruit-Bag by Liza C Design was well loved by the judging panel and took home a multitude of awards, including Regenerative Design in the Project Category as well as both the Innovation and Sustainability awards within the Product Category. The project presents a visionary approach to circular regeneration by transforming agricultural by-product, such as tomato leaves, into a functional biodegradable biofilm. This innovation replaces traditional plastic packaging with a single-layer, semi-translucent material that protects fruit from pests and sunburn while allowing farmers to monitor growth efficiently. The design features an integrated tie system to streamline the bagging process, and after the harvest, the material naturally decomposes to enrich the soil as fertiliser, closing the loop of the material cycle.
The Material Transformation category was won by ReCinder. Developed by Rosy Napper, ReCinder is "the world’s first 100% recycled translucent ceramic material made entirely from post-consumer fired ceramics and ash". This material innovation tackles the complex challenge of recycling vitrified ceramic waste, which is traditionally deemed unrecyclable and diverted to landfills. Capable of creating sustainable lighting, furniture, and tableware, ReCinder has a 25% lower carbon footprint than traditional ceramics and demonstrates a regenerative model that transforms discarded waste into new material.
Tanaka Eyewear’s Patina as Performance collection won the Heritage & Craft category. The collection advances the pre-plastic tradition of eyewear by utilising a stable, paper-based composite worked to jewellery tolerances. Each frame is made by a single artisan and features a kintsugi-informed repair style that treats damage as part of the object’s history rather than something to be erased. Designed for long-term service and circularity, the frames utilise Richlite, a moisture-tolerant material that develops a natural patina over time, to create an heirloom-grade product intended to be kept for generations.
CoWave by Aga Blonska won the award for Digital Integration; it introduces a radical frontier in surface design by using neuroscience and artificial intelligence to translate human emotions into personalised 3D-printed acoustic panels. Each unique piece is generated from a participant’s EEG-informed subconscious responses, ensuring an intimate collaboration between the mind and the machine that results in one-of-a-kind designs. These modular panels are crafted from circular materials, including reclaimed plastics and olive waste, providing high-performance sound absorption and diffusion for hospitality and residential environments.
The Agri-fruit-bag by Liza C Design is the Supreme Winner of the 2026 Surface Design Awards, distinguished by its visionary approach to circular regeneration. This project was highly favoured by the judging panel, earning multiple accolades for its innovative use of waste materials to replace traditional plastic packaging.
The winner of the very first edition of the Emerging Talent Award is David McGill with his project Ruvi Acoustic Tile, a slip-cast ceramic wall tile designed to improve the acoustic and sensory quality of public infrastructure.
The full list of shortlisted entries and winners is here:
Project:
Lighting:
- Matthew Giles Architects - House of Panes
- Studio RAP - Blue Voyage - Marsa Al Arab - WINNER
- Signature Walls - The Newman Hotel
- Giles Miller Studio – Fractalism
Hospitality:
- Studio RAP - Blue Voyage - Marsa Al Arab - WINNER
- Tigg Coll - Mason & Fifth Westbourne Park
- Signature Walls - The Newman Hotel
Public Realm:
- Ketley Brick Co Ltd - Silvertown Tunnel Portal Buildings - Greenwich Peninsular Portal in Greenwich and Silvertown Portal in Newham
- Studio RAP - New Delft Blue - WINNER
- Peter Donegan Garden Design - Cancer Support Outdoor Therapy Room
- Lundhs AS - Kew Gardens Carbon Pavilion
Façades:
- Studio RAP - Ceramic House - WINNER
- Roberta Rampazzo Design – Sublime
- Roni Karsh - Wa, Ma - Wooden Cube Façade
Regenerative Design:
- Liza C Design - Agri-fruit-bag - WINNER
- Lundhs AS - Kew Gardens Carbon Pavilion
- Nested Living – Redstones
Product :
Innovation:
- Liza C Design - Agri-fruit-bag - WINNER
- Aga Blonska – CoWave
- Camira - ReSKU 2.0
Sustainability:
- Sphere8
- Humanscale - Freedom 25
- Liza C Design - Agri-fruit-bag - WINNER
Material Transformation:
- Camira - ReSKU 2.0
ReCinder - WINNER
- Pit-to-table - pit-board
Heritage & Craft:
- Camira - ReSKU 2.0
Tanaka Eyewear - Patina as Performance - WINNER
- The Monkey Puzzle Tree Ltd - Blues Fantasia Textile Wallpaper
Digital Integration:
- Shenzhen Starise Creation Technology Co., Ltd - Vintage, Reinvented — Bold-Color Originals for Modern Living
- Aga Blonska – CoWave - WINNER
Supreme Winner: Liza C Design - Agri-fruit-bag
Emerging Talent Winner: David McGill - Ruvi Acoustic Tile
