Out of over 100 amazing submissions, 36 projects were shortlisted for this year’s Distributed Design Awards, and 15 exceptional finalists were selected. We are delighted to announce the 6 winners of this year’s Distributed Design Awards 2024!

The expert panel of judges was enthusiastic about the quality of the innovative, supportive and sustainable design projects received from across Europe and that reflects the core principles and values of distributed design.

The Distributed Design Awards celebrate the best maker and design responses to the post-industrial design paradigm and consist of the categories WASP Award, Project Excellence, Critical Materiality, Transformational Design, Citizen-Driven Innovation and People’s Choice.

This year’s jury is made up of international distributed design experts on each assessing round, representing 20 high-profile cultural and design institutions in total and a representative from WASP these are Maker, Danish Design Center, Espacio Open, Opendot, Politecnico de Lisboa, Happylab Vienna, Knowledge Center Vestmannaeyjar, P2P Lab, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Re:publica, Polifactory, Ars Longa, Fablab Budapest, MAO, Fab City Foundation, IAAC, Global Innovation Gathering, Design & Crafts Council Ireland, Metalab, SPLOT Institute.

SELECTED WINNER FOR PROJECT EXCELLENCE AWARD

The project tackles all four core principles of the distributed design model: Open, Collaborative, Regenerative, Ecosystemic. The winner will be awarded 2.000€ in funding to develop their project further.

Electrotrucs

Gautier Lemesle is working with repairers to enhance small kitchen appliances using electrical waste from collection centers. His designs leverage 3D printing and CNC technologies for adaptability. This project promotes user collaboration for appliance repair and revival, supports circular production models, and encourages users to create lasting, meaningful stories about their appliances.

SELECTED WINNER FOR THE WASP AWARD

Design that empowers navigating complex and uncertain scenarios through a hands-on, knowing-in-action methodology by utilizing and integrating 3D printing technology.

3D Printed Mycelial Bee Habitats

Asya Ilgün‘s project enhances biodiversity by fostering mutualistic relationships and a biohybrid construction method for resilient dwellings between bees and fungi through 3D-printed habitats. Using porous 3D-printed scaffolds, the project’s approach revitalises natural symbiosis with wood-degrading fungi, benefiting both urban and rural ecosystems.

The other finalists of this category were:  SOIL SKIN, ELECTROTRUCS, NEGOTIATING BOUNDARIES. DESIGN FOR THE SYMBIOCENE

SELECTED WINNER FOR CRITICAL MATERIALITY AWARD

Design that is made open source, is transparent, and/or allows for adaptation and/or customization. The winner will be awarded mentorship sessions with Batch.Works who will pair them with a staff member with the most relevant skills to help them with their journey into the world of Distributed Design. 

GEN.TXT: Algorithmic approaches to textile waste

Developed by Anna Fedele the project presents the design process of sustainable and innovative seating, characterized by an original upholstery made from discarded waste materials reassembled with the help of genetic algorithms. It explores the optimization of the production process through the automation of the recognition and assembly of scraps of regular and irregular fabrics from industrial textile production.

The other finalists in this category were UNBOUND, SEA GLASS, MoMaMo

SELECTED WINNER FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL DESIGN AWARD

Design that challenges manufacturing and consumption through innovative, transparent processes and open-source flow.

Ikego

Designed by Lars Zimmermann and Max Cuppens Ikego is an open collaborative and growing building system to build almost anything. It’s made from multipurpose parts – it works like LEGO bricks but for the real world and is optimized for decentralized manufacturing and development.

The other finalists of this category were TRI-ANGLE LAMP, AN IKEA FREKVENS HACK, OPENFLEXURE MICROSCOPE, FOUND OBJECTS, THE MACRO YARN MACHINE

SELECTED WINNER FOR CITIZEN DRIVEN INNOVATION

Design for a better understanding and tackling of environmental challenges through creative actions and contribute to the empowerment of local and global communities. 

Pays’Âges

Pays’Âges reveals the identity of endangered territories from the sky. Through this collective, local and itinerant project, Dorian Étienne works with local residents to create 3D large-scale testimonial tapestries. It presents the singularities of the region studied, its topography, and biodiversity. It is made on-site with 100% local and natural materials. These monumental artworks testify to a “state of place” at this crucial moment of ecological disruption.

The other finalists of this category were 3EE, LAIA PROJECT

SELECTED WINNER FOR PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Design recognized by people and the distributed design network online. The winner of the award has been chosen through public voting throughout August.

Fragments of the Past: Building waste as a resource

Primarily developed from construction industry waste and granite dust, Mayra Alencar’s “Fragments of the Past” project aims to valorize waste through upcycling in Porto, Portugal. The project fosters collaboration with local entities and communities, raising awareness and engaging in local events. It supports sustainability by incorporating 80% recycled materials, reducing environmental impact, and promoting circular design, while also driving economic efficiencies through reusable molds and partnerships.

A big thank you to all the applicants, and congratulations to the winners!

We truly appreciate the dedication of everyone who contributes to creating a more sustainable, circular, and supportive world through their designs. We look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts in designing alternatives to mass production together with all of you.

Take a look at the shortlisted finalists of this year’s Distributed Design Awards.

THE DISTRIBUTED DESIGN AWARDS ARE AN INITIATIVE OF

The initiative is organized by Distributed Design, a project co-funded by the European Union. It fosters the role of emerging Makers and Designers as part of our new digitized world. It celebrates, supports and inspires these professionals from across Europe and provides opportunities to support the mobility and circulation of their work to connect them with new, digital markets.

SUPPORTED BY

Fab Lab Barcelona is the research and innovation centre, situated inside the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC). It focuses mainly on Research, Education, and Services, pushing the boundaries of what Fab Labs can be and do in neighbourhoods, cities, and regions. It’s also the headquarters of the Global Coordination of the Fab Academy program and leads the Fab City Project, an initiative that aims to develop a new model for locally productive and globally connected self sufficient-cities.

The Distributed Design Platform is led by Fab Lab Barcelona at IAAC.

WASP (World’s Advanced Saving Project) is a company born in 2012 in Massa Lombarda, Italy, that designs, produces and sells 3D printers Made in Italy all over the world.  

The wide range of WASP 3D printers has been developed to answer human needs: food, housing, health, energy, work, art and culture. Inspired by the Potter Wasp, which builds its own nest with material recovered from the surrounding environment, WASP was born

 with the aim of developing large-scale 3D printers, to build houses with natural materials and available on the territory. The main company target is to provide effective benefits to humans through technological innovation and research.

Kniterate creates innovative tools aimed at bringing digital knitting technology to the masses. Kniterate enables users to design and produce customized knitted goods easily and efficiently. Promoting a local and on-demand production model, fostering creativity and sustainability in fashion and other industries.

Smart Citizen is a network, starting with a sensing device and evolving towards a community that empowers citizens not only through data, but also methodologies for action. Since 2012 Smart Citizen has worked to empower communities to better understand their environment by developing open tools for citizens. With our tools, users are better informed about the world around them. The Smart Citizen Kit allows people to easily measure and collect data such as air and noise pollution from their environment, and visualize it while sharing it with everyone on its dedicated platform. All of these, while being completely open-source and customizable to your needs. Built by communities for communities.