NEB Prizes 2021: All Applications

Few of us are familiar with plankton, yet they are an essential part of our ecosystem. The BIOTOPIA project of design allows the public to use digital devices as a means of contributing to scientific research and raising awareness about plankton. Our project of design offers a complete experience in three main stages: Making your own plankton observation kit called the Exoscope, using a web app to analyze plankton and finally an immersive database in virtual reality.

Das Bedürfnis is a non-profit art and culture association, in which we strive for the transformation of unused urban spaces.

In our current substance-preserving renovation we use recycling materials in terms of building conservation.

We are transforming a space, that used to be a toilet, into a room for exhibitions, which will serve as a place for art and cultural mediation accessible for everyone. We are in contact with the city of Halle about other forgotten buildings that could follow this

More and more frequently we hear about boats overflowing with migrants who decided to face an extremely dangerous journey in order to find a better future. The will to help them, together with the study of the Florence territory, have led to the design of collective living spaces in residual areas that become the main characters of a new centrality. Spaces conceived for those who cannot afford a house and achieved through participated construction.

Art must be accessible for everyone and not just for people living in larger cities.

By establishing an Artist in Residence for Ceramics and Painting on Avernakø, DK, the island’s local life will be enriched with young driving forces. In addition to being a temporary home for upcoming artists, this artist in residence will also serve as an attraction on the island for both locals and tourists in the shape of a large sculpture park, talks, lectures, exhibitions, performances etc.

In a beautiful place out in the country, in wineyards near forests, we built an all-natural removable mobile round house ("upgraded yurt") that is not firmly attached to the ground and is not connected to any utilities. It's fully off-grid and self-sufficient. The electricity is generated by the low-budget high-economy solar system for no more than 1000 EUR. A composting separation toilet is included. It's standing here for almost 5 years already and we are living here daily for 2 years.

Evocazioni Frontali is a research on landscape and the re-use of architectural heritage. In the abandoned rural square of San Polo di Piave, it took form as an architectural installation and an event to allow a temporary re-discovery and to stimulate the imagination for new possible uses. Its transitory nature triggered the processes of redevelopment without suggesting a top-down proposal. Accordingly, its wooden framework is set but metamorphic and its aesthetic ephemeral and festive.

Kotxepin is a Cultural Centre located in Lemoa (Basque Country), inaugurated in April 2021. All the elements that make up the new municipal facilities (the design of the building, the furniture, the cultural offer to be developed in it, the name, etc.) have been designed in a participatory way, by the citizens of the municipality, between 2016 and 2021.

Intending to find alternative solutions for packaging and sustainable material that should meet the insulation needs of the product and be recyclable, the idea arose of using waste substances generated directly in the process of manufacturing the packaged product. Cocoa shells are one of the by-products of cocoa. Due to the importance of easy handling, the packaging was designed to meet stackability and storage properties and highlighted this feature as its primary.

The Tannery in Floda is a fun-filled place for conversion. A sustainable, award-winning food destination and a modern church integrate in an exciting and rewarding mix.

A run-down factory in a small suburb has gently been transformed into a unique meeting point. With strong focus on sustainability and social connection this project provides inspiration to a different lifestyle, and a counterforce to the threat of being run over by the ongoing urbanization.

A residential project Botanica K has been the first residential project in Czech Republic to start using the grey water system. The water flowing down the drains of showers, bathtubs and bathroom sinks – water only slightly dirty – could receive basic water treatments, such as filtration and disinfection. Then this treated "grey water" could be piped back into bathrooms to use to flush toilets, rather than drinking water.