NEB Prizes 2023: All Applications

Rhapsody in West is a residential complex situated next to a busy highway. It is built in an area that not so long ago was named as one of the worst in the Netherlands, with a high volume of low quality social housing. Fears of gentrification could be averted by involving local residents in the process at an early stage. The result is an energy-neutral building cluster with different amenities that are available to all. The process has been a catalyst for the regeneration of the entire area.

The 3D printed Biodigital Clay Bricks are digitally designed following a reaction-diffusion and shortest path algorithms extracted from the hydrophilic nature of clay to guarantee the best mechanical properties and structural efficiency of these bricks with the minimum material consumption through controlled deposition-3D printing. They are the first durable and elastic clay bricks designed to provide niches for bio receptivity, thermal and acoustical insulation, and mechanical resistance.

Greenchild aspires to combine health and sustainable growth while preserving the natural habitat for future generations. The objective of the company is to cultivate Paulownia trees, which can absorb up to 90 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere, and to become a leading company in the field of cultivar development. The company attracts investors worldwide that are love nature and invites them to invest in the CO2 reduction. Over 80,000 trees were planted so far in 130 hectares.

Rijnvliet Edible Neighbourhood (REN) is a unique co-created neighbourhood that uses Nature-based Solutions to deal with global urban challenges. It breaks new ground in terms of accessible urban agriculture that gives identity to a new residential area with a school and various public spaces. The public space in the area is designed as an edible, educative food forest landscape and was developed and planted in close collaboration with local residents.

Envilop is an innovative prefabricated lightweight timber-based envelope. It is designed for low carbon renovations of larger public buildings. It replaces commonly used metal structures with timber elements and is designed for passive houses. Prefabrication allows for quick and clean replacement of the building envelope. Its first major implementation was on the complete renovation of a secondary school in Prague. The building achieved a zero energy standard, also thanks to the use of Envilop.

NGO project about changing the identity of the region. It is based on local tradition, aesthetics and lifestyle and produces a lively, modern, social and visual reality. Identity signs for 34 communities, cooperation network with 40 participants, forums, discussion groups and an exciting information space. Model for community tourism. A confident voice of the communities at the state level helps to achieve the recognisability of the region increase and develops a culture program for Selija.

Volunteering, bottom-up participation, sense of belonging to the territories and orientation towards sustinable development are the keywords of our project.
With our project, "Operation Rivers: exploring to take care" we wanted to integrate actions based on civic volunteering and experiences of citizen science through activism and the sense of care for the most important natural rivers of the region of Veneto, involved in the project: Adige, Po, Bacchiglione, Brenta, Sile, Piave and Livenza.

The innovation model allows one to get the experience of craft work. Combining the elements of tradition and modernity gives a sense of creation and influence physical reality. The main idea of this revitalization project is: less products, more experience. The experience is understood as accessible for everyone because the project is about maximum social inclusion. It’s concerns the crafts in 21st century’s economy and the development of the creative competence of the whole world’s citizens.

Cortili in azione empowers residents in the Nichelino and Sangone neighborhoods of Turin, Italy to transform the schoolyard into communal spaces through collaborative and participatory design methodologies. This allows children, parents, teachers, and residents to exchange knowledge and experiences, have fun, and strengthen the social fabric of a commuter town.

ecoBirdy is a Belgian award-winning company that created a system to transform old plastic toys into high-quality kids’ furniture. Started as a research project, it evolved into a business that saves tons of plastic waste per year, giving it a new, circular life. The addition of furniture for grown-ups and Tableware offers new solutions for multiple plastic waste streams. International museums have ecoBirdy designs in their permanent collections, as examples of circular design.