The 2026 Surface Design Awards, celebrating the most innovative and sustainable approaches in surface design across the built environment, announced its winners at a ceremony held during the Surface Design Show in Islington, London. The event brought together architects, designers, and industry experts to recognise projects that demonstrate creativity, technical excellence, and environmental responsibility.
© The Surface Design Show 2026
Aga Blonska - CoWave.
Trophies, designed and crafted by Revive Innovations from 100% recycled CDs, were presented by Hamish Kilburn of Kilburn Communications. The judging panel included leaders from RIBA, Conran & Partners, Mamou-Mani, Green Grads, Design Burger, and Squire & Partners, among others.
Studio RAP dominated the Project categories, winning Lighting, Hospitality, Public Realm, and Façades. Their Blue Voyage installation at the Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab Hotel in Dubai reimagines the decorative potential of ceramics with two monumental six-by-nine-metre walls composed of 900 unique 3D-printed tiles. Each tile's wave-inspired pattern interacts with light to create a dynamic sculptural arrival experience. Studio RAP also won Public Realm for New Delft Blue, transforming Dutch ceramic heritage into contemporary gates with 3,000 algorithmically designed 3D-printed tiles, and Facades for Ceramic House in Amsterdam, one of the world's first fully 3D-printed ceramic facades featuring textile-inspired, colour-gradient patterns using recycled clay.
© The Surface Design Show 2026Rosemary Napper - ReCinder.
In the Product and Regenerative categories, Liza C Design's Agri-Fruit-Bag impressed the panel with its circular design approach, turning agricultural by-products into biodegradable, single-layer packaging that protects fruit and enriches soil after disposal. The project won Regenerative Design, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Supreme Winner award.
Other notable winners include ReCinder for Material Transformation, a 100% recycled translucent ceramic material; Tanaka Eyewear's Patina as Performance for Heritage & Craft, featuring hand-finished frames designed for circularity; and CoWave by Aga Blonska, recognised for Digital Integration, using AI and neuroscience to create personalised 3D-printed acoustic panels from circular materials. Emerging talent was celebrated with David McGill's Ruvi Acoustic Tile, a slip-cast ceramic wall tile designed to enhance acoustics in public spaces.
The 2026 awards underscore the growing focus on sustainability, circular design, and the fusion of digital innovation with traditional craft across architecture and interiors.
© The Surface Design Show 2026
Studio RAP - Blue voyage.
About Surface Design Show:
SDS is Europe's leading event for innovative materials in the built environment, showcasing sustainable, circular, and inventive solutions to architects, designers, and interior specifiers. SDS26 ran from 3–5 February 2026 at the Business Design Centre, London.
More information:
The Surface Design Show
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www.surfacedesignshow.com
