Architects Vincent de Graaf and Wendy Saunders, architectural theorist and critic Xiangning Li and curator Paola Antonelli have been named in the final set of judges for Dezeen Awards China 2024.
Designer Paul Priestman, interior designers Kuang Ming Chou and Vera Chu and Bentley’s Dirk Zscherpe will also be joining the panel.
Dezeen Awards China 2024 has launched in partnership with Bentley. Enter by 23 August to avoid late entry fees. Click here to register your details and start your entry.
This regional edition of Dezeen Awards, now in its second year, aims to showcase the very best emerging and established Chinese names in architecture, interiors and design.
Read on for more about the final set of industry professionals who will be judging the entries this year.
Antonelli is the senior curator in the department of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). She will be joining last year’s designer of the year winner Mario Tsai on the design panel.
Her work investigates design in all its forms and contemplates design’s intersection with other fields including technology, biology and popular culture. She recently spoke to Dezeen about the leading role design can play in the global effort to solve or mitigate issues relating to climate change.
The interview focused on her latest exhibition at MoMA, Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design which explores how design can be elegant and innovative while still respecting the ecosystem.
Chou and Chu are the founders of Shanghai-based Vermilion Zhou Design Group and will be joining Yabu Pushelberg on our interiors judging panel.
Vermilion Zhou Design Group was shortlisted in Dezeen Awards China 2023 for interior designer of the year, after their project Yin Xi teahouse in Shanghai stood out to the judges.
The designers also recently completed the interiors of the visually striking Haidilao hotpot restaurant in Shenzhen, opting for rich blue and green hues, a nod to the chain’s use of natural, fresh ingredients.
De Graaf and Saunders are the co-founders of Shanghai-based practice Aim Architecture and will sit on our interiors panel.
Aim Architecture claimed the interior designer of the year prize at Dezeen Awards China last year for their interesting balance of “bold and emotive retail projects that find ways to respect the local environment,” judges remarked.
Recent projects of theirs include a transformation of an oil silo in Changzhou into a mixed-use community space and the interiors of Harmay Beauty Store in Chongqing, informed by the city’s hidden factories.
Li is a professor at the college of architecture and urban planning at Shanghai’s Tongji University and will sit on this year’s architecture panel. His research explores the unique cultural value of contemporary Chinese architecture.
Alongside academic work he serves on the editorial boards of several international journals and has been a jury member for international awards including The Plan Award and the Mies van der Rohe Award.
Priestman is the global creative director of Chinese rolling stock manufacturer CRRC Sifang and design consultants Puli innovation. He will sit on this year’s design panel.
A world-renowned industrial designer, he has delivered complex, high-profile transport projects including the China high-speed rail, Hyperloop, Hong Kong Metro and Airbus.
Priestman has won the London Design Medal and earned honorary fellowships at the Royal College of Art and the Royal Society of Arts.
Zscherpe is the customer experience officer at Bentley Motors China and will sit on this year’s interiors panel alongside Atelier Tao+C’s Tao Liu and Chunyan Cai.
Zscherpe has worked across the automotive industry and hospitality, entertainment and energy sectors, being responsible for interior, industrial and graphic design decisions.
He aims to extend the perfect customer experience to develop Bentley’s lifestyle business, in the fields of branded goods and residential spaces.
Enter now!
Dezeen Awards China 2024 is open for entries. Find out about all of this year’s categories and log in or create an account to start your entries. Enter before 23 August to avoid late entry fees.
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Dezeen Awards China 2024 in partnership with Bentley
Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards which celebrates the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards programme is in partnership with Bentley as part of a wider collaboration to inspire, support and champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a better and more sustainable world. This ambition complements Bentley’s architecture and design business initiatives, including the Bentley Home range of furnishings and real estate projects around the world.
