The Obel Award is an international prize seeking to highlight unconventional and original initiatives within the architectural profession. Supported by the Henrik Frode Obel Foundation, each annual award is centered around a specific theme. By exploring a different challenge of the built environment each year, the award remains open to a wide range of solutions and architectural innovations, honoring those contributions that have a positive impact on both people and the planet.
"Architectures WITH," the recently announced theme of the 2024 edition, explores participatory design, co-creation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, challenging traditional roles in architecture to foster inclusive, adaptable environments. It aims to empower all stakeholders and enhance collective intelligence in architecture.
Read on to discover the previous winners of the Obel Award, showcasing how each has thoughtfully addressed the respective themes, highlighting the diverse and impactful approaches celebrated by the award over the years.
Living Breakwaters / SCAPE
2023 Obel Award: Adaptation
The project is designed to shoreline erosion, ecological restoration, and community engagement along Staten Island's south shore. Initiated after Superstorm Sandy under the Rebuild by Design competition, the project features 2,400 linear feet of near-shore breakwaters made of ecologically-enhanced concrete and stone. These structures are engineered to mitigate wave damage, reduce erosion, and create habitat spaces for marine species such as oysters and finfish. Oysters, a key element of the artificial reefs, are expected to naturally populate and fortify the breakwaters over time.
The initiative aligns with the Obel Award's theme for 2023: Adaptation. Through this theme, the award seeks to recognize projects that demonstrate flexibility and resilience by adapting to a rapidly changing environment. In addition to ecological restoration, the initiative also fosters community engagement through educational initiatives aimed at promoting environmental stewardship and recreation. By embedding citizen participation, science, and cultural connections to the coastline, the project empowers local communities to partake in ecology-based conservation efforts.
Carbon-Neutral Concrete / Seratech
2022 Obel Award: Emissions
PhD students Sam Draper and Barney Shanks from Imperial College London have developed Seratech, a method for creating carbon-neutral concrete. This innovative technology captures CO2 directly from industrial emissions and stores it by producing a silica-based cement additive. This additive can replace up to 40% of Portland cement in concrete, resulting in zero-carbon products. The required materials, waste CO2 and magnesium silicate minerals are globally abundant, and the process can seamlessly integrate into existing manufacturing lines without significant changes.
Given the construction industry's significant carbon footprint, Seratech's technology offers a promising solution for reducing emissions significantly worldwide by enabling the production of carbon-neutral concrete. The process is also aligned with the 2022 Ober Award theme, 'Emissions', seeking ways to minimize carbon emissions within the construction industry through processes that are feasible for global implementation.
15-Minute City / Carlos Moreno
2021 Obel Award: Cities
The 15-minute city is an urban design concept that ensures all residents can access daily necessities like work, housing, food, health, education, and leisure within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This model aims to improve urban life by reducing traffic and pollution. Pioneered in Paris under Mayor Anne Hidalgo with Carlos Moreno's collaboration, it has been adopted by cities worldwide, including Chengdu and Melbourne. The model gained prominence in 2020 as cities sought sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery strategies.
Anandaloy (The Place of Deep Joy) / Anna Heringer
2020 Obel Award: Mending
Anandaloy, meaning "Place of Deep Joy" in the local dialect of Bangla/Bengali, is an unconventional, multifunctional building in northern Bangladesh, designed by German architect Anna Heringer. It features a therapy center for people with disabilities on the ground floor and a fair-trade textile studio for local women on the top floor. Constructed from sustainable materials like mud and bamboo, the building's curving design incorporates a ramp, creating playful spaces and quiet nooks. Anandaloy integrates architectural innovation with social equity, utilizing local materials and craftsmanship to reflect cultural values. This project enriches lives by addressing diverse needs and promoting environmental and social sustainability.
Art Biotop Water Garden / Junya Ishigami + Associates
2019 Obel Award: Well-Being
Art Biotop Water Garden in Tochigi, Japan, crafted by Junya Ishigami, is a unique blend of architecture, art, and environmentalism, redefining human interaction with nature. Originally a forest site for a hotel, the project involved relocating trees to an adjacent meadow, blending the landscape of the former paddy field with a mossy forest. This transformation creates an artificial yet inherently natural environment, featuring numerous interconnected ponds integrated with the existing irrigation system. The garden showcases a poetic synergy of past and present landscapes, encouraging a profound appreciation of nature. It illustrates how architectural interventions can harmoniously coexist with and enhance the natural world to improve the well-being of both humans and ecosystems.
