A total of 74 projects have been selected for the 2020 Beazley Designs of the Year shortlist. The variety of designs is genuinely impressive, encompassing everything from Braille Lego, to an uncensored library hosted in a Minecraft server, and a sustainable social housing project.
The projects are split into six categories: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product, and Transport, and they will be on display at the London Design Museum until March 28.
From the initial shortlist of 74 entries – two less than last year – a winner from each category will be chosen in the coming weeks. The judges will then pick an overall winner, which will be announced on November 26. Previous recipients of the prize have included Sir David Adjaye's National Museum of African American History and Culture and Ikea's Better Shelter.
We've highlighted some standout projects below that caught our eye, but be sure to head to the gallery to see a larger selection of the projects shortlisted for the 2020 Beazley Designs of the Year.
Goldsmith Street, by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley, is a definite standout. Winning the UK's 2019 Stirling Prize (and making an appearance on our Best of 2019 list), the English social housing project provides low-income families with a safe and comfortable home that's built to the stringent Passivhaus green building standard. In addition to being good for the environment, this results in energy bills that are roughly 70 percent cheaper than the average British home.
Goldsmith Street is shortlisted in the Architecture category.
Lego Braille Bricks is a collaboration between the Lego Foundation/Lego Group and people in the blind community. Compatible with standard Lego bricks, the studs are arranged to correspond to individual letters and numbers in the Braille alphabet. Each brick features a printed letter or character, with the idea being that it will make it easier for sighted teachers, students, and family members to interact with the blind or visually impaired.
Lego Braille Bricks is shortlisted in the Product category.
The Uncensored Library was created by Reporters Without Borders, in collaboration with DDB Germany, blockworks, MediaMonks, and The Humblebrag. It's an uncensored library that can be accessed within the video game Minecraft and contains journals and articles that are banned in several countries where access to the media is tightly controlled.
The Uncensored Library is shortlisted in the Digital category.
Dakala Cloth - A New African Textile was developed by Nigeria's Nkwo Design Studio to reduce textile waste and preserve traditional African craft. The team developed the clothing by stripping and sewing together sections of waste fabric.
Dakala Cloth - A New African Textile is shortlisted in the Fashion category.
3D rendering of SARS-CoV-2 was created by Alissa Eckert (MSMI) and Dan Higgins (MAMS). The project was commissioned by the US health organization Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help raise public awareness about the dangers of COVID-19. It depicts the virus when viewed through a microscope.
3D rendering of SARS-CoV-2 is shortlisted in the Graphics category.
Brick arches is credited to the Hong Kong Protestors. Made from ordinary bricks, they are described as "ankle-high roadblocks," and were used by pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong to slow down police vehicles. According to the Design Museum, when struck by a car's wheel, the top block falls away leaving the two remaining bricks, which together form a buttress that prevents the wheel from moving forward.
Brick arches is credited to the Hong Kong Protestors and is shortlisted in the Transport category
Source: Design Museum London