Pingtan Children Library by Condition_Lab, has been named World Interior of the Year for 2022 at INSIDE Festival, the sister festival of World Architecture Festival (WAF). 

INSIDE recognizes the best interior design projects and has its own awards and conference programme. 

WAF and INSIDE festivals take place at the same venue in as an in-person event at Lisbon’s FIL Exhibition Centre, Portugal, from 30 November to 2 December, 2022.

The project, located in China, has been selected from a shortlist of 11 categories to win the final accolade.

The library is a small timber structure, which draws on a typology of traditional "Dong Houses" and is primarily composed of two interwoven spiral staircases. 

The value of the project is concentrated in the animation and preservation of traditional culture for the young users and the discipline of the design, highlighting the social importance of architecture.

Judges were impressed by the “traditional craftmanship” of the design for children, “the real users of this delightful structure, where they can play on the steps, reach for a book or peak at their friends”. 

They congratulated Condition_Lab on creating “a space for the community and achieving it”.

The INSIDE World Interior of the Year award was judged by INSIDE festival’s 2022 super-jurors - composed of Linzi Cassels, Perkins + Will; Ann Lau, Hayball; Eva Jiřičná, AI – DESIGN; Johnny Chiu, J.C. Architecture, and Nigel Coates.

In addition, The Moving Kitchen by JC. Architecture was highly commended.

World Architecture Community is official media partner of this year's WAF, alongside INSIDE, and covered the winners of each day from Lisbon. See Day 1 winners and Day 2 winners of INSIDE 2022.

In 2021, Capsule Hostel and Bookstore in Qinglongwu, China designed by Atelier tao+c won the World Building of the Year 2021 at INSIDE. 

In 2020, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, INSIDE has moved its physical festival to 2021 December. 

INSIDE will hold its next, 16th edition in Singapore from 29 November to 1 December, 2023 and registrations are open for 2023. 

All images © Sai Zhao.

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