iF Design Award 2026 Highlights Circular Design and Sustainability Across 93 Categories
The iF Design Award 2026 highlights the importance of environmental considerations alongside functionality and aesthetics across its 93 categories, building on a sustainability framework established in 1953. Among the five criteria assessed by the jury is the environmental and social impact. Noteworthy entries include the Gold Ratio Fibrous Resin Material from the Taiwan Textile Research Institute, the DesertBoard® PSB® made from upcycled palm fronds, and PDR's reusable Geopak containers in the UK. Initiatives like Taiwan's TRASH+ LAB and CyclePath Lab's HomeWork Project advocate for circular living. Infrastructure highlights feature solar-powered cold rooms in Kenya and streetlight retrofits by Galp Energy in Portugal. Takenaka Corporation's temporary architecture for Expo 2025 incorporates biodegradable materials. The iF Social Impact Prize honors Malaysia's EPIC Bamboo Home and MaxLife's pump component for Malawi.
Key facts
- The iF Design Award 2026 evaluates projects across 93 categories, with environmental impact weighted equally alongside function and style.
- Environmental and social impact is one of five fundamental criteria assessed by the iF Design Award jury.
- The institution behind the iF Design Award has made sustainability central to its judging framework since 1953.
- Taiwan Textile Research Institute's Gold Ratio Fibrous Resin Material is a circular thermoplastic composite made entirely from recycled carbon fibers and plastics, engineered for infinite repairability.
- DesertBoard® PSB® converts palm fronds into a formaldehyde-free and termite-resistant building material.
- PHL Reduction deploys solar-powered cold rooms in Kenya through Sokofresh Agri-innovations East Africa Limited to reduce agricultural loss and stabilize farmer incomes.
- Galp Energy retrofits existing Portuguese municipal streetlights with electric vehicle chargers.
- Takenaka Corporation used 3D-printed biodegradable wood and handmade seed paper for temporary architecture at Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.
- The Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan for Lower Manhattan spans one mile of vulnerable shoreline and integrates flood protection, waterfront design, and traffic systems.
- OCEANIX Busan by BIG and SAMOO is a floating urban prototype in South Korea powered by solar energy, circular water systems, and local food production.
- Row House Zurich by RAUMTAKT renovates an 1890 structural frame instead of tearing it down.
- MaxLife's three-dollar pump part keeps clean water flowing for 15 million people in Malawi by making pumps last six times longer.
Entities
Artists
- Riccardo Zambelli Hosmer
- Matteo Bernasconi
- Camilla Piantanida
- Dafne Argondizza
- Giacomo Frova
- Carola Castiglione
- Mattia Macciachini
- Mattia Cappiello
Institutions
- iF Design Award
- Taiwan Textile Research Institute
- DesertBoard®
- PDR
- TRASH+ LAB
- Return Mountain Design
- CyclePath Lab Co., Ltd
- Sokofresh Agri-innovations East Africa Limited
- Galp Energy
- Takenaka Corporation
- ONE Architecture
- SCAPE
- NYC EDC
- Arcadis
- BIG
- SAMOO
- RAUMTAKT
- Epic Society
- Design Outreach
- iF Design Student Award
- iF Social Impact Prize
- designboom
Locations
- Taiwan
- Taitung
- Taichung
- Kenya
- Portugal
- New York
- Lower Manhattan
- United States
- South Korea
- Busan
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Italy
- Ghana
- Malaysia
- Malawi
- United Kingdom
- Osaka
- Kansai
- Japan