El Garaje by Nomos

Dezeen Awards 2022 reveals studio winners

Dezeen Awards has announced the winners of the six studio categories which reward the emerging and established studios producing the most outstanding work at the Dezeen Awards 2022 party.

Melbourne-based practice Austin Maynard Architects took home the architecture studio of the year award, and Spanish studio Nomos was named emerging architecture studio of the year.

Interior design studio of the year was awarded to multidisciplinary Dutch practice i29 and emerging interior design studio was awarded to Barcelona-based studio Raúl Sánchez Architects.

Belgian design-duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen won design studio of the year for their practice Muller Van Severen and Samuel Tomatis of Studio Samuel Tomatis received the emerging design studio of the year award.


Terrace House is a residential complex in Melbourne. Photo by Derek Swalwell

Architecture studio of the year: Austin Maynard Architects

Founder Andrew Maynard and co-director Mark Austin lead Austin Maynard Architects and say sustainability is one of the practice's core values.

The Australian studio has built a wider range of residential, retail and commercial spaces since its launch in 2002.

"There is a great deal of interesting residential architecture coming out of Australia at the moment, and this practice is a leader in this field," said the judges.

"The firm has developed an impressive and diverse portfolio of houses at different scales, all of which have a strong sense of identity," they continued. "These are homes that people would really want to live in."


El Garaje by NOMOS
El Garaje is the conversion of a car repair shop into an apartment in Madrid. Photo by Luis Asín

Emerging architecture studio of the year: Nomos

Nomos is an architecture and design studio based in Geneva, Lisbon and Madrid.

The practice works on projects of all scales, from furniture to master planning, with a special focus on cultural context and creating communities through buildings.

"Nomos's work explores different ways of building for communities," said the judges. "The studio has developed a distinctive body of work – from a social housing project in Geneva to a medical centre in Burkina Fasso – that responds to its context with a playful palette of vibrant colours and interesting materials."

"The studio creates buildings that have a strong sense of character and identity that reflect the wide range of countries they are working in," they added.


Dentista is a dental clinic in the centre of Amsterdam. Photo by Felix Meritis

Interior design studio of the year: i29

Dutch interior design studio i29 impressed the jury with its "diverse portfolio that demonstrates its approach to unique thinking and keeping core narratives simple."

"The results are meaningful and celebrate subtle clever moments," they continued. "i29 continues to build on a broad range of works at various scales."


Duplex Tibbaut was the revamp of a duplex in an old Barcelona building. Photo by Jose Hevia

Emerging interior design studio of the year: Raúl Sánchez Architects

Emerging interior design studio of the year was awarded to Barcelona-based studio Raúl Sánchez Architects.

"Raúl Sánchez Architects demonstrates a wide variety of projects that all embrace unique challenges," said the judges.

"The outcomes exhibit authenticity as well as clever, bold yet sensitive uses of colour and texture," they added.


Muller Van Severen celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021. Photo by Frederik Vercruysse

Design studio of the year: Studio Samuel Tomatis

Belgian design duo Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen won design studio of the year for their practice Muller Van Severen.

"Muller Van Severen uses a recognisable and coherent design language," said the judges.

"There is a clear design DNA that runs through all of the studio's work," they continued. "The designs show an imaginative use of colour and materials with a very distinctive design aesthetic."


Studio Samuel Tomatis designs leather alternatives made from seaweed. Photo by Matthieu Barani

Emerging design studio of the year: Studio Samuel Tomatis

Parisian designer Samuel Tomatis of Studio Samuel Tomatis received the emerging design studio of the year accolade.

"Many companies wear their green credentials on their sleeves without truly having a sustainable solution but Studio Samuel Tomatis has embraced sustainability and truly committed to it," commended the judges.

All Dezeen Awards 2022 winners revealed

The winning projects have been selected from more than 5,400 entries from more than 90 countries. In total, 237 projects were shortlisted across 47 categories. The category winners went head to head to win the overall architecture, interiors and design project of the year awards which were also announced tonight.