Thai designers shine on the global stage once again as “Creative Crews” and “Architect Win Varavarn” win the prestigious Golden Pin Design Award 2021 in the Best Design category for Spatial Design.

The Golden Pin Design Award, an iconic design award in Asia, held its annual award ceremony for 2021 on December 4, 2021, in Taipei. Thai entries won 21 awards in total, including two Best Design awards, alongside 31 winners from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, the United States, Japan, and Singapore. This serves as a testament to the excellence of Thai design once again on this significant annual design stage in Asia. The two Thai projects that won the Best Design award are:

  • Ahsa Farmstay by Creative Crews Co., Ltd.
  • PANNAR Sufficiency Economic and Agriculture Learning Center by Vin Varavarn Architects Co., Ltd. in the Spatial Design category.

The judging panel for the 2021 Golden Pin Design Award and Golden Pin Concept Design Award consisted of 98 design experts from 14 countries around the world, making it the largest jury ever assembled. The panel included internationally recognized experts in design, media, and academia, such as British design genius Tom Dixon, renowned Japanese graphic designer Taku Satoh, Dutch architect Francine Houben of Mecanoo, famous Thai graphic designer Theeranop Wangsilpakun, Katsutoshi Ishibashi, editor-in-chief of the Japanese design magazine “AXIS,” Liza Chong, CEO of The Index Project, a Danish design promotion organization, and prominent Taiwanese designers such as Hsieh Jung-Ya, president of GIXIA Group Co., Johnason Lo, founder of JL DESIGN, and Lin Xiao-Yi, a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI).

Golden Pin Design Award 2021
Out of 115 entries nominated for the Best Design award, only 31 projects received awards after intense judging. This included 8 product design entries, 9 communication design entries, 9 spatial design entries, and 5 integrated design entries. Finally, two design projects were selected to receive the Special Annual Award, honoring outstanding work in social design and circular design that can serve as a model for their respective industries.

This year, several globally renowned manufacturers and brands submitted entries in the product design category, including ASUS, BenQ, HP, Casio, and Roland Corporation, which received awards for their innovative designs that respond to current trends, reflecting their leadership in pioneering new design.

The two award-winning Thai designs in the spatial design category reflect a pioneering spirit in creating spaces for relaxation and future architecture. Ahsa Farmstay by Creative Crews, a leading Thai design firm, aims to connect building design with culture by integrating local wisdom and traditions appropriately to create works that resonate with contemporary and future contexts. The jury praised this project for its excellence in balancing the preservation of the area's original environment, respecting local traditions, while also meeting modern living needs with a new design that seamlessly integrates with existing elements, harmonizing with nature and the land, reflecting humility and tranquility while leaving a lasting impression on visitors.

Another award-winning project, the PANNAR Sufficiency Economic and Agriculture Learning Center in Khao Yai, designed by Architect Win Varavarn, aims to inspire and promote the philosophy of sufficiency economy and new agricultural practices among Thais. The two-story building is designed as a large open pavilion, versatile in use, with flexible space that welcomes natural light and has good ventilation. The building reflects local craftsmanship and materials, creatively adapted to create a new design suitable for modern lifestyles. The jury was impressed by the architecture's simplicity, minimalism, yet delicate and refined nature, representing a perfect example of contemporary architecture that intelligently integrates local craftsmanship and materials to create functional public spaces that align with modern aesthetic principles.

Golden Pin Concept Design Award 2021
This year’s Golden Pin Concept Design Award featured 7 entries nominated for the Best Design award, with three projects from Taiwan and Japan winning the top prize, each receiving a cash prize of 400,000 New Taiwan Dollars, or approximately 400,000 Baht. Liza Chong, CEO of The Index Project, as a final judging panel member, expressed her delight in seeing creative solutions from new designers addressing environmental issues, climate change, and future healthcare. Many nominated designs were fresh and based on serious research, which amazed the panel with their capabilities.

A Cutting-Edge Award Ceremony with the Theme UPLOAD

This year’s award ceremony was held under the concept of “UPLOAD,” an essential step for designers to present their work to a global audience, symbolizing the hope of bringing beautiful new creations into the world after the completion of the design process. This concept also conveys that the Golden Pin Design Award serves as a platform for outstanding design works waiting to be discovered and promoted to a broader audience.

The Golden Pin Design Award enters its 40th year this year, continuing to attract design talent from around the world since its elevation to international status in 2014. The scope and scale of the competition have continuously expanded, with many outstanding designers using the Golden Pin Design Award as a medium to promote their work widely. As a benchmark for widely recognized design excellence, the Golden Pin Design Award will continue to certify high-quality design for various markets and industries, promoting society and raising awareness of the value of design and aesthetics while enhancing the quality of life.

About the Golden Pin Design Award Group

The Golden Pin Design Award is the longest-running annual international design award that honors products or projects created for Chinese-speaking populations, providing participants the opportunity to demonstrate their potential to reach the largest market in the world.

The Golden Pin Design Award Group is directed by the Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI), organized by the Industrial Development Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Taiwan serving as an advisor.