From Ornament to Operation: 4 Surface Design Insights from Dezeen Awards 2024

Introduction

The role of surfaces in interior architecture has shifted profoundly. Once valued primarily for ornament, today’s most innovative surfaces are designed to work—mediating light, regulating climate, telling stories of place, and enabling modular adaptability. This transition from decoration to operation is vividly captured in the Dezeen Awards 2024 Surface Design shortlist, where projects transform walls, tiles, and claddings into active components of spatial performance.

From Snøhetta’s terracotta modules that sculpt light through concave geometries, to Makhno Studio’s clay walls that breathe with their environment, to Studio RAP’s digitally fabricated ceramics that reinterpret cultural narratives, these shortlisted works demonstrate how surfaces are increasingly expected to do more than look beautiful. They set new benchmarks for designers and specifiers, providing lessons on how material choices shape the lived experience of space.

As Kandes anticipates results from the Dezeen Awards 2025, where our own gypsum 3D wall panels are competing, it is worth reflecting on the 2024 shortlist—not only as a celebration of innovation but as a roadmap for the qualities that tomorrow’s surfaces must deliver.

Lesson 1: Light management through geometry 

Light is one of the most powerful tools in architecture, and surfaces are increasingly designed as instruments to modulate it. The Dezeen Awards 2024 shortlist highlighted projects where geometry, depth, and texture allow walls and tiles to act as dynamic light-shaping devices.

Snøhetta’s Void project demonstrates this principle with striking clarity: concave terracotta modules reduce material use while amplifying the interplay of light and shadow, producing a chiaroscuro effect that shifts throughout the day (Dezeen, World-Architects). This subtle manipulation transforms otherwise flat walls into surfaces that enhance spatial rhythm and atmosphere.

Similarly, Studio RAP explored how ceramic reliefs can diffuse and soften light. Their Ceramic House façade, inspired by textile pleats, demonstrates how computationally generated geometries paired with glaze can create a knit-like diffusion at eye level (Dezeen, Studio RAP). Light here is not incidental—it is the medium through which material identity and human experience connect.

For specifiers, these projects reinforce a key lesson: geometry is as much a technical tool as an aesthetic one. Surfaces that bend, pleat, or curve do not simply decorate; they orchestrate light in ways that impact comfort, perception, and ambience.

Photo by Mattia Balsamini

Lesson 2: Air and humidity buffering surfaces

In parallel to light modulation, surfaces are increasingly engineered to interact with indoor climate. Instead of being inert finishes, they actively contribute to healthier environments—a shift exemplified by Makhno Studio’s Breathable Walls, shortlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2024 in Surface Design.

Crafted from unfired clay blended with natural fibers such as flax and barley, these walls act as hygroscopic regulators: they absorb excess moisture when humidity rises and release it back when the air becomes dry. This creates a more balanced microclimate while also contributing to natural air purification (Dezeen, Makhno Studio).

The innovation lies not only in material composition but also in the return to elemental building wisdom. Clay has long been known for its thermal and acoustic properties, yet here it is reformulated with organic fillers that make the panels lighter, stronger, and more sustainable. The result is a surface that is both architectural and ecological—bridging vernacular knowledge with contemporary design needs.

For architects and designers, the lesson is clear: air quality is now part of the surface brief. With wellness-driven design gaining ground in residential, hospitality, and workplace projects, specifying materials that passively regulate humidity can support both user comfort and sustainability goals.

Photo by Makhno Studio

Lesson 3: Surfaces as narrative gateways 

Surfaces increasingly act as narrative devices, embedding cultural memory and storytelling into the built environment. This was powerfully demonstrated by Studio RAP’s New Delft Blue, a project that reinterprets the Netherlands’ ceramic heritage through computational design and additive manufacturing.

The installation, shortlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2024, consists of over 3,000 unique 3D-printed ceramic tiles framing an urban passageway in Delft (Dezeen, Amazing Architecture). Inspired by the city’s iconic porcelain tradition, the design creates an immersive threshold where every tile is distinct yet part of a coherent whole.

Here, ornament is not merely decorative—it functions as a cultural gateway, connecting contemporary urban space with centuries of craft tradition. The computational approach allows mass-customization without chaos: digital tools ensure production logic and installation efficiency while preserving uniqueness.

For specifiers, the lesson is that surfaces can carry identity as well as function. Whether through pattern, relief, or fabrication method, materials can be employed to tell stories of place, brand, or community—transforming surfaces into narrative landmarks within architecture.

Photo by Riccardo De Vecchi

Lesson 4: Maintainability & modularity 

In practice, the long-term performance of a surface depends not only on its beauty or ecological profile but also on how it is maintained, repaired, and scaled. This principle was exemplified by Barry Wark’s Nadarra, a project that redefines modularity through additive manufacturing.

Nadarra uses 3D-printed sand modules produced via binder jetting—a process that allows each piece to be shaped with organic geometries while maintaining structural integrity. The resulting blocks can be scaled into large installations, swapped individually when damaged, and recycled at the end of their life (Dezeen, Maker Faire Rome, 3Dnatives).

This approach introduces circularity into surface design: rather than treating cladding as a monolithic, difficult-to-repair layer, it embraces modularity as a strategy for both longevity and flexibility. Architects and designers gain not only expressive freedom but also a more resilient material system, where maintenance can be carried out selectively without disrupting the whole installation.

For specifiers, the key lesson is to evaluate surfaces through the lens of lifecycle adaptability. Ease of replacement, modular scalability, and recycling pathways are no longer “nice to haves” but essential criteria in meeting environmental targets and operational budgets.

Specifier’s checklist for operational surfaces 

The 2024 shortlist shows that surfaces are no longer passive; they perform. For architects and designers, this means expanding specification criteria beyond aesthetics. The following checklist translates the four lessons into practical points:

1. Light behavior

   • Does the geometry diffuse, reflect, or absorb light?

   • Consider relief depth, glazing, and curvature for both daylight and artificial lighting conditions.

2. Indoor climate contribution

   • Is the material hygroscopic or breathable (e.g., unfired clay)?

   • Can it help stabilize humidity or air quality without active systems?

3. Narrative & cultural identity

   • Does the surface carry a story of place, heritage, or brand identity?

   • Can digital tools enable mass-customization while ensuring installation efficiency?

4. Maintainability & modularity

   • Are panels or modules replaceable individually?

   • What are the recycling pathways and lifecycle expectations?

5. Technical compliance

   • Fire classification (A1 non-combustible or equivalent)

   • Acoustic performance, VOC content, and environmental certification (LEED, BREEAM)

6. Procurement logistics

   • Minimum order quantities, lead times, and sample availability

   • Access to BIM files and technical documentation

For specifiers, these considerations ensure that a chosen surface is not only visually compelling but also operationally reliable—a balance increasingly required in contemporary projects.

Where Kandes fits into this evolution 

The Dezeen Awards 2024 shortlist makes clear that surfaces must now perform—whether by shaping light, regulating air, telling stories, or enabling modular maintenance. Yet many of these innovations are experimental, niche, or highly project-specific. What specifiers often need alongside them is a reliable, compliant substrate that combines design impact with technical assurance.

This is where gypsum-based 3D wall panels, such as those developed by Kandes, play a crucial role. Engineered from natural mineral plaster, they offer:

• A1 non-combustibility, ensuring compliance with the strictest fire-safety standards.

• Seamless monolithic finishes, with joints that disappear into continuous reliefs.

• Paintability, allowing panels to serve as neutral frameworks or bold color statements.

• Geometric precision, enabling the same light-operating effects seen in projects like Snøhetta’s Void or Studio RAP’s ceramic pleats.

For architects and designers, Kandes panels function as the performance substrate: adaptable enough to align with aesthetic vision, but robust and predictable enough to satisfy regulatory, technical, and logistical demands. In this sense, they bridge the gap between experimental innovation and day-to-day specification reality.

Photo: Kandes 3D Wall Panel SOAP 0046

Conclusion: Toward surfaces that perform 

The Dezeen Awards 2024 Surface Design shortlist underscored a decisive shift: surfaces are no longer ornamental layers but active systems shaping light, regulating climate, carrying narratives, and supporting modular longevity. Each project—from the concave terracotta of Snøhetta’s Void to the breathing clay walls of Makhno Studio, from Studio RAP’s reinterpreted Delft ceramics to Barry Wark’s modular sand prints—demonstrates how materials can extend far beyond visual effect into true operational performance.

For specifiers, the lesson is to think of surfaces as multifunctional assets. A successful wall or cladding system now needs to deliver on aesthetics, compliance, lifecycle adaptability, and sensory impact simultaneously.

As we await the first results from the Dezeen Awards 2025, where Kandes is competing in the Surface Design category, these insights provide valuable context. They show how experimental innovation and proven solutions can work in tandem: the boldness of new materials complemented by the reliability of gypsum-based 3D panels.

Surfaces that perform—both as design statements and as technical systems—are no longer the exception. They are fast becoming the expectation.