Words and images Golden Pin Design Award 2025
Editing The Kanto team
The Golden Pin Design Award has revealed its finalists for the prestigious Best Design of the Year! Following the final selection, 90 entries were shortlisted from among 429 Design Mark recipients for the 2025 Golden Pin Design Award, while 6 creative proposals emerged as finalists for the 2025 Golden Pin Concept Design Award. Out of three Filipino Design Mark recipients, Kilyawan Farm Resort by Dominic Galicia Architects made it to this year’s final shortlist!
“Design should go beyond formal or stylistic innovation to ultimately serve people and daily life,” noted renowned Chinese designer Tiger Pan, who served as jury president for packaging design at D&AD last year. He expressed his delight in seeing many shortlisted works this year closely connected to everyday contexts, actively bringing positive changes to society.
“Kilyawan Farm Resort transforms a former poultry farm into an eco-conscious retreat rooted in reuse, daylight, and sustainability. Preserving the site’s original grid, two chicken coops were adapted into a reception building and guest cabins using recycled and locally sourced materials,” GPDA describes. “Courtyards, woven bamboo, eco-bricks, and translucent panels bring in light, air, and shifting shadows, creating soft transitions between indoor and outdoor spaces. The design honors the site’s agricultural past while shaping a serene destination that integrates architecture, landscape, and local craft.”
Prior to its GPDA recognition, Kilyawan was also shortlisted at the 2024 World Architecture Festival under the Built Project, Hotel and Leisure category, and the 2024 Brick Award organized by Wienerberger AG. Below is the full list of 2025 finalists:
Golden Pin Design Award
Golden Pin Concept Design Award
Jeffrey C. Lin, Principal Architect of Llin Architects and a member of the final jury, noted that the Concept Design Award places particular emphasis on creativity and forward-thinking ideas. Projects that also demonstrate social responsibility and aesthetic value are viewed favorably, while those showing feasibility and potential impact stand out even more.
“This year’s entries demonstrated a stronger focus on storage and multifunctional adaptability to suit increasingly compact living spaces,” said Liang Yi-Chia, Executive Vice President of MUJI Taiwan. He also pointed out that ESG considerations have become more prominent in design, from material selection to reducing environmental impact after use.
Winners of the GPDA will be revealed at the Award Ceremony on December 5 in Taipei. Congratulations and best of luck to the Dominic Galicia Architects and Kilyawan Farm Resort teams! •
