Hydro's aluminium alloy named Dezeen Awards 2025 sustainability project of the year

Hydro CIRCAL 100R by Hydro won Dezeen Awards 2025 sustainable project of the year following the announcement of all five sustainability category winners at a party in London.

The five winners awarded in Dezeen's annual awards programme were by studios including Squire and Partners and Morrama.

Hydro CIRCAL 100R by Hydro won the prestigious sustainable project of the year award and was also named material innovation of the year.

The sustainability master jury described Hydro CIRCAL 100R as "a truly circular material of the future, making good on its promise of infinite recyclability with no waste".

"Its impact is sure to be felt far beyond the world of design and architecture, offering a rare glimpse of not just hope but real progress," they added.

The winning material innovation was competing against projects which included a wellbeing retreat inspired by marine life, buildable headphones made for children and a heritage centre pioneering bio-based interior solutions.

Read more about all the winning sustainability projects below:

Sustainable project of the year and material innovation of the year: Hydro CIRCAL 100R by Hydro

Hydro's aluminium alloy made from 100 per cent recycled waste is the first product of its type on the market.

With a carbon footprint 97 per cent lower than the global average for aluminium, Hydro CIRCAL 100R marks a significant step towards a zero-carbon, circular future.

The master jury said, "in achieving the hitherto impossible task of making aluminium with 100 per cent recycled content, Hydro is heralding a future in which we no longer have to mine new bauxite to make aluminium".

"Through its industrial-scale manufacturing facilities, the company is already making massive leaps in turning this dream into a reality."

Sustainable building of the year: Intaaya Retreat by Pablo Luna Studio

A wellness retreat inspired by marine life on a cliff edge in Indonesia won sustainable building of the year.

Conscious of the retreat's environmental impact, Balinese practice Pablo Luna Studio created the structures using local materials such as bamboo, limestone and rammed earth.

The judges said, "with the Intaaya Retreat, Pablo Luna Studio has delivered a hotel complex that proves the value of Bali's vernacular architecture and local craft skills in delivering sustainable buildings".

"Although the hotel is exclusive in its use, the studio has made efforts to share its building techniques with other practitioners through affordable online masterclasses," they continued.

"In a bid to extend the benefits of bamboo and rammed earth construction to a larger scale."

Sustainable renovation of the year: Space House by Squire and Partners

Squire and Partners won sustainable renovation of the year for their renovation and extension of two mid-century modern office buildings.

While preserving the grade-II listed Space House completed in 1968, Squire and Partners has repaired the existing structures and modernised their facilities through vertical extensions.

"At a time when many of the UK's modernist buildings are being demolished, Space House proves that maintaining these iconic structures doesn't have to mean sacrificing liveability or operational efficiency," said the sustainability master jury.

Highly commended sustainable renovation of the year: Hedeskov Living Lab by Djernes & Bell

Danish architecture studio Djernes & Bell's research and educational centre, Hedeskov Living Lab, was highly commended in the sustainable renovation category.

The project "provides an ambitious example for how a building can grow from – and ultimately benefit – its local context, combining existing structures, hyper-local site-won materials and upskilling opportunities for local artisans," said the judges.

Sustainable interior of the year: World Heritage Centre Wadden Sea (WEC) by Spring Studio

Spring Studio's bio-based interior for World Heritage Centre Wadden Sea (WEC) in the Netherlands won sustainable interior of the year.

Approximately 70 per cent of the materials used in the interior of the research, education and wildlife care hub are bio-based, including locally sourced hemp and crushed seashells.

The judges praised the WEC for its "truly mind-boggling materiality, integrating not just one but more than ten different sustainable materials developed especially for the project".

"Most importantly, they were made using regionally available resources to promote care for the local ecology and fabricated with an incredible attention to detail that photos struggle to do justice," the jury continued.

Highly commended sustainable interior of the year: CoLab by Sancal and Lucas Muñoz

Spanish designer Lucas Muñoz's showroom for furniture brand Sancal in a former office building in Madrid, reusing all materials from the original space that could not be recycled was highly commended in the sustainable interior category.

"Under the ethos 'what can't be recycled remains', Sancal and Lucas Muñoz have found truly fun, playful ways to work with what's available, while bringing measurable benefits to the local community," the master jury praised.

Sustainable design: Kibu Children's Headphones by Morrama and Batch.Works

Colourful headphones – crafted from agricultural packaging waste and designed for children – that can be built, repaired, and recycled won sustainable design project of the year.

The buildable product aims to educate and empower children through hands-on learning and was also highly commended in the product design (consumer design) category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

"These circular children's headphones turn their sustainable credentials – the fact that they can be easily assembled and disassembled for recycling – into a teachable moment," said the judges.

"By allowing kids to construct their own headphones, they encourage a future generation of designers to learn about how things are made and how they could be made more sustainably."

Dezeen Awards 2025 in partnership with Bentley

Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The eighth edition of the annual awards programme is in partnership with Bentley as part of a wider collaboration to inspire, support and champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a better and more sustainable world. This ambition complements Bentley's architecture and design business initiatives, including the Bentley Home range of furnishings and real estate projects around the world.

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