PIPA 2025 honours the projects that transform spaces into experiences
02 July 2025On 26 June, the Belgian capital hosted the PIPA 2025 gala. The event not only rewarded excellence in design and architecture, but also celebrated creativity, innovation and the ability to create spaces that connect us in a more organic and fluid way under the slogan ‘Organic Design, Fluid Spaces’.
A historic setting to recognise talent
The awards ceremony took place at the Théâtre du Vaudeville, a valuable architectural and cultural gem in Belgium. Guests were guided to the entrance by structures displaying the finalist projects, on the walkway under the glass domes of the Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries.
After a welcome with live music, the award ceremony was hosted by Belgian presenter Virginie Claes. The event focused on celebrating ideas that advance architecture and interior design. In this unique setting, the award-winning projects took centre stage in a celebration that honoured the values of organic design. It was an evening to share, be inspired and celebrate the fundamental role of design.
A week of experiences between Spain and Belgium
The gala was just the end of a much broader experience. It all began in Spain, with an immersion in the Porcelanosa universe with a visit to the business group’s headquarters. In addition to learning about the production processes, participants were able to experiment with the materials through craft workshops and culinary offerings that dialogued with their textures, finishes and properties.
Brussels took over with tours of the city’s fluid architecture and nods to comic books. The choice of the Belgian capital as the venue for PIPA 2025 was no coincidence, as the occasion served to highlight the opening of the first Porcelanosa store in the country.
PIPA 2025 Jury: a pluralistic perspective
The designers of the 20 finalist projects, selected by the organising committee from among all the entries, defended their proposals before a diverse and multifaceted international jury. The panel evaluated the works not only on the basis of technical excellence, but also on their emotional, social and conceptual impact.
This year’s jury was made up of Ivan Missinne, senior architect and design director at VK Architects + Engineers; Tanya Suvannapong, director and head of design at Gensler Singapore; and Juan Roldán, architect, consultant and professor at the American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
PIPA 2025 Award-winning Projects
An intense day of project presentations at Porcelanosa’s new showroom at 288 Avenue Louise preceded the jury’s verdict. The winners in the five categories were announced during the gala.
| Award Category | Project Name | Architecture | Design | Jury Statement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-Family Residential | LA PRIMAVERA | Nicolás Vicente Idialborde | Nicolás Vicente Idialborde, Agostina Gianello, Alberto Novoa | The award in the Single-Family Residential category went to La Primavera for giving ‘a new use to the land on which it is built without limits.’ |
| Multi-unit Residential | MAISON LE SOMMET | Chiasmus Partners | Le Sommet CIB | The jury awarded the Maison Le Sommet project first prize in the Multi-unit Residential category for its ‘pleasant, human-scale geometry that gently embraces the urban context, together with a selection of carefully crafted and well-balanced materials.’ |
| Commercial Projects and Public Spaces | JW DESIGN STUDIO | – | Wang Ying – JW Design Studio | The award in the Commercial Projects and Public Spaces category was given to JW Design Studio for creating ‘a workspace that embraces imperfection with a captivating energy and a dialogue between materiality and soft, natural light.’ |
| Hotels | HOTEL BARDO SAVANNAH | LS3P Architecture | Atelier Pond | The Hotels category recognised Hotel Bardo Savannah for ‘its narrative, balanced and coherent concept, which has been carried out with great care right through to the final result, respecting the legacy and successfully managing the disruptive impact of the juxtaposition of styles’. |
| Facades | EXELMANS | Stefan Architecture | – | The award for Best Façade went to Exelmans, which stood out for ‘respecting the architecture of the city with a design that fosters a calm and elegant dialogue with its surroundings, while introducing a new interpretation of the materiality of limestone’. |
| Special Mentions | Viola House | SJ Space Design | – | Creating a domestic space with a strong sense of scale, refined through carefully considered details and precise execution. |
| Lilōu Restaurant | – | Rafael Sama & Martha Brockman | Its holistic design approach, which is applied flawlessly from conception to execution and user experience. |
A closing that looks to the future
The 2025 edition reaffirms PIPA’s international vocation as a platform for showcasing contemporary architectural talent and starts the countdown to the next edition. Above all, however, these awards consolidate their role as a meeting place for professionals, ideas and experiences that transform the way we inhabit the world.
