Dezeen is one of the world's best-known platforms for architecture and design. Every year, the Dezeen Awards celebrate the most remarkable designs from around the globe. The winner of the public vote will be announced on 28 October, and the jury results will follow on 16 November.

Built from what Friesland already had
Rather than looking at what was missing, Overtreders W looked at what was already there in Friesland. High up in the roof hung two hundred colourful cloths, made from old hot air balloons of the Noordelijk Ballonvaartcentrum. The walls of the Whitebox were filled with raw Frisian wool that would otherwise have been destroyed. Royal Tichelaar and Humade developed tiles made from Wadden Sea silt. Steinfort Glas gave misprinted glass a second life as a canvas for the drawings of a hundred schoolchildren. At Rewood Pallets, people with a distance to the labour market built the floor from repaired pallets. In the Kitchen stood tables and stools made from miscanthus, a crop from the Frisian peat meadows. Three Frisian construction companies, Lont, Friso and Dijkstra Draisma, joined forces to build the main structure. Residents, artists, companies and care organisations then filled in the rest, down to the seat cushions and disco balls.

A house for everyone
From 17 May to 24 August 2025, Bouwurk stood in the heart of Leeuwarden. Anyone could walk in, and nearly all activities were free. On Friday mornings, visitors baked bread together. Children built their own fairground rides in the Maker Space. In the evenings, the Oasis turned into a dance floor and bands played in the Whitebox. Bouwurk became a tribute to everyone who keeps society running, even when we don't always see them.

How to vote
Voting is open until 16 October via the Dezeen Awards voting page. Create a free account, select Installation Design under Design Categories and vote for Bouwurk.

Bouwurk was a co-production of Arcadia and the Municipality of Leeuwarden. Arcadia 2025 was made possible by main partners the Municipality of Leeuwarden, the Province of Fryslân and Univé Buurtfonds, and partners Leeuwarder Ondernemers Fonds, Firda, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences and Arriva. Bouwurk was also supported by project partners VriendenLoterij Fonds, Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (Creative Industries Fund NL) and BPD Cultuurfonds.

More information here.