VMPL
Kozhikode (Kerala) [India], October 26: Nuvocotto, one of India's leading terracotta brand, held the fourth edition of the Terracotta Design Award (TDA) at K Hills, Kozhikode. The event brought together architects, designers, researchers, and creative practitioners from across India and internationally for an evening of panel conversations, finalist presentations, and the announcement of winners across three categories.
Now in its fourth year, TDA has established itself as a distinctive platform in the Indian design community, one built around a belief that the people doing the most interesting work with terracotta deserve to find each other. This year's edition drew entries from across India and beyond - Vietnam, Turkey, USA, with a jury that included practitioners from the UAE, Indonesia, and across India.
The Categories and Winners
Terracotta Facades
This category recognises built projects in which terracotta plays a central role in the design of a building's exterior.
Winner: Apoorva lekha, AD Studio 9, Bengaluru
The Facades jury comprised Rashiq Muhamad Ali, architect and founder of RqMA Architecture + Design, a research-driven practice with over 18 years of international experience spanning Zaha Hadid Architects, 10 Design, and projects across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; and Sunil Philip, founding partner of PSP Design, Chennai, a multi-disciplinary practice known for contextual storytelling in architecture and hospitality design.
Terracotta Futures
This category is open to conceptual, research-based, and student work that explores new directions for terracotta.
Winner: Ho Viet Hung, H2 Architects, Vietnam
The Futures jury comprised Alia Rashed Al Shamsi, Founder and Creative Director of Alia Rashed Commercial Designing Studio, Abu Dhabi, recognised for creating immersive, experience-driven spaces that blend contemporary aesthetics with local identity; and Boney Keriwala, co-founder of B.A.D — Bureau for Architecture and Design Studio, Surat, a research-driven practice whose work spans materiality, computational design, and local craft traditions.
Terracotta Reimagined
This category recognises innovation at the level of the terracotta product, element, or system — new ways of thinking about the material itself.
Winner: Manjunath C N, Studio Whitescape
The Reimagined jury comprised Vignesh Sekar, founding Principal Architect of STO.M.P (Studio for Modernism and Practical Aesthetics), Madurai, whose work has been featured in Wallpaper*, ArchDaily, and Habitus Living; and Rajesh Shivaram, Principal Architect of Techno Architecture, known for design excellence that combines sustainability, craft, and contemporary spatial thinking.
The Shortlisted Finalists spanned across gender, cultures, regions and ages - from seasoned practitioners to young students.
Keynote Address
The evening featured a keynote address by Ar. Andy Rahman, IAI, founder of andyrahman architect, Indonesia. Andy Rahman is known for his material-based architectural practice rooted in close collaboration with local craftsmen. His work treats brick and clay as cultural mediums and positions the craftsman as a creative partner in the design process.
Panel Conversations
Preceding the finalist presentations, each category opened with a jury panel conversation moderated by James Kingsley Claudin. The panels explored what terracotta uniquely offers on facades, where the material is headed in the hands of emerging designers, and what it means to reimagine a material this old at the level of the element and the system.
About the Terracotta Design Award
The Terracotta Design Award is a platform initiated by Nuvocotto to recognise and connect architects, designers, researchers, and creative practitioners working with terracotta. Now in its fourth edition, TDA brings together built projects, conceptual work, and material innovation from across India and internationally, with the aim of building a community around a shared curiosity for what terracotta can still become. This platform has become a bridge between the design community and the product development community, with key attention to climate responsiveness.
About Nuvocotto
Nuvocotto is one of India's premium brand of terracotta products, committed to promote creative use of the material through design, craft, and collaboration with the creative community.
N. A. Anaz, Founder & Chairman of Nuvocotto, and Abdul Ahad, CEO, were also present at the event.
“Meaningful dialogue between the industry and the design community is key to developing innovative designs and products. When manufacturers and designers exchange ideas and collaborate, it opens up new possibilities for materials like terracotta,” said Mohammed Razal, Co-founder & Managing Director of Nuvocotto.
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