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Taiwan Design Week 2025: Exploring Ways to #DesignNext

February 4, 2026

From 29 November to 7 December 2025, design practitioners from around the world gathered in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei for the third edition of Taiwan Design Week. Themed “#DesignNEXT”, the event – consisting of exhibitions and forums, as well as the 2025 Global Pin Design Awards – aimed at exploring ways design can respond to global environmental and social challenges.

Taiwan Design Week 2025 was co-organised by the Taiwan Design Research Institute (TDRI) and the International Association of Societies of Design Research (IASDR). The latter’s return to Taiwan after 20 years since its inaugural conference signified a notable milestone for the global design community.

“TDRI is honoured to co-host the conference (with IASDR) and, by integrating it with Taiwan Design Week, we are expanding its impact to demonstrate Taiwan’s strength in connecting design research with real-world application,” said TDRI president Chi-Yi Chang.

 

Design NEXT Exhibition

Taiwan Design Week 2025’s thematic exhibition highlighted 27 projects by 22 design teams worldwide, covering cultural storytelling, democratic technology and urban resilience. Curated by Taipei-based multidisciplinary studio Archicake, the exhibition was held at Taiwan Design Museum up to 25 January 2026.

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Taiwan-Czech 3x3 Design Talk

The cross-cultural conversation which took place at Not Just Library on 3 December 2025 featured six designers namely Oldrich Voyta, APUJAN, Adam Keprta, Hsiang Han Hsu, Nataliya Grimberg and Yu-Mei Huang. Their discussion focused on interdisciplinary design, sustainability and innovation, as well as diversity and inclusion.


Design Industry Forum

Held at Creative Theater on 5 December 2025, the forum brought together leaders from IDSA (USA), BMW DesignWorks, MVRDV, Nikken Sekkei, AECOM and Quanta Research to explore cross-disciplinary design in relation to topics such as future mobility, intelligent green practices and co-designing sustainable cities.

 

IASDR 2025

Co-hosted by TDRI and the Chinese Institute of Design (CID), the conference was conducted at the Taipei Cultural and Creative Building and Eslite Performance Hall from 2 to 5 December 2025, with experts from 47 countries, 497 universities and 85 enterprises in attendance. In line with Taiwan Design Week 2025’s theme, it examined new topics in design research as well as new methodologies such as digital environments and artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration.

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The Golden Pin Design Awards

The grand ceremony took place on 5 December 2025, celebrating design excellence in Asia. The accompanying Golden Pin Design Exhibition is currently on view at Taiwan Design Museum through 26 April 2026.

The 2025 jury comprised renowned design figures from around the world, including Liu Kai (AGI member), Uwe Cremering (iF Design), Francine Houben (Mecanoo), Akira Minagawa (minä perhonen), Babette Strousse (ArtCenter College of Design) and Liang Yi-Chia (MUJI Taiwan).

26 The 2025 Golden Pin Design Award Ceremony concluded successfully.
8 Design luminaries Don Norman and IDSA president Surya Vanka joined the ceremony as award presenters, offering warm recognition to this year’s top honorees.
9 Japanese design master Akira Minagawa, one of this year’s final jury members, returned to Taiwan to present awards.
11 Professor Apex Lin, Pang-Soong—widely regarded as a “mentor” in Taiwan’s design community—received this year’s Honorary Award.
12 Germany’s Sonnenglas GmbH received a Best Design of the Year award for its solar lighting system, with team representatives attending the ceremony in Taipei.
13 Representatives of the design team behind “ARIA,” the high-performance road bike by TROXUS, accepted the award on stage.
14 Taiwan’s EMBERS received the Best Design of the Year in Integration Design for “ESSENTIAL,” a distinctive dining experience that blends culinary storytelling with refined aesthetic expression.
15 Lion Travel’s “Formosensis,” which reimagines the Alishan Forest Railway through integrated carriage and service design, received the Best Design of the Year in the Integration Design category.
16 “LACY STEPS” by Trop Company Limited received the Best Design of the Year for its striking all-white staircase that transforms a courtyard into a memorable spatial experience.
17 “Taichung Green Museumbrary” by SANAA received the Best Design of the Year for its innovative integration of museum and library functions into a fluid, contemporary public space.
18 Poland’s TOFU Studio received the Best Design of the Year for the second time, with team representatives traveling to Taiwan for the ceremony to express their heartfelt gratitude.
20 Japan’s 6D-K Design Studio won a Best Design of the Year award for its refreshed FUJIYA identity. The designer thanked the client and the Golden Pin jury for the recognition.
22 “IRON40” by eTreego Co., Ltd. received the Special Annual Award for Circular Design, recognized for its smart modular packaging system that reduces waste.
23 Feng Chia University’s “MA-TSUO Reading Nook” received a Special Annual Award for creating a model community space that integrates education with local resources.
24 DP Green (Singapore) earned a Special Annual Award for its collaborative revitalization of under-viaduct space into a vibrant community corridor.
19 Aaron Nieh Workshop earned a Best Design of the Year for the visual identity of “Taichung Green Museumbrary,” elegantly capturing the venue’s spirit through refined, minimalist linework.

For the latest news, please follow updates on the official Golden Pin Design Award website and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter.