Press Release
Color Craze Primary School Library by Cosmo Chuah Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Cosmo Chuah acknowledged for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Color Craze Primary School Library by Cosmo Chuah, designed for Lab Two Design, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
About Color Craze Primary School Library
Color Craze is a library interior for a primary school. The design renovates an old library and covers 1,600 square feet. Irregular bookshelves, built-in slides, color themed areas and interactive walls shape the space. Students retrieve books using the slides and draw on graffiti walls. Color coded zones signal mood and function, while continuous lighting and irregular forms guide movement. The layout was planned with computer aided design tools and color psychology, and the furniture and lighting follow ergonomic principles. The aim is to increase interest in reading.
About Cosmo Chuah
Cosmo Chuah, founder of LAB TWO DESIGN, is an interior designer based in Penang, Malaysia, with over two decades of experience since entering the field in 2000. His multidisciplinary practice spans residential, commercial, and exhibition design, often blending narrative, materiality, and spatial context. Cosmo has received recognition in both domestic and international design competitions and actively participates in regional design dialogues across Asia. His work reflects a commitment to contextual relevance, creating spaces that are functionally effective and culturally resonant, contributing meaningfully to Malaysia’s evolving design landscape.
Award Record
With this recognition, Cosmo Chuah is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award
The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/interior
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/173780
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/173780
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!173780
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/370014
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://www.labtwodesign.com/portfolio-collections/my-portfo
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Color Craze Primary School Library
- Function
- Primary School Library
- Category
- Interior Space and Exhibition Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Teal, Dark Cyan, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Sea Green and Light Sea Green
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Lab Two Design
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Cosmo Chuah
- Country
- Malaysia
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #173780
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This is a renovation plan for an old library that turns a static reading space into an immersive, engaging environment. Its unique features include irregular bookshelves, built-in slides, color-themed areas, and interactive walls, offering students a playful, flexible, and user-centered reading experience.
- Inspiration
- We were inspired by the low reading engagement among students. The outdated and dull library environment failed to spark curiosity. Our motivation was to create a space that feels vibrant and playful—one that stimulates interest in reading through color, creativity, and interaction.
- Research
- We conducted behavioral observation and surveys targeting students aged 7–12. The objective was to understand spatial and emotional barriers to reading. Data was collected through interviews, usage logs, and mood mapping. Results showed a clear link between colorful, playful environments and increased time spent reading. The research informed our design, leading to a space that promotes learning and social interaction.
- Challenge
- The main challenges were balancing fun with function and adapting non-traditional furniture forms to building safety codes. Space constraints and fixed structural elements required inventive layout solutions. Sourcing safe, durable materials in bright colors was another hurdle. We overcame these through close coordination with engineers and iterative prototyping.
- Realization and Technology
- We applied participatory design methods—observing student behavior, surveying preferences, and simulating furniture use. Spatial layout was optimized with CAD tools and color psychology theory, while ergonomic principles were applied to the furniture and lighting design for comfort and usability.
- Operation and Interaction
- The library allows for flexible interaction: students retrieve books using slides, write or draw on graffiti walls, and gather in color-coded zones that signal mood and function. Seamless lighting and irregular forms support intuitive movement and help users feel immersed, engaged, and welcome.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in October 2023 at SRJK(C) Chung Hwa 3 in Penang, Malaysia. From initial design to construction and implementation, the entire renovation was completed by March 2024, when the new library officially opened.
- Keywords
- Colorful library design, student-centered space, educational renovation, interactive reading environment, irregular furniture, ambient lighting, creative bookshelf design, school interior upgrade, playful learning space, youth reading engagement
