Press Release
Daria Yang Du Is Honored with the Silver A' Design Award for Art Omi Deconstructive Utopia Design Gallery and Installation in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Daria Yang Du acknowledged for architecture, building and structure design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Art Omi Deconstructive Utopia Design Gallery and Installation by Daria Yang Du, designed for DD Studio, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Art Omi Deconstructive Utopia Design Gallery and Installation
Art Omi Deconstructive Utopia is a design gallery and exhibition building in the Hudson Valley, covering about 12000 square feet. The curved concrete shell was shaped by balloon deflation studies and cast with CNC-milled formwork for precise curvature. At the center, a spherical void is preserved as the main exhibition space and public entrance. A path runs from west to east, flanked by workshops and ending at the lake. Suspended studios use lightweight steel frames clad in wood. Warm timber panels line the interiors and improve acoustics.
About Daria Yang Du
Daria Yang Du is a Los Angeles–based architectural designer (LEED Green Assoc. / Assoc. AIA), interdisciplinary artist, and founder of DD Studio. She holds a Master of Advanced Architectural Design from Cornell University and has worked at leading international firms including RIOS, BIG, Gensler, MAD, and Woods Bagot. Her professional practice spans hospitality, education, cultural, and public infrastructure, with projects realized across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Her works have received multiple international honors, including the IDA Design Awards (Gold), 40 Under 40 Awards, WA Award, LICC Awards, MUSE Design, Loop Design Awards, London and French Design Awards (Platinum).
Award Record
With this recognition, Daria Yang Du is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award
The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://designers.org/design-category/architecture
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/176619
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/176619
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!176619
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/373687
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://dariayyy.com/work
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Art Omi Deconstructive Utopia Design Gallery and Installation
- Function
- Design Gallery and Installation
- Category
- Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dark Slate Blue, Slate Gray, Light Slate Gray and Black
- Images
- 5
- Client
- DD Studio
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Daria Yang Du
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #176619
Credits
- Image Credits
- All Design & Illustration & Drawing & Physical Model by Daria Yang DU
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Beginned by an experimental process of morsal-folly finding process to explore form and movement, the Art Omi Design Gallery reinterprets kinetic gestures into architectural space. The design transitions from a linear system of tensioned strings to a centralized spherical volume, carved out and preserved as the main exhibition space and public entrance. This void becomes the anchor of spatial experience, emphasizing a fluid internal circulation that guides visitors across the site.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by balloon inflation and deflation studies, the design shifts from a linear system to a central spherical void, preserved as the main exhibition and entrance. A pivoting path extends west to east, flanked by workshops and ending at the lake. Suspended studios echo floating forms, while a curving concrete shell recalls string grids. Warm wood interiors contrast the monolithic frame, guiding visitors through a dynamic spatial journey.
- Research
- Each material guided form-finding through its properties. In balloon and yarn experiments, expansion and contraction revealed new spatial opportunities. Placed on flat topography, the balloon’s center aligned with a yarn grid, creating a cloud-like form. Strings attached to it defined smooth paths connecting to the ground. When deflated, shifting strings generated a new landscape, inviting people to walk, sit, lie, and interact with the folly as structure.
- Challenge
- The challenge was translating a fleeting balloon-and-yarn experiment into a permanent architectural system. Capturing the dynamic shift from expansion to deflation required rethinking geometry, circulation, and structure. Preserving the spherical void while adapting the shifting yarn grid into concrete and timber demanded both technical precision and conceptual clarity, turning ephemeral gestures into a coherent, inhabitable cultural landmark.
- Realization and Technology
- The gallery is built as a curved concrete shell shaped by balloon deflation studies, using CNC-milled formwork for precise curvature. Warm timber panels line the interiors, enhancing acoustics and contrast with the concrete mass. Suspended studios use lightweight steel frames clad in wood, appearing to float above. Foundations integrate with the lakeside landscape, anchoring the structure while respecting natural topography.
- Project Duration and Location
- Art Omi in Hudson Valley
- Keywords
- Balloon Experiment, Yarn Grid, Deflation Studies, Form-Finding, Curved Concrete, Spatial Void, Floating Studios, Circulation Path, Cultural Landmark, Landscape Integration, Lightness and Memory, Architecture and Movement
