The World Design Capital (WDC) Taipei 2016 is the first WDC event held within the Chinese-speaking world. To mark the occasion, winners of the World Design Impact Prize (WDIP) – initiated by the International Council of Societies for Industrial Design (Icsid) – were honoured at an event held in Taipei, Taiwan, with a trophy designed by esteemed Taiwanese designer Kevin Yu-Jui Chou of KEV Design. The WDIP recognises and encourages the field of industrial design across projects conceived to benefit society.

Italian design studio Architecture and Vision were awarded the World Design Impact Prize (WDIP) 2015-2016 for a water catchment system titled Warka Water – designed to harvest potable water from air to provide an alternative water source to rural environments where attaining drinking water is a challenge.

Taiwan-based think tank 5% Design Action, which consists of hundreds of design professionals that use 5% of their time to tackle social issues, also received the award. The other finalists selected for WDIP 2015-2016 include HappyTap by WaterSHED and RE:BUILD by Pilosio Building Peace Foundation.

The Golden Pin Design Award social design prize finalists were also recognised. They include Jing Si Multi-purpose Foldable Bed by Jing Si Publications; MOXOR by CHIC DESIGN; and Polar Animals Blanket Set by DA.AI Technology.

It was a special night of design showcase attended by more than 500 design and business luminaries from far and wide, including Dr. Pei-ni Beatrice Hsieh, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs of the Taipei City Government; Liao Chunhao, Founder of Taiwan Designers’ Week; Cristiano Ceccato, Associate Director of Zaha Hadid Architects and more.

An extensive series of public local and supporting events will run alongside signature events during WDC Taipei 2016. Visit the 2016 WDC Events Calendar for more information.

World Design Capital Taipei 2016
wdc2016.taipei/en/