Dezeen has announced the Bentley Lighthouse Awards shortlist for this year's Dezeen Awards, which includes Faber Futures' Natsai Audrey Chieza and Studio ThusThat's Paco Böckelmann and Kevin Rouff.
First launched in 2023, the Bentley Lighthouse Award recognises those who have had an overwhelmingly beneficial impact on social and environmental sustainability, inclusivity or community empowerment.
The six individuals who are shortlisted for the prestigious Bentley Lighthouse Award are behind projects such as a material made from the colourful husks of heirloom corn species and a series of terracotta-hued vessels made using Bauxite Residue, a waste product from the alumina industry.
Other initiatives include a robot that can build three-dimensional woven volumes out of wool and a lifestyle brand selling biodesigned products using bacteria, algae, fungi, yeast, animal cells and other biological agents.
All Dezeen Awards 2024 shortlisted projects revealed
The Bentley Lighthouse Award was nominated and shortlisted by Dezeen Awards judges and Dezeen's editorial team.
Dezeen Awards 2024, in partnership with Bentley, revealed all shortlisted projects this week. The architecture, interiors, design and sustainability shortlists were published earlier this week and this year's new nomination-based Designers of the Year shortlist was announced last Friday.
"The Bentley Lighthouse Award continues to recognise game-changers who seek to create a better world," said Chris Cooke, head of design collaborations at Bentley.
"This year's shortlist is brimming with trailblazers," he continued, "whose work ranges from innovations in biotechnology and materiality to those working to develop circular systems and economies."
All shortlisted Bentley Lighthouse Award designers are listed below, each with a link to a dedicated page on the Dezeen Awards website, where you can find an image and more information about their work.
The Bentley Lighthouse Award winner will be announced live at our annual Dezeen Awards party on Tuesday 26 November at Hackney Church in London.
Buy your Dezeen Awards party tickets now!
Tickets for the Dezeen Awards 2024 party are now on sale! The event will be a chance for everyone who entered this year's Dezeen Awards to celebrate their achievements alongside fellow nominees, winners and our esteemed Dezeen Awards judges.
Click the link here to find out more and secure your tickets before they sell out!
Read on for the full Bentley Lighthouse Award shortlist:
Fernando Laposse
Mexican designer Fernando Laposse works exclusively with plant-based materials indigenous to Mexico to develop circular systems and economies that support regenerative agriculture.
Working closely with communities in the mountainous region of Mixtec, Laposse recently created a unique furry sculpture made from knotted sisal derived from agave plant leaves. The Sisal Pup Bench was displayed in London at Dezeen's Design You Can Feel exhibition.
Laposse also exhibited a 40-metre handmade tapestry made from fabrics dyed with avocado-seed pigment and marigold flowers, to raise awareness of the social and ecological impacts global avocado consumption has in Mexico.
Read more about Fernando Laposse ›
Paco Böckelmann and Kevin Rouff
Studio ThusThat
Amsterdam-based Kevin Rouff and Paco Böckelmann are the founders of design, research and material development firm Studio ThusThat.
The multidisciplinary collective repurposes waste materials from large-scale human activity and waste streams, such as mining and metallurgy.
Recent works include a series of furniture made from aluminium offcuts and a collection of chairs, lamps and mirrors made from slag, a byproduct from the copper smelting process.
Read more about Kevin Rouff and Paco Boeckelmann ›
Christien Meindertsma
Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma researches product life cycles and documents them using film and photography to curate environmentally conscious commercial products.
Meindertsma has worked with various materials throughout her career but is best known for her designs that utilise wool and flack, including the One Sheep Sweater and Fibre Market.
Her ongoing research has seen the designer turn flax fibres into yarn, rope, cloths and even a biodegradable chair. More recently she unveiled a range of "playdough" like tiles made of linseed oil, pine resin, wood dust and chalk for manufacturer Dzek, as part of an installation during Milan Design Week.
Read more about Christien Meindertsma ›
Natsai Audrey Chieza
Faber Futures / Normal Phenomena of Life (NPOL)
Natsai Audrey Chieza founded Faber Futures, an award-winning multidisciplinary design agency that explores the intersection between design and biotechnology, and co-founded biotech lifestyle brand Normal Phenomena of Life with Christina Agapakis in 2023.
The agency's innovative design solutions aim to empower industries within design and research to transition towards sustainable futures.
Initiatives include Project Coelicolor, a design application investigating chemical-free dyes and water-saving biofabrication systems, which won an Index Award in 2019.
Chieza was awarded the Design Innovation Medal at this year's London Design Medals.
Read more about Natsai Audrey Chieza ›
Luke Haverhals
Natural Fiber Welding
Luke Haverhals is the founder of Natural Fiber Welding, a material innovation company that creates plant-based materials for clients including automotive brand BMW, fashion brand Ralph Lauren and shoewear brands Bared Footwear and Purified.
The US start-up presented their plant-based leather alternative Mirum, with the material used across Stella McCartney's Falabella and Frayme bags, as part of Stella McCartney's exhibition at the COP28 climate conference.
Other notable projects include a leather alternative for BMW's car interiors and a shoe collection using Pliant biobased soles for Australia-based shoe brand Bared.
Read more about Luke Haverhals ›
Dezeen Awards 2024 in partnership with Bentley
Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The seventh edition of the annual awards programme is in partnership with Bentley as part of a wider collaboration to inspire, support and champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a better and more sustainable world. This ambition complements Bentley's architecture and design business initiatives, including the Bentley Home range of furnishings and real estate projects around the world.