The top spot of July’s FRAME Awards was given to Maison S Museum, a hospitality and cultural space in rural China that cleverly uses its architecture to immerse guests in the rich local culture.

Maison S Museum, designed by Wit Design & Research has been named as July’s FRAME Awards winner for its submission as a Cultural Space, scoring 7.05 overall. The rural Chenjiapucun, China, space has also snagged the position as the first honourable mention, for its submission in the Exhibition category earning a score of 6.98. Maison S Museum serves as a reception space for a six-guestroom Chinese Minsuku, doubling as a small folk museum that showcases the lives of local villagers. The typology, akin to a bed and breakfast, typically immerses guests in rural life but doesn’t actively teach them about it, which the designer sought to overcome with its concept for the space. Scenes displaying villagers’ everyday lives display local culture. ‘I love how this project has the ability to be a vehicle to respectfully reinterpret the past and tell the story of the traditional Chinese Minsuku by projecting it into the future with a very sensual and atmospheric design,’ says Arianna Bavuso, cofounder at AB+AC Architects.

As July's FRAME Awards winner, Maison S Museum immerses guests in local rural culture through its exhibition space and architecture.

It mixes contemporary and traditional elements, Raw concrete façades and walls are complemented by fully glass ones. Wooden boards from abandoned and disassembled local buildings were employed to further support the design narrative. The strong spatial story resonated with the jury, earning it the top two spots in the monthly competition. ‘The Maison S Museum project creates an immersive atmosphere with an almost surreal ambience, contrasting warm illumination with cool natural light seeping through the skylights,’ says Agata Kurzela, founder and design director of Agata Kurzela Studio. ‘The cohesive outcome is largely thanks to the choice of materials, blending traditional exhibitions with contemporary aesthetics of raw concrete and reused timber elements.’

A porous approach at the Forskaren centre seeks to open a door for the public into health and life sciences.

The second honourable mention was awarded to Forskaren, a centre for health and life sciences which provides space for industry, research, academia and the public in one facility in Stockholm (Large Office, 6.82). The designer, 3XN, sought to combine public and private functions, following the brief to open a door into life sciences. A street-level glazed façade visually connects the interior and exterior while the public ground floor is activated with hospitality and cultural spaces, lending it an overall porous quality. A central atrium threads together public and private workspaces, further articulating the building’s open, transparent intentions.

Located on the Belgian seaside, Dune House was bombed during WWII and was recently reimagined by Oyo Architects to meet the needs of its contemporary residents.

Dune House, designed by Oyo Architects, was named as the third honourable mention (House, 6.77). The Koksijde, Belgium, residence is built on the foundations of a residence bombed during World War II. A majority of the wooden interior structure was retained, while old façade panels were replaced with black-stained insulating wooden planks. The design intervention sought to create minimal spatial and visual impact on the environment while maximizing the residents' experience.

The manipulation of wood veneer along with an innovative construction system forms the basis of Wrap, a modular furniture system designed by Penadés Office.

Coming in as the fourth honourable mention is Wrap, designed by Penadés Office (Material, 6.72). The 124-sq-m exhibition was commissioned by the American Hardwood Export Council and launched at Natural Connections, an exhibition at the Matadero as part of Madrid Design Festival 2023. The designer developed a modular furniture system with components consisting of a wooden pipe made with two sheets of 0.7 mm cherry veneer, that were rolled up and glued against each other in opposite directions. A solid foot and a 360-degree ball joint allow for horizontal and vertical construction, resulting in a 5-m-long shelving unit and a low table for the display of the architectural model of Matadero, Madrid´s largest cultural centre.