The Design Museum has today unveiled the shortlist for the sixth annual Designs of the Year. The list includes the best designs from around the world in the last 12 months across seven categories: Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Furniture, Graphics, Product and Transport.

Selected by a panel of distinguished nominators, the awards compile the most original and exciting designs, prototypes and designers in the world today – brought together in a Design Museum exhibition from March 20 through July 7, 2013.

LA TOUR BOIS-LE-PRETRE, PARIS – Designed by Druot, Lacaton and Vassal
The striking transformation of a run-down tower in northern Paris created an alternative approach to the physical and social redevelopment of decaying post-war housing.

CLAPHAM LIBRARY, LONDON – Designed by Studio Egret West
The £6.5m, 19,000 sq ft public library is located in the heart of Clapham, holding more than 20,000 books, it also provides a new performance space for local community groups, 136 private apartments and 44 affordable homes.

MOCA, CLEVELAND – Designed by Farshid Moussavi Architects
The 34,000 sq ft structure, which is 44 percent larger than MOCA‘s former rented space, is both environmentally and fiscal sustainable.

METROPOLITAN ARTS CENTRE, BELFAST – Designed by Hackett Hall McKnight
The Metropolitan Arts Centre is wedged between two existing buildings on a hemmed-in corner plot that sits beside the city cathedral. The glazed tower sits atop the volcanic stone facade of this performing arts centre to create a beacon above the surrounding rooftops.

A ROOM FOR LONDON – Designed by David Kohn Architects in collaboration with artist Fiona Banner
Perched above Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre, the boat-shaped one bedroom installation offers guests a place of refuge and reflection amidst the flow of traffic surrounding its iconic location.

KUKJE ART CENTER, SEOUL – Designed by SO-IL
This single-storey building is draped in a stainless steel mesh blanket that fits precisely over its structure and merges with the district’s historic urban fabric of low-rise courtyard houses and dense network of small alleyways.

IKEA DISOBEDIENTS – Designed by Andres Jaque Arquitectos
IKEA Disobedients, an architectural performance by Madrid-based Andres Jaque Arquitectos, was premiered at MoMA PS1, part of the 9+1 Ways of Being Political exhibition and reveals how recent architectural practices use performance to engage audiences with architecture in a non-traditional way.

BOOK MOUNTAIN, SPIJKENISSE – Designed by MVRDV
This mountain of bookshelves is contained by a glass-enclosed structure and a pyramid roof with a total surface area of 9,300 sq m. Corridors and platforms bordering the form are accessed by a network of stairs to allow visitors to browse the tiers of shelves. A continuous 480m route culminates at the peak’s reading room and cafe with panoramic views through the transparent roof.

THE SHARD, LONDON – Designed by Renzo Piano
The Shard is the tallest building in Western Europe, transforming the London skyline, the multi-use 310m vertical structure consists of offices, world-renowned restaurants, the 5-star Shangri-La hotel, exclusive residential apartments and the capital’s highest viewing gallery.

THALIA THEATRE, LISBON – Designed by Gonçalo Byrne Arquitectos & Barbas Lopes Arquitectos
Built in the 1840s, the Thalia Theatre has been in ruins almost ever since. The project reconverts it into a multipurpose space for conferences, exhibitions and events. In order to retain the old walls, the exterior is covered in concrete, while the interior remains in its original condition.

ASTLEY CASTLE, WARWICKSHIRE – Designed by Witherford Watson Mann
A sensitive renewal of this dilapidated castle in rural Warwickshire, the ancient shell forms a container for a dynamic series of interior contemporary spaces. The rebirth of Astley in this elegantly assured, thoughtful project presents a strong new idea for the future interactions wi

Editor