We are incredibly proud to announce that DAMPA® Drift Panels has won the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 – one of the world’s most recognized design accolades.
Since 1954, the iF DESIGN AWARD has served as a global hallmark of outstanding design quality. This year, the competition received more than 10,000 entries from 68 countries, evaluated by an independent jury of international design experts. Being selected from such a competitive field is a significant international recognition – one we are both proud of and deeply grateful for.
“I am extremely proud that DAMPA® Drift Panels has won the prestigious iF DESIGN AWARD 2026. I am truly overwhelmed – both by the recognition and, not least, by the beautiful and aesthetic expression the project has achieved,” says Lone Rold, Project and Architectural Advisor at DAMPA.
From Dents and Scratches to Architectural Identity
DAMPA® Drift Panels was developed in collaboration with Industrial designer Mikkel Huse and Aalborg University Design Lab. The project rethinks surplus and discarded ceiling tiles, transforming them into a sculptural wall panel with a distinctive spatial identity. Instead of concealing traces of the material’s past, deformations and irregularities become the very starting point for the design.
Through a controlled 3D pressing technique, the reused 60 x 60 cm tiles are shaped into flowing, organic structures inspired by nature’s interference patterns. The result is sculptural wall surfaces with a subtle interplay of light and shadow.
Circular Production in Practice
Beyond being a striking design statement, DAMPA® Drift Panels is also a compelling example of how circular production can be implemented without fundamentally altering the existing production line.
The tiles are re-pressed using our current press machines and newly developed molds. The production setup remains essentially unchanged – but the perspective on material use is transformed.
The jury’s recognition of Drift Panels highlights both the aesthetic excellence of the design and its contribution to a more sustainable agenda.
An Important Step Forward
DAMPA® Drift Panels demonstrates that when we dare to rethink what already exists, we can create solutions that are both aesthetically powerful and strategically meaningful.
“Receiving an iF DESIGN AWARD 2026 is a strong international recognition of the direction we have set for DAMPA. Drift Panels shows that responsible production, industrial precision, and a strong design are not opposites – they can and should elevate one another. We are incredibly proud of the collaboration that made this project possible,” says Michael Nykjær, CEO of DAMPA, concluding:
A design award is meaningful – but an award recognizing both design and circular transformation means even more.
At DAMPA, we are deeply grateful to all partners and contributors, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue on how responsible production and architectural quality can evolve side by side.
