For the sixth annual AZ Awards, our intrepid jury narrowed the field from over 800 submissions, received from dozens of countries, to select just 48 finalists that stood above the rest. In addition to presenting the AZ Award winners, Azure recognized these projects, products and concepts with Awards of Merit.

Though the blast furnaces are long gone, the striking architecture of a former Prussian iron-casting facility turned event space is revealed through this fully controllable lighting design by Licht Kunst Licht. The firm outfitted the 186-year-old venue with concealed LEDs, carefully mounted and colour matched to comply with its heritage designation. The roof’s fiery red smoulder, realized by linear RGB lights, can be adjusted to any colour, while the back wall receives the interior’s sole source of direct illumination, in stunning contrast to the triptych of subtly lit aisles.

Location: Bendorf, Germany

Studio: Licht Kunst Licht, Germany

Designers: Stephanie Jochem, Johannes Roloff and Andreas Schulz ­