Vestre Awards 2025 – Celebrating Places for People
2025 was an eventful year for Vestre, with projects delivered to 27 countries and an export share of 80%, reflecting the breadth of our international work. This diversity of tasks and markets also gave us a good opportunity to look back and highlight outstanding contributions: for the first time, we introduced the Vestre Awards to recognise selected projects from the past year.
With this internal award, we want to highlight work that demonstrates what matters to us as a company: good design, reliable collaboration, and a responsible approach to public space. The jury includes colleagues from across the organisation, representing the teams that make our projects happen every day. They reviewed a broad range of international projects and selected six winners: five category awards and one Project of the Year, showcasing cross-disciplinary teamwork.
Kansas City, University of Missouri – Roo Plaza
Award category: Learning Spaces
Roo Plaza is a strong example of how campus environments can be transformed when they are designed with students and faculty in mind. A former street has become an open space for learning and socialising – a place that is now naturally used for studying outdoors, meeting friends, or simply taking a breather between classes.
Vestre furniture in UMKC’s blue and gold gives the plaza a clear identity and presence. Close collaboration between the university, design teams, and the nearby Linda Hall Library made it possible to reinterpret the public space and significantly enhance the quality of the campus.
“Roo Plaza shows how a once traffic-dominated area can become a vibrant learning environment that encourages students to use the campus in new ways.”
Wiltz, Plomm Kannermusee
Award category: Joyful Spaces
Plomm Kannermusée welcomes children and families even before they step inside. The outdoor spaces echo the museum’s expressive architecture and create a playful, open atmosphere where discovery and movement happen naturally.
Vestre furniture supports this idea with clear orientation and versatile ways to gather, pause, or play. The result is an outdoor environment that doesn’t just complement the museum — it makes the entire visit more immersive, inviting, and memorable.
“The connection between architecture and outdoor space creates clear, versatile areas that offer children and families an inviting first impression.”
Credit: Marie Stagga
Lüneburg, Grüne Oasen
Award category: Social Meeting Places
In the historic centre of Lüneburg, a series of small interconnected public spaces – the “Grüne Oasen” – has been created. These areas provide new places of calm in the city centre and offer people of all ages attractive opportunities to spend time outdoors.
The project was developed in close cooperation with city authorities, heritage conservation, and local stakeholders. The furniture supports the new qualities of the space and blends naturally into the sensitive urban fabric.
“Through subtle interventions, planting, and accessible seating, spaces have been created that strengthen social interaction while respecting the historic setting.”
Construction City, Oslo
Award category: Commercial Placemaking
Construction City is one of Norway’s largest urban development projects, bringing together companies, research, and education on a new campus. The outdoor areas play an essential role: they connect the different buildings, offer places for short breaks and informal conversations, and contribute to a pleasant working environment.
For Vestre, close coordination with the client was particularly important. Short delivery times and reliable logistics were key factors in supporting the overall progress of the development.
“This project shows how carefully designed outdoor areas can support everyday life in modern workplaces and how collaborative processes contribute to successful outcomes.”
Credit: David Lloyd/SWA
Sausalito Ferry Landing, California
Award category: Urban Transformation
Sausalito Ferry Landing is a key link between the town, the waterfront, and ferry services. For decades, the area struggled with narrow pathways and conflicting movement patterns. The recent redesign has created order and clarity: new spatial structures separate flows more effectively, while additional seating areas open up views towards the bay.
The selected furniture supports the new orientation and gives the waterfront a calm and cohesive character. The project demonstrates how even heavily used areas can gain quality when designed with people in mind.
“The new structure brings calm to a previously complex area and strengthens the character of the waterfront in a subtle yet effective way.”
Take a deeper look behind the project: explore our indepth‑ Q&A with SWA and Vestre on how a passthrough place became a ‑peoplefirst‑ public space. Case study
Credit: BrakeThrough Media 2025 MDMA
14th Street Promenade, Meatpacking District – New York City
Award category: Project of the Year 2025
Located between the Hudson River and the High Line, the 14th Street Promenade is a space that brings the energy of Manhattan together with a clear, welcoming outdoor environment. The installation was logistically demanding and required close coordination among many partners, both locally and internationally.
For Vestre, the project stands out because teams from several countries worked closely together to manage planning, delivery, and installation efficiently and collaboratively. Now, the promenade is not only a design highlight but also a strong expression of our shared commitment and team spirit.
“This project embodies the cross-disciplinary commitment and close collaboration that make achievements across borders possible.”
Looking ahead
The Vestre Awards 2025 highlight the value of good collaboration, reliable processes, and a people-centred approach across projects worldwide. The award-winning places represent many others Vestre has been involved in – and reinforce our belief that design can create positive change.
Vestre congratulates all project teams and external partners involved. See you in 2026.