Hamburg, Germany, May 30, 2025. Sandra Brand, Chief Marketing Officer of Drees & Sommer describes the awards as “nails with brains”, because she says that “design here is more than mere appearances, the underlying attitude is fundamental.” The consulting company won as many as three prizes at Germany's largest gathering of the creative and communications industry, the ADC (Art Directors Club) Festival 2025 in Hamburg. Silver was awarded to the Feierabendziegel project (in English: ‘end-of-work tiles’) in the category ‘Exhibition/Installation’. The bronze award was won for the EXPO REAL exhibition booth in the category ‘Trade Show Appearance’. The company also received a special award for the Feierabendziegel project in the category ‘Spatial Experiences for Good‘.
From Panels for Exhibitions to the Pedestal: a No-Waste Trade Fair Booth Wins the Nail in Bronze
At the EXPO Real Estate Fair 2024 in Munich, Drees & Sommer showed how visionary design and sustainability can be merged into a progressive brand experience. Under the motto Renaissance is Real – A New Era for Your Assets, the exhibition booth presented an innovative look and an exemplary use of resources. The result: an ADC bronze award in the category ‘Trade Show Appearance’. The heart of the concept, which is based on the Cradle to Cradle design principle, was a building site scaffolding structure which was reused for the fifth time. A special highlight this year was the artistically designed façade. Alexander Strub, architect, designer and creative director in the User Centric Spaces and Places department of Drees & Sommer comments: “It consisted of exhibition booth panels which had been used previously and were earmarked for disposal. But instead of being disposed of as waste, they ended up in the spotlight.”
He and his colleagues are responsible for the prizewinning creative concepts at the ADC. The circular use of these materials continued even after the real estate fair. A social institution transformed the façade elements into stylish seating cubes which will immediately serve as seats at events organized by Drees & Sommer. A best-practice example for circular economy thinking. “Environmental awareness, social responsibility and excellence in design do not exclude each other – on the contrary. In our view, they go hand in hand,” so Alexander Strub.
A Tile Can Tell Stories, Shape the Future and Win the Silver Nail
A tile can tell an endless story. At the Munich Creative Business Week (MCBW) 2024, Drees & Sommer proved this with the installation Feierabendziegel on Königsplatz in Munich. The company received the ADC silver nail for this urban mining project with a creative impact. Alexander Strub explains: “We presented an installation in a glass container consisting of about 3,000 original plain tiles, which had been disassembled and came from a demolition property in Munich’s Ramersdorf district. So, these tiles are plenty of history and hold a wealth of potential.” Instead of simply being disposed of, they became the heart of a work of art which asked questions, made people think and at the same time invited them to play an active role. What happens with building materials ‘after work’? Does its story end there – or can a new chapter be written? The answer was literally in the hands of the visitors, who not only suggested their own ideas but were also able to take away individual tiles. “This was a tangible example of a genuine circular economy in everyday life, so to speak,” say the designers of the project. These tiles were then given a second home, for example, in a tiled path through an allotment garden – and even in a new roof for a kindergarten.
The Feierabendziegel project was far more than just an installation: Alexander Strub points out: “It made the urban mining approach tangible and impressively showed how sustainability, design and participation can be combined to provide a powerful message.“ At the ADC Festival, Drees & Sommer not only received the silver nail award, an additional commendation was also given in the special awards category ‘Spatial Experiences for Good’ for this innovative concept.
Repeat Performers at Work: Ongoing Series of Success
In February 2025, the installation had already won the gold award in the ‘Excellent Architecture – Circular Design’ category of the German Design Award – –accompanied by a double victory in the category ‘Excellent Architecture – Fair and Exhibition’.
Awards Arising from the Values and Policies in Everyday Work
Drees & Sommer combines creative excellence and its strict brand identity with a clear purpose: creating sustainable solutions which not only have an effect today, but which will last for generations. Sandra Brand says: “At a time when sustainability is under pressure, we need ideas which have a practical effect. And people who have a creative attitude – towards shaping a livable future.”
About the Art Directors Club (ADC)
The Art Directors Club für Deutschland (ADC) e. V. brings together over 800 specialists from the creative communication sector. Its members include experts from the areas of design, journalism, architecture, scenography, photography, illustration, directing and composition, production, digital media and publicity. The ADC sets standards of creative excellence and promotes outstanding achievements in communication. To achieve this, the association organizes competitions, conferences, seminars, public lectures, gatherings and business to business (B2B) events, and publishes a wide range of specialist publications.
