todobarro’s bioclimatic terracotta screens win the Red Dot Award, one of the most important design contests in the world

At todobarro, we believe in what we do. Our work is based on research, interdisciplinarity and a passion for our craft, and that foundation on itself is enough to fill us with motivation. We have to admit, however, that there are milestones that are an extraordinary boost to our confidence and to our will to keep learning and growing. Such is the case of the Red Dot Design Award that has been bestowed upon one of our products.

Every year, a jury of design experts summoned by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Essen, Germany, meets to evaluate the products submitted for competition, which are counted by the thousands from companies all around the world. The Red Dot Award evaluates criteria such as a product’s functional quality, aesthetic value, utility and sustainability. To be eligible, a product must have a recognizable and clear purpose, must be easy to use and self-explanatory in its function, while maintaining its aesthetic value and sustainability, and it also must be durable. We can confidently -and proudly- say that our handmade terracotta pieces easily meet this criteria.

The competition awards innovation and excellence in product design, which is why amongst its past winners we find brands as iconic as Ferrari, Nikon, Apple or Sony, as well as emerging companies that hadn’t yet been highlighted into the international market by the time they won the award. This impartiality had made the Red Dot Award one of the most coveted marks of quality for brands. And this year, the dot has landed on our collection of terracotta screens.

Bioclimatic fired clay lattices win the Red Dot Award

The winning products are our handmade bioclimatic terracotta screens: one of the highlights of the season, and one of todobarro’s creations that best reflects the synergy between research, tradition and innovation that our tile shop fosters.

Carlos Jiménez and Damián López from LEBLUME studio have designed this set of modular terracotta pieces. Each model can be configured and combined with each other in different ways, adapting to any space and any project. All the pieces in the latticework catalog are inscribed within a 12 centimeter (4,7 in) grid: this not only ensures compatibility among all designs in the collection but also facilitates the maintenance of the installations, as any and all modules can be individually removed for repairment or to be replaced with other design without compromising the integrity of the screen.In addition to the components that make up these terracotta screens, we have added two bioclimatic accessories to the collection that meet these same compatibility requirements: planters and birdhouses.

What our design and craftsmanship team has achieved with this collection of latticework is to translate one of the most representative architectural elements of our vernacular architecture into a contemporary language. Allowing to see without being seen, a lattice is a highly versatile element that divides and defines spaces without interrupting the flow of air and natural light. They are still used around the world, but changes in lifestyles over the past few centuries have relegated them to a less prominent role in the global North.

As explained by the text that accompanied the submission entry: historically, architectural lattices served a dual purpose—acting as elegant partitions to define spaces while allowing natural light to enter. Beyond this spatial function, these structures have always provided crucial bioclimatic benefits. By allowing the circulation of a cool breeze while blocking the intense glare of direct sunlight, they create a refreshing interior shade. Which brings us to the next point:

Investment in design: the great ally of sustainability

At todobarro, we firmly believe that innovation and research are not at odds with craftsmanship and tradition. In fact, we know they feed off of each other. And design is the bridge that connects both sides of the spectrum. As we have proved time and time again, in our field Neo-Craftsmanship is a guarantee of accelerated returns -a fact that has now the Red Dot Award stamp of approval.

Now is the time to reclaim those elements of vernacular architecture that will help us to face the challenges of the future with creativity and accessible resources. Terracotta screens are not merely decorative, it also serves a function that will become increasingly essential in the face of the climate crisis: that of optimizing thermal comfort in living spaces through the temperature and humidity regulating properties of fired clay.

This strong bet on design allows us to incorporate elements that would have been overlooked with a more conservative approach to product development, such as making biodiversity a central feature of our products without compromising an ounce of aesthetics, functionality or quality. In fact, we would go so far as to say that this approach adds aesthetic value, as our bioclimatic accessories have quickly become a fan favorite.

Our bet on Andalusian designers

This is not the first todobarro collection created by Carlos Jiménez and the LEBLUME studio. The experience these Andalusian artists have gained over the years has resulted in a deep understanding of the material we work with, and this is evident in the design of a collection of terracotta screens that makes full use of all the wonderful properties of fired clay.

We firmly believe that investing in young, local talent and surrounding ourselves with designers, artists, and artisans who are at the peak of their careers means we can offer products of unbeatable quality. We are just as delighted by our own success as we are by the recognition that this Red Dot Award grants to these designers -their work is just as instrumental in winning the Red Dot Award as that of the master craftspeople that shape each and every one of these pieces by hand. We celebrate this triumph as a shared achievement of the entire todobarro team, and we move forward with renewed enthusiasm for our work.