The Liechtenstein School of Architecture congratulates Lecturer of Practice Nina Beck on receiving the Special Award at the Austrian National Design Award 2026. Together with an interdisciplinary team, she was recognised for the project «Die Gute Stube» by Offene Jugendarbeit Bregenzerwald in the category «Spaces & Environment». As an architect, Nina Beck played a key role in the conceptual development and implementation of the project.

«Die Gute Stube» in Bersbuch is an open, intergenerational cultural and meeting space created from a former primary school building. The international jury particularly praised the successful low-budget conversion, which achieved a «complete atmospheric metamorphosis» with minimal resources. The jury also highlighted the collaborative process and the project’s social impact: «Instead of relying on clichéd youth aesthetics, the design embraces a quiet quality that opens up spaces.»

Nina Beck is a Senior Lecturer at the Liechtenstein School of Architecture in the Built Heritage & Upcycling Unit and also runs her own architecture practice in Egg in the Bregenzerwald region. Her work combines design quality with social responsibility, an approach that is also reflected in the award-winning project «Die Gute Stube».

The Austrian National Design Award is Austria’s highest state award for design and has been presented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Energy and Tourism since 1962.