We are honored that our PALLIATIVE CARE UNIT at the Regional Hospital Southwest Styria, site Deutschlandsberg, is featured in the exhibition "THE PRIZE BAG: DOUBLE LIVES OF ARCHITECTURE" developed in the context of the Architecture Award of the State of Styria 2025.

Curated by Sevince Bayrak and Oral Göktaş of "SO? architecture and ideas" the award frames architectural recognition not as a final verdict, but as a means of engaging with the culture of the built environment.

Fourteen projects were shortlisted and visited on site, emphasizing physical reality over representation. Based on these visits, the installation looks beyond polished images to explore what unfolds between drawing and construction, intention and crisis, and completion and everyday use. Rather than presenting architecture as a finished object, it highlights collaboration, constraints, adaptation, and the realities that shape buildings over time.

Through close exchange with the nominated offices, extensive material emerged, including post-occupancy reflections, budget constraints, crisis moments, and internal discussions, it’s presented in a dual structure: on the one side, it shows the submitted drawings and photographs; on the other side, it reveals the transition from paper to construction to daily use.

The exhibition by the House of Architecture Graz (HDA), Chamber of Civil Engineers for Styria and Carinthia and State of Styria (Land Steiermark) runs from 25 February to 15 May 2026 at Mariahilferstraße 2, 8020 Graz. The themes will be further explored in the publication "The Prize Bag: Double Lives of Architecture – Architekturjahrbuch Graz Steiermark 2025." A discussion and book presentation will take place on April 29, 2026, at 07:00 PM at Salon Stolz at Theodor-Körner-Straße 67, 8010 Graz. We and our client KAGes – Steiermärkische Krankenanstaltengesellschaft m.b.H. are grateful that the project has been included in this context and we congratulate Architektursalon and su.n -spaceunit network for their winning project Salon Stolz

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On 19 November 2025, our projects FRACTAL CHAPEL at the University Hospital Graz and the PALLIATIVE CARE UNITE at the Regional Hospital Südweststeiermark, site Deutschlandsberg, were presented by Oliver Kupfner, Project Lead for both projects, at the "New on nextroom" event at the House of Architecture Graz (HDA). Both projects have been selected for inclusion in the curated nextroom architecture database.⁠
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The selection follows an open call reviewed by an independent jury, assessing architectural quality, urban integration, execution and detailing, sustainable use of resources, and each project’s contribution to architectural and cultural discourse.⁠
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The evening at the HDA offered more than a formal presentation. Moderated by Andreas Ruby, Director of the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum in Basel, together with Zerina Džubur of the HDA Graz, the event created a thoughtful framework for exchange. Andreas Ruby shared insights into the jury discussions and decision-making process, offering direct and valuable feedback on the presented projects.⁠
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Reflecting on the FRACTAL CHAPEL, the jury described it as "a highly controlled project that creates a space of remarkable aesthetic autonomy – achieving an almost ‘homeopathic’ spatial performance on less than 40 square meters. An extremely small area that forms a powerful spatial counterpoint within a hospital complex."⁠
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The evening was marked by openness, appreciation, and inspiring conversations with colleagues, accompanied by a wide range of compelling projects. We are grateful to nextroom, the HDA, and the jury for the careful curation of this enriching event

"It feels like walking through a sunlit forest – shaped by moving leaves, light and shadow." These are the words Martin Lesjak uses to describe the atmosphere of the FRACTAL CHAPEL, a space conceived as a quiet counterpoint within the highly technical environment of the Graz University Hospital. In an end-of-year interview, journalist Thomas Miessgang speaks with Lesjak about architecture as an emotional, scientific and deeply human practice.

The conversation unfolds around light, verticality and materiality, but also around research, persistence and collaboration. It reveals how fractal-based design, informed by neuroscientific insights, can shape spaces that feel intuitively familiar and calming – especially in places where vulnerability and intensity define everyday life. "A space that acts as a countermark to the hectic, highly organized everyday life of the clinic."

Published in Die Zeit, an established newspaper in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the article "Es werde Licht" explores the FRACTAL CHAPEL and its artistic and scientific foundations, highlighting the collaboration between INNOCAD architecture with Manfred Erjautz, 13&9 Design and Prof. Richard Taylor (Fractals Research and University of Oregon), showing how architecture, art and research-based design come together in one space. This interdisciplinary process behind the project complete the picture of architecture as a collective act.

Our sincere thanks to Thomas Miessgang for the carefully conducted interview and the sensitive, beautifully written article.

As 2025 draws to a close, we look back with deep appreciation – for our collaborators, clients, teams, and the many people who shaped this meaningful year.

To mark the season and honor the anniversaries that defined it, we are sharing a special edition of our annual INNOCAD Christmas Nativity – the 20 Years GOLDEN NUGGET Edition.

A small tradition, a crafted moment of reflection, and a way to stay connected: download, cut, assemble – and celebrate the season with us.

We wish you a peaceful holiday season and an inspiring start to 2026.
Thank you for being part of this journey.

The INNOCAD architecture and 13&9 Design Team.

In 2015, Martin Lesjak was named Contract Magazine’s Designer of the Year at the 36th Annual Interiors Awards Breakfast, presented by Contract in New York – one of the most influential recognitions in the international architecture and design community.⁠
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For decades, Contract Magazine shaped professional discourse in the United States, creating a vital platform for architects, interior designers, and product designers alike. With the magazine no longer in publication, the significance of this award has become even clearer: it was part of an institution that helped define design excellence for an entire generation.⁠
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The recognition placed INNOCAD architecture and 13&9 Design on a global stage at a pivotal moment, acknowledging an approach that connected architecture, interiors, and product design long before "transdisciplinarity" became a common term.⁠

As Contract Editor-in-Chief John Czarnecki observed:⁠⁠
"Martin Lesjak elicits power, grace, and emotion from his engaging and sensuous interior spaces. Through both his visionary architecture and interior design, as well as beautiful product design, Lesjak is clearly a design star that others in the profession look up to."⁠
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Beyond the honor itself, this event marked the beginning of lasting relationships, opening doors to collaborations, friendships, and conversations that continue to shape our work today.⁠
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As we reflect on the defining achievements of 2025, this 10-year anniversary adds a deeper dimension to the year’s narrative – reminding us that international recognition is not a sudden event, but the result of dialogue, trust, and collective ambition built over time. Read the full story and revisit the original interview from the Designer of the Year recognition 10 years ago in our newsletter.