World’s Best Architecture 2021 Announced, Buildings of the Year Architects, Major Property Designs Photos

World’s Best Architecture 2021 Announced

Jul 7, 2021

Architizer – A+Awards

Bamboo Branch Academy by Archermit – photo © Arch-Exist Photography

World’s Best Architecture 2021 Announced Awards

9th Annual A+Awards Winners highlight design for a changing world

Architizer, the world’s leading online platform for architecture, announces the winners of the 9th Annual Architizer A+Awards. Founded on the premise of democratizing architecture, the A+Awards is the industry’s largest and most international awards program and honors the best architecture and spaces from across the globe.

Lyngen Aurora by Snorre Stinessen Architecture – photo © Snorre Stinessen

Presence in Hormoz 02 by ZAV Architects – photo © Soroush Majidi

One Hundred by Studio Gang © Tom Harris

Community Center Grossweikersdorf by smartvoll – photo © Dimitar Gamizov

HEITO 1909 by ECG International Landscape consultants – photo © YHLAA Yi Hsien Lee and Associates

Pavilion S by Rooi Design and Research – photo © Shao Feng

Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects

Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects – photo © Laurian Ghinitoiu

House LO by Atelier Lina Bellovicova – photo © boysplaynice

After a year of unprecedented social and environmental challenges, this season’s theme—Architecture for a Changing World—celebrates the architects and designers whose work strives to create a more resilient built environment for generations to come. 2021 winners include innovative projects by renowned firms and emerging practices alike, among them:

Tadao Ando Architect & Associates (Hei Art Museum, Shunde, China)

He Art Museum by Tadao Ando Architect & Associates – photo © He Art Museum

Heatherwick Studio (Maggie’s Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom)

Maggie’s Leeds by Heatherwick Studio – photo © Hufton+Crow

Diana Kellogg Architects (The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls’ School, Jaisalmer India)

The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl’s School by Diana Kellogg Architects – photo © Vinay Panjwani

VTN (Vo Trong Nghia) Architects (Stepping House, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

Stepping Park House by VTN Architects (Vo Trong Nghia Architects) – photo © Hiroyuki Oki

Caspar Schols (ANNA Stay, Denbosch, Netherlands)

ANNA Stay by Caspar Schols – photo © Jorrit t Hoen

Studio Zhu Pei (Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, Jingdezhen, China)

Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum by Studio Zhu Pei – photo © schranimage

The full list of winners can be found at Architizer 2021.

“Market success is not enough… we care about our standing as innovators within our discipline. To receive recognition for airports and office towers is especially satisfying because it means that all project categories can be the occasion for great architecture. That’s what we believe.” Patrik Schumacher, Partner, Zaha Hadid Architects

Victorian Music Box by CCY Architects – photo © Draper White

In its 9th season, the A+Awards received over 5,000 entries from 100+ countries, including countless pioneering projects that respond to the most pressing global challenges today—from climate change and the COVID 19 pandemic to urbanization and economic inequity. Notable Jurors included Professor Lesley Lokko (Founder & Director, African Futures Institute), Tom Kundig FAIA, RIBA (Principal/Owner, Olson | Kundig), Nader Tehrani (Founding Principal, NADAAA; Dean, Cooper Hewitt School of Architecture), Alison Brooks (Principal & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects), Fernanda Canales (Founder & Director, Fernanda Canales Arquitectura), and many more.

Together Apart by Behin Ha Design Studio – photo © Ard Jongsma

A Jury-selected Winner and a Popular Choice Winner were awarded in each of the 94 categories, with over 400,000 votes cast by the voting public.

Yabuli Entrepreneurs Congress by MAD Architects – photo © Arch-Exist Photography

In addition to the Jury and Popular Choice winners, Special Honoree Awards will be presented to a handful of outstanding projects this year that demonstrates the extraordinary power of architecture to catalyze change in communities worldwide.

Smart Design Studio by Smart Design Studio – photo © Romello Pereira

“The designers behind these projects come from vastly different geographies and personal experiences, but they all share at least one thing in common—they possess the creative courage not just to iterate on the present, but to forge entirely new ideas for the future.” Paul Keskeys, Content Director, Architizer

The Crystal by Safdie Architects – photo © Shao Feng

In partnership with A+Awards official partners AIA NY, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and v2com newswire, the online Winners celebration will continue throughout the summer and fall. Also back for its seventh edition, the annual Winners’ compendium ARCHITIZER: The World’s Best Architecture, will be published by Monacelli Press in November 2021. This stunning hardbound book is the definitive guide to the year’s best buildings and spaces.

Watershed – A Living Building by Weber Thompson – photo © Meghan Montgomery / Built Work Photography

Key Dates
A+Awards Launch: January 4, 2021

Winners Announced: July 6, 2021

Bamboo Bamboo Canopy + Pavilions by llLab – photo © Arch-Exist Photography

About the A+Awards
The Architizer A+Awards is the world’s largest awards program for architecture and building products, celebrated by a global audience of 400+ million. The program’s mission is to nurture the appreciation of meaningful architecture around the world and champion its potential for a positive impact on everyday life.

SCION Innovation Hub – Te Whare Nui o Tuteata by RTA Studio & Irving Smith Architects – photo © Patrick Reynolds

About Architizer
Architizer’s core mission is to empower architects, via our marketplace connecting architects and product manufacturers, and via our inspiring content, awards program, and global reach spotlighting the world’s best architecture. We connect architects with the tools they need to build better buildings, better cities, and a better world.

Quinta de Santo António Hotel & Winery by Atelier Sergio Rebelo, Jorge Mendes Leal, Pormin – José Guedes, and clients Joaquim Fernandes e Filomena Fernandes of Quinta de Santo António de Adorigo, Tabuaço – photo © MIR