From well-known names on the international architecture scene to smaller specialized firms. Behind the best buildings and spaces in the world built last year, there are 31 studios, selected from a list of 400, from 50 countries and 6 continents.
This is the first edition of the A+Firm Awards organized by Architizer, the first prizes oriented towards the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) sector in all its dimensions, locations and specializations.
Not projects, then, but the people behind them, the creators of innovative constructions that have transformed urban settings and landscapes, as well as the relationship between man and the environment. The approach taken by these firms regarding the evolution of global challenges was one of the most important criteria in the selection made by a jury composed of authoritative figures like Virgil Abloh, Kelly Wearstler, David Rockwell.
The list of winners deserves attention, apart from the famous faces, because it crosses specializations and continents, shedding light on some true hidden merits.
These firms include New York’s Tillotson Design Associates for lighting design, the Belgian Julien Lanoo for photography, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill for public projects, Mass Design Group for architecture with humanitarian purposes, LUO studio for sustainable projects, and Zhu Yufan Y³C Atelier in the field of landscape architecture.
Other noteworthy studios include the winners of the commercial architecture section, Hooba Design; in the area of architecture for hospitality, Lacime Architects; for multi-unit residential architecture, ODA New York; for private residential works, Park + Associates. And Stonehill Taylor won for the Interior Design-Commercial category.
The contest also announced, among the Best of the Year, the award-winning Neri&Hu, Koichi Takada Architects, Shulin Architectural Design (respectively large, medium and small firms).
Foster + Partners stood out in the XL Firm category, a giant as opposed to OfficeOffCourse –with offices in Shanghai, Hangzhou and Boston – the winner among the younger entries.
