Architizer announces 2021 shortlist for its A+Awards, the world’s largest and most democratic architectural awards program, which honors the best architecture and spaces from around the globe.

The 2021 program theme spotlights architecture for a changing world. With more than 5,000 entries from 100+ countries, the program’s illustrious Jury has selected Finalists in each of the program’s 94 categories. The 470 projects that made the cut achieved high marks across the judging criteria, which include points for form, function, and social and environmental impact. 

This year’s Finalists paint a compelling picture of what exceptional contemporary architecture looks like today, and reveal new ways in which architects are responding to the most pressing global challenges. From pop-up medical clinics for COVID-19 treatment to educational centers for studying climate change to novel approaches to public housing, the 2021 Finalists reflect a collective desire to meet the needs of society through design. 

The shortlisted projects all employ innovations to meet the unique needs of their users and stakeholders while showing unprecedented variety in program, geography, and formal design.

Select 2021 Finalists include:

• Maggie's Leeds by Heatherwick Studio, Leeds, United Kingdom

• The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girl's School by Diana Kellogg Architects, Jaisalmer, India

• One Hundred by Studio Gang, St. Louis, United States

• Presence in Hormuz by ZAV Architects, Hormuz Island, Iran

• St. Carolus Hospital Screening Facility by AT-LARS, Jakarta, Indonesia

• Together Apart by Behin Ha Design Studio, Middelfart And Billund, Denmark
  

• Stepping Park House by Vo Trong Nghia Architects, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• He Art Museum by Tadao Ando Architect and Associates, Shunde, China

• The Church by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership, Sag Harbor, USA

See the full list of Finalists here.

"It’s a common cliche, but all submissions displayed the highest standards of design...great to see categories relating to the environment and new materials show such beautiful and thought-provoking work.” Heinz Richardson (A+Awards Juror)

Selecting the shortlisted projects were some of the design industry’s most renowned practitioners and thinkers, such as Alison Brooks (Principal & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects), Nader Tehrani (Founding Principal, NADAAA), Lesley Lokko (Director, African Futures Institute), David Benjamin (Co-Founder, The Living), and Tao Liu and Chunyan Cai (Founders, Atelier Tao+C). Other members of the A+Awards prestigious 250+ Jury Academy include luminaries from the fields of art, technology, fashion, media, business, and real estate.

See the complete Jury list here.  

The A+Awards is unique among global architectural awards not just for its diverse Jury — shortlisted projects are also judged by the voting public. With the aim to break architecture out of the echo chamber, each season Architizer invites design students, enthusiasts, building occupants, and the general public to vote for their favorite work. In 2020, over 400,000 ballots were cast.

“In a period of unprecedented global uncertainty, we want to remind the world how architecture and design impact people’s everyday lives. We are all deeply affected by the spaces that surround us, and these are our awards.” Marc Kushner (Architizer Founder)

In collaboration with its official partners The AIA, RAIC, v2com, Aesthetica, and Space, Architizer will announce the 2021 A+Awards Winners on July 7, 2021. Winners will be featured in Architizer: The World's Best Architecture, the year’s definitive architectural guide, published by Monacelli.

Key Dates: 

Launch: January 4, 2021

Finalists Announced: June 15, 2021

Winners Announced: July 7, 2021

About Architizer:

Architizer’s core mission is to empower architects. Through its inspiring content, building-product marketplace, awards program, and vast online reach, Architizer connects architects with the tools they need to build better buildings, better cities, and a better world. 

About the A+Awards

2021 A+Awards Categories

High-res images available upon request