The A+Awards are judged by Architizer’s 250+ jury academy featuring prestigious members of the architecture and design community, as well as luminaries from the art, technology, fashion, media, business, and real estate industries.
In collaboration with its official partners, Phaidon, AIA New York, and Aesthetica Magazine, the 2020 A+Awards received over 400,000 public votes on 5,000+ entries from over 100 countries worldwide.
The A+Awards are also judged by the public, with the aim to “break architecture out of the echo chamber” (Marc Kushner, Architizer Founder) and remind the world how design impacts people’s everyday lives, particularly in a time of unprecedented global uncertainty.
“We are not here to build for other architects, we are here to build for all of humankind.”A+Award Winner Bjarke Ingels (BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group)
In 2020, the global landscape was upended by unprecedented environmental and societal challenges, so for its 9th season, the A+Awards will throw the spotlight on architects designing for a rapidly changing world. With relevant new categories and pioneering jurors, the 2021 A+Awards will celebrate those professionals responding to global upheaval and leading architectural innovation for decades to come. Winners respond to the question: how can architecture help us be more resilient, more empowered, and more prepared for the challenges to come?
“Where I come from, ‘grand’ pieces of architecture will mean nothing if our entire city will flood and sink in the near future. Winning this award validates our belief that architecture should give back to its surroundings.” - A+Award Winner Kotchakorn Voraakhom (LANDPROCESS)
The A+Awards returns with timely additions to its Jury, including Lesley Lokko (Founder & Director, African Futures Institute), Alison Brooks (Principal & Creative Director, Alison Brooks Architects ), Céline Semaan (Founder & Executive Director, Slow Factory Foundation), Tom Kundig (Principal, Olson | Kundig), and Karim Rashid (Industrial Designer and American Design Award Winner), who will judge 94 categories representing the diversity of project types that comprise architectural design today.
New this year award for the industry’s most innovative use of technology and low-cost building materials, as well as those works that emphasize environmental and global health goals. These include categories for hospitals and healthcare centers, public housing, and disaster response, as well as concept-based categories like Architecture +Environment and Architecture +New Technology. See the full list of architecture categories here.
“Winning an award for an airport or office towers is especially satisfying. It means that all project types can be the occasion for great architecture. That’s what we believe.” - A+Award Winner Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects)
The 9th Annual A+Awards also sees the return of Architizer: The World's Best Architecture, an annual compendium of the world’s best spaces, published by Phaidon. The book, which has featured winners like Toshiko Mori Architect, Studio Gang, MVRDV, and the National Design Award-Winning MASS Design Group, is the year’s definitive architectural guide.
