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The ArchDaily 2021 Building of the Year Awards

January 26

2020 was a challenging year for ArchDaily and for all of us. The changes and uncertainty that emerged around the globe allowed us to double down on our mission to provide information, knowledge, and tools to architects, leveling the access to architectural knowledge and working towards a more diverse, equitable profession. This includes the importance of building a community, for which the Building of the Year Awards has always been one of our flagship community-led initiatives.

This is why for the 12th consecutive year, we are tasking our readers with the responsibility of recognizing and rewarding the projects that are making an impact in architecture and in our built environment, with ArchDaily’s 2021 Building of the Year Awards. By voting, you are part of an unbiased, distributed network of jurors and peers that has elevated the most relevant projects over the past decade. Over the next two weeks, your collective intelligence will filter over 4,500 projects down to just 15 stand-outs for the best in each category on ArchDaily.

The 2021 Building of the Year Awards is brought to you thanks to Dornbracht, renowned for leading designs for architecture, which can be found internationally in bathrooms and kitchens.

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Building in Travessa da Portuguesa / BICA Arquitectos

January 26

+ 23

Architects: BICA Arquitectos
Area: 4036 ft²
Year: 2019

Green Pea Retail Park / Acc Naturale Architettura + Negozio Blu Architetti

January 26

+ 36

Architects: Acc Naturale Architettura, Negozio Blu Architetti
Area: 10500 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Artemide, Atlas Schindler, Fantoni, Iris Ceramica, Saint-Gobain, +13Airlite, Cielo ceramica, Enessere, Euroform, Florim, Gessi, Harpo, I Guzzini, Ki Life, L'Isola Blu, Legno e Sole, Saviola Group, Vannucci Piante-13

"Traditional Construction Is Doomed To Disappear:" Interview With the Portuguese Office Summary

January 26

Contemporary challenges and developments in technology inevitably trigger changes in the way we design and build our cities. SUMMARY is a Portuguese architecture studio focused on the development of prefabricated and modular building systems. Striking a balance between pragmatism and experimentalism, the firm develops prefabricated solutions in order to respond to a driving challenge of contemporary architecture—to speed up and simplify the construction process. Founded in 2015 by the architect Samuel Gonçalves, a graduate of the School of Architecture of the University of Porto, the studio has presented at prominent events such as the 2016 Venice Biennale. We talked with Samuel about the firm's practical experience in prefabrication and modulation, as well as their experiments and forays into research.

Elements House / G&A Evripiotis

January 26

+ 23

Architects: G&A Evripiotis
Area: 200 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Dornbracht, EXPA, Hager, Miele, LAFARGE GROUP, +2SMK GROUP, Skandalis AE-2

Frank Lloyd Wright's Civic Center Captured on Film by Skyler Dahan

January 26

Skyler Dahan, an LA-based photographer, has captured Frank Lloyd Wright's Civic Center, in Marin County. Shot on Kodak Portra film with a Contax 645 medium format camera, the series of images highlight Frank Lloyd Wright's latest commission. Serving as a justice hall, the project was actually completed by Wright's protégé Aaron Green after the architect’s death.

+ 7

House RR / Norell/Rodhe

January 26

+ 17

Architects: Norell/Rodhe
Area: 70 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Ifö Electric AB, Plannja

Bey Arquitectura Unveils Punta Cana Garden Villas in the Dominican Republic

January 26

Architecture practice Bey Arquitectura has shared details of the firm's Punta Cana Bey Garden project in the Dominican Republic. The 28 loft-type villas were designed to connect with the surrounding natural context and support the implementation of renewable energy. Located in the heart of Bávaro, the project is sited near shopping malls, restaurants, schools, the Punta Cana Airport and the beach.

+ 18

“Most Importantly, I Can Stimulate Processes": In conversation with Christoph Hesse

January 26

Vladimir Belogolovsky speaks with Christoph Hesse over Skype between New York and his office in Korbach, Germany to discuss his pioneering projects and why working in the countryside is relevant.

How to Use Enscape to Improve Your Workflow

January 26 | Sponsored Content

The Enscape real-time rendering tool offers many features that can help you streamline your architectural visualization workflows.

Building Community: The Women of Sasaki Designing More Sustainable and Inclusive Futures

January 26

Celebrating community, three interdisciplinary leaders of design firm Sasaki are building space for change. Defining the future through collective, contextual, and values-driven projects, they are showing how working together produces greater impact. Following the belief that better design comes through open exchange and deep engagement, each of these women are creating more sustainable and inclusive futures.

+ 12

COVID-19 Contributed to Sharp Decline in Completed Skyscrapers in 2020

January 26

It’s a given that the coronavirus pandemic has had wide-ranging impacts on construction projects large and small over the past 10 months. So, what about the construction of new buildings that share the defining characteristic of being superlatively tall?

As detailed in an annual report published earlier this month by the Chicago-headquartered Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), newly completed skyscrapers experienced a global decline of 20 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year due, both directly and indirectly, to the COVID-19 crisis.

House 011 / Camps Felip Arquitecturia

January 26

+ 21

Architects: Camps Felip Arquitecturia
Area: 277 m²
Year: 2018
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, GIRA, Cortizo, Tecnocober

V&A Bags: Inside Out Exhibition / Studio MUTT

January 26

+ 27

Architects: Studio MUTT
Area: 665 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Creation Baumann, Ludvig Svensson, Bristol Paints, Forbo

Forja House / Pablo Pita Arquitectos

January 26

+ 22

Architects: Pablo Pita Arquitectos
Year: 2018

Mahallat Residential Building No3 / CAAT Studio

January 26

+ 23

Architects: CAAT Studio
Area: 290 m²
Year: 2018
Manufacturers: WINTECH, Alvandtileco, Chauffagekar, Habibi Stone, Mahallat Alvand Concrete, +1Sarvestan co-1

Hangzhou Olympic Sports Experimental Primary School and Kindergarten / UAD

January 26

+ 35

Architects: UAD
Area: 95150 m²
Year: 2020
Manufacturers: Aleris, China South Glass Holdings, Jixiang

P House / T H I A Architecture

January 26

+ 39

Architects: T H I A Architecture
Area: 64 m²
Year: 2021
Manufacturers: AutoDesk, Hafele, Jotun, Toto, Adobe, +4An Cuong Wood, Trimble Navigation, Vietceramics, Xingfa-4