Innovation is thriving around the world—and the latest results from the A' Design Award & Competition make that clear. The 2024–2025 edition has recognized 1,823 remarkable designs from 115 countries across 157 creative fields. From architecture and product design to fashion and communication, these entries highlight what happens when imagination meets craftsmanship.
Chosen by an international jury of design experts, this year's winners offer fresh perspectives and bold ideas. The A' Design Award isn't just about recognition—it's about celebrating original thinking and the creative minds reshaping how we interact with the world.
Winning the A' Design Award is a meaningful recognition of creative work, offering not just visibility but also valuable support for designers at all stages. Recipients are awarded the A' Design Prize, which includes a trophy, a certificate, inclusion in exhibitions, and access to professional resources like press support, media exposure, and international networks. It's a thoughtful package that helps designers share their work with a wider audience and connect with the global design community.
In this edition, we're spotlighting the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category, where form and function come together in inspiring ways. From sustainable structures to visually striking spaces, these projects reflect a dynamic and forward-thinking approach to the built environment.
A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award 2024 - 2025 Period Winners
Yan Art Museum by Guanyu Tao
Yan Art Museum explores the relationship between architecture, nature, and cultural context through a design inspired by the dramatic terrain of the Rushan mountains. Reflecting the region's stony textures and flowing contours, the museum's form blends with its surroundings while subtly echoing traditional Chinese village layouts. A series of loosely arranged courtyards fosters a sense of openness and continuity, creating spatial rhythms that honor local heritage and landscape. The result is a grounded, site-responsive composition rooted in place and memory.
Terra Cascade Residential House by Jimmy Yung
Rooted in nature, the design investigates how light, materiality, and spatial movement can evoke natural rhythms within built form. Open balconies and expansive glazing dissolve the line between interior and exterior, allowing seasonal shifts to shape the experience of space. Low-carbon stone and renewable timber reflect an environmentally conscious approach grounded in local context. A composition of interlocking volumes, defined by linear textures, gives the facade a layered and unified presence that resonates with both landscape and climate.
The Vessel Type Water Management by Ruiting Xu
Inspired by the environmental challenges faced by communities in Madagascar, the design addresses seasonal droughts and flooding through an integrated rainwater harvesting and filtration system. Collected runoff is stored and purified using a rural submerged filter method with sand and gravel, providing access to clean water. Durable concrete elements withstand wet conditions, while timber components offer adaptability and ease of replacement. Adaptive spaces and material flexibility support long-term resilience, aligning the structure with both environmental conditions and community needs.
Aziz House Residential Building by Sara Harhash
Drawing from Cycladic architecture, Najdi cultural motifs, and Moroccan clay traditions, the design blends massed forms, geometric patterns, and earthy textures to create a climate-responsive, culturally rooted retreat. Facades are finished with Tadelakt, a natural Moroccan lime plaster known for its smooth, waterproof surface and subtle sheen, achieved through hand application and olive oil soap sealing. The composition balances regional heritage with sustainable techniques, offering a serene, environmentally attuned living environment that honors both place and tradition.
Golden Key Venue Industrial and Office Building by MADA s.p.a.m. LLC
This project reinterprets urban typologies through three low-rise blocks connected to a high-rise zone, anchored by two angled columns. Stacked volumes create a loft-like configuration, while integrated green spaces along Chuanqiao Road introduce a layered, open environment. A facade composed of 28,000 red ceramic tiles evokes a minimalist academic character, complemented by courtyards, terraces, and rooftop gardens that support creativity, interaction, and a strong connection to nature within an urban context.
Yokohama Chigasakihigashi Housing by Kei Tamai
This spec home, designed by renowned architect Shin Takamatsu, emphasizes living in harmony with the sky, a concept central to Takamatsu's approach to traditional Japanese housing. The design features a room that extends toward the sky, framed by simple white spaces, creating a strong connection to the outdoors. This flexible layout allows the sky room to either stand as the focal point or seamlessly blend with the surrounding areas, offering diverse living styles that foster a deeper connection with the sky.
Linara Kaufbeuren Office Building with Showroom by Peter Kuczia
This striking new building proves that it's possible to blend economic practicality with high design quality, particularly in commercial districts within the "urban bacon belt." The design focuses on a north-south alignment, optimizing the placement of 750 photovoltaic modules on the east and west façades for maximum efficiency. The building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system captures low-angle sunlight in the morning and evening, with angled facades at 142 degrees increasing the PV-active surface area by 7 percent.
Batumi Chess Palace Cultural Center by Irakli Emiridze - Alpha Architecture
The Batumi Chess Palace is designed as a cultural hub and a premier destination for chess enthusiasts, promoting chess tourism and generating positive cultural and economic impacts for Georgia and beyond. The design draws inspiration from the timeless game of chess, with the building's form reflecting an unfolded chessboard, incorporating a square grid layout and the rhythmic contrast of black and white squares. Perforated solar shades wrap the structure, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow, while a sculptural chess piece at the entrance emphasizes the connection to the game, marking the building as both a functional space and a symbolic landmark.
M1 and M2 Multi Residential House by Babak Eslahjou
The towers feature a distinctive geometry that not only enhances the quality of the residential units but also defines the building's iconic presence on the urban skyline. The podium's prismatic form, with faceted glass walls, is complemented by a rooftop amenity space and green roof. The design incorporates seven floor plate variations, starting with a rectangular shape and gradually skewing in opposing directions, creating the tower's unique appearance through the rotation of the floor plates.
Ibiuna Prefabricated Weekend House by Rodrigo Ohtake
The architect, aided by the Syshaus team, designed a prefabricated home blending industrial elements and color with nature. Thermo-insulated walls and curved steel provide structure and privacy. Inside, industrial steel beams accent the ceiling, while an integrated bathroom and wood-floored living room create a seamless space. Orange interiors contrast with the green surroundings. The architect favors the spacious living room with its tree views, and his custom furniture complements the setting.
Sreed Ebisu T Office Building by Salhaus
This nine-story office building in Tokyo explores a new prototype for urban timber architecture. The design integrates a hybrid structure, combining a steel post-and-beam frame with timber seismic frames, creating a unique "seismic timber lattice shell." This timber frame serves both as a structural element and an interior feature, fostering innovative workspaces where individuals can enjoy a more relaxed environment while experiencing the spatial value and warmth of timber construction.
Kouunji Kyakuden Reception Hall of Temple by Hiroaki Iwasa
This project involved the reconstruction of a 140-year-old Buddhist temple reception hall that had long served as a cherished space for the local community but had deteriorated beyond repair. Guided by research into the original structure, local history, and surrounding landscape, the design draws inspiration from the hall's legacy. Despite ground subsidence causing the original building to tilt, key structural elements such as beams and columns were preserved and restored, honoring traditional craftsmanship through careful reuse of rare, now-unavailable materials.
Twist Bridge Pedestrian Overpass by Ge Wang
Inspired by the form of a twisted sheet of paper, the Liang Street Huagai Mountain Pedestrian Overpass serves as both a functional connector and a visual landmark within the urban landscape. Linking two mountains and expanding the city's walking network, the structure enhances pedestrian safety while offering a memorable architectural gesture. With structural columns supporting the north section, a lightweight deck of 450mm and inclined planes of 200mm achieve both stability and cost-efficiency through thoughtful engineering.
OB House Residential by The Others Co., Ltd.
OB House expresses the identity of its fashion designer owners through a bold cubic form that captures their creative sensibility. A minimalist and refined aesthetic is achieved through a rhythmic balance of solid and void across all elevations, forming a cohesive architectural language. This interplay reinforces the design's focus on clarity, timelessness, and spatial harmony. Architects created harmony through a rhythmic interplay of Solid & Void. The exterior appears solid, while the interior features interconnected spaces, including semi-outdoor areas and a central courtyard extending to the third floor.
Matrix Beyond Bronze Office Building Renovation by Shujian You
This project reimagines the Seagram Building by overlaying a 45-degree grid onto its modernist structure, introducing a double-skin facade that improves energy efficiency while honoring its architectural legacy. Triangular wellness spaces are integrated within the facade, offering a harmonious balance of design and function. New structures transform the office layout, adding adaptable zones for storage, partitions, and stairs, redefining the traditional open-plan workspace with a focus on well-being, sustainability, and a progressive approach to the workplace.
Yokohama Aoba Housing by Shin Takamatsu and Kei Tamai
This project presents a home that seamlessly integrates nature into urban living, designed by renowned architect Shin Takamatsu with a focus on harmony with the sky. Situated on a pentagonal plot, the central courtyard connects all rooms, allowing residents to feel a continuous link with the sky. The "double Möbius strip" design, incorporating a staircase and hallway, creates a dynamic loop that offers flexibility for family activities, adapting to the evolving needs of the residents.
Ripple House Residential Architecture by Sam Alawie
This design is a harmonious blend of light, movement, and material. The water droplet-inspired pattern is intricately laser-cut into aluminum, with each sheet subtly curved to mimic the flow of a stream across the façade. Its anodized metallic finish catches the light, shimmering like water under the sun, while the advanced electro coating, made from super-durable polyester thermosetting powder, ensures the structure withstands harsh elements, including sea salt spray.
Arctic Aurora Spa Retreat by Yan Wang
The Arctic Aurora Spa Retreat is an eco-friendly sanctuary set in Bergen's mineral-rich countryside, blending a spa, bathhouse, and guest retreat. Inspired by the northern lights, the design creates a seamless connection between the external environment and an inner sanctuary through a fluid, flowing form. Following a simple circular geometry, the layout allows water to move freely throughout, with spaces transitioning from open and communal to more intimate, offering a gradual shift toward privacy and human-scale experiences.
Fuma House by Masakatsu Matsuyama
Located in a once-thriving town from Japan's modernization era, now largely abandoned, the site faces challenges from its surroundings. To the east, a busy railway with 250 daily trains creates constant noise, while a nearby drinking quarter makes the area less suitable for residential living. The design responds by setting back the first-floor wall from the railway, using complex second-floor structures and third-floor eaves to block noise, vibration, and street views. Gaps between these elements allow natural light and external ambiance to enter, while large glazed openings face the courtyard, extending the interior into the semi-open space outside.
DUSITANON Residence by Phaithaya Banchakitikun
Baan Dusitanon is a four-story residence with a mezzanine, situated in a vibrant urban center surrounded by constant pedestrian and vehicular movement. The design prioritizes privacy while preserving a visual and spatial connection to the city. Vertically aligned, subtly twisted façade panels form a protective screen, filtering views and light to create a calm, inward-focused atmosphere without isolating the interior from its dynamic surroundings.
Think your work deserves a global stage? Registrations to A' Design Award are now open. Visit the A' Design Award & Competition website to enter your designs and explore the full gallery of recognized projects.
