In a challenging year, design has continued to lift our spirits. Case in point: the 1,209 submissions from 57 countries to the 2021 AZ Awards. From this standout number, our esteemed jurors have selected 72 finalists in 22 categories. Collectively, the diverse range of finalists exemplify excellence in innovation, aesthetics, creativity and social and environmental responsibility.

The submissions were evaluated by 10 world-renowned practitioners. Patricia Urquiola, Ini Archibong, Susannah Drake, Sou Fujimoto, Adelaide Testa, Paul Filek, Karim Rashid, Barbara Bestor, Marc Ryan and Gilles Saucier adjudicated through an immersive — and globe-spanning — remote deliberation process.

The 2021 AZ Awards winners will be revealed online in an exclusive showcase on June 25. Ahead of the awards announcement, our People’s Choice portal is also now open, giving you a chance to support your favourite finalists. Vote via our People’s Choice portal by May 21!

Architecture – Residential, Single Family

i29 architects: Floating Home, Amsterdam, Netherlands

NADAAA: Villa Varoise, Le Var, France

Naturehumaine: Chalet au lac Memphrémagog, Memphrémagog, Canada

Yasuyuki Kitamura Architects: House in Minohshinmachi, Osaka, Japan

Powerhouse Company: Villa JM, North Brabant, Netherlands

Perkins&Will: SoLo, Soo Valley, Canada

Architecture – Residential, Multi-Unit

BIG: Vancouver House, Vancouver, Canada

Studio Jean Verville architectes: NMBHD, Montreal, Canada

NADAAA: RISD North Hall, Providence, U.S.

Adaptive Re-Use

Alexander Gorlin Architects: Bell Works, Holmdel, U.S.

Krueck + Sexton Architects: CME Center – Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Chicago, U.S.

K-Studio: Dexamenes, Kourouta, Greece

Commercial and Institutional Buildings Over 1,000 SqM

Studio Zhu Pei: Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum, Jingdezhen, China

gh3*: Kathleen Andrews Transit Garage, Edmonton, Canada

Sanjay Puri Architects: The Rajasthan School, Ras, India

Steven Holl Architects: Nancy and Rich Kinder Museum Building, Houston, U.S.

Chybik + Kristof Architects & Urban Designers: Lahofer Winery, Dobšice, Czech Republic

Commercial and Institutional Buildings Under 1,000 SqM

Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter: Breitenbach Landscape Hotel – 48° Nord, Breitenbach, France

Graal architecture: Recreation Center in Athis-Mons, Ile-de-France, France

Diana Kellogg Architects: The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, Jaisalmer, India

Architecture – Temporary & Experiential Installations

REgroup: The Line, Lockeford, U.S.

Alibi Studio: Secret Sky, Hume, U.S.

TALLER Architects, SCA and Colab19: Vertical Activation: A Scaffold for Economic Recovery, Bogotá, Colombia

Ideas/Prototypes

Matter Design: Grayson Play-Lab

Ren Peng: Smart-Box

Unbuilt Projects

Étienne Bernier Architecture, APPAREIL Architecture and BGLA: Marguerite-d’Youville Elementary School, Chicoutimi, Canada

Wittman Estes: Duwamish Crossings, Seattle, U.S.

Lemay: Théâtre de Verdure, Montreal, Canada

Architectural Products

Pella: Easy Slide Operator

Duravit: SensoWash Starck f by Philippe Starck

Furniture Design

Teknion: Essa by Pearson Lloyd

Green Furniture Concept: Ascent Beam Seater

Miniforms: Soda Coffee Table by Yiannis Ghikas

Arper: Adell by Lievore + Altherr Désile Park

Cappellini and Haworth Collection: Lud’o by Patricia Urquiola

Furniture Systems & Collections

Salvatori: Anima Collection by Yabu Pushelberg

Nienkämper: The Patkau Collection by Patkau Architects

Interior Products

Jill Malek: Dwellings Wallcoverings

Kirei: New Horizons Collection

Camira: Oceanic by Jodie Padgett

Matheson Cookware: Matheson by Castor Design and Matty Matheson

Lighting Fixtures

Davide Groppi: Origine by Davide Groppi and Giorgio Rava

Flos: Coordinates by Michael Anastassiades

Lighting Installations

LeuWebb Projects: Thermally Speaking, Toronto, Canada

Hickok Cole Architects and GPI Design: Illuminated Glass Ceiling and Wall Features, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Experiential Graphic Design

Silo: Bicycle Parking Garage, The Hague, Netherlands

WXY architecture + urban design: Sunset Park Activation Plan & Brooklyn Army Terminal Public Realm, New York City, U.S.

Commercial & Institutional Interiors

LSD Interior Design: Xi’an Fangsuo Commune, Xi’an, China

Studio Paolo Ferrari: Alchemy Flagship, Toronto, Canada

i29: Felix Meritis, Amsterdam, Netherlands

gad · line+ studio: Cloud of Hometown Resort Hotel, Tai’an, China

ACDF Architecture: Chateau Viger Offices, Montreal, Canada

Residential Interiors

Dupont Blouin: Garnier Residence, Montreal, Canada

MESA atelier: Casa das Janelas Verdes, Lisbon, Portugal

Drew Mandel Architects: House on Bracondale Hill, Toronto, Canada

Future Simple Studio: Rue de la Gauchetière Loft, Montreal, Canada

Landscape Architecture

Cobe: Karen Blixens Plads, Copenhagen, Denmark

Turenscape: Welcoming the Water: Tongnan Dafosi Wetland Park, Chongqing, China

Urban Design Visions

Mecanoo: Spoorzone Dordrecht, Dordrecht, Netherlands

Partisans: The Orbit, Innisfil, Canada

Henriquez Partners Architects: Ghetto, Venice, Italy

Studio-MLA: Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Plan, Los Angeles, U.S.

A+ Award for Student Work

Mingyang Sun and Fangyuan Sheng (University of Pennsylvania): Water Miner – Johannesburg 2050

Abbie Ford, Abby Eleeson, Ace Brown, Brady Whitehill, Casey Chura, Dakota Tubbs, Gabby Foster, Jack Swezy, Jean-Marc Juston, Kaitlin Hoines, Kelly Schorn, Leah Ferrara, Lindsey Freund, Maddy Irwin, Maggy Dickherber, Nate Hulse, Norah Swift, Riley Estrada, Ryan Everson, Tiffany Nguyen, Vinny Hyunh (University of Kansas, Prof. Dan Rockhill): Levee House

Tim Cousin, Natalie Pearl, Latifa Al Khayat, William Marshall (Massachusetts Institute of Technology): The Stack Politic

Sebastián López Cardozo and Lene Sollie (Rice University): A New Housing Model for Social and Environmental Resilience in Houston’s Third Ward

Environmental Leadership

Perkins&Will: SoLo, Soo Valley, Canada

Acc Naturale Architettura and Negozio Blu Architetti Associati: Green Pea. Democratizing sustainability, Turin, Italy

Social Good

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture: Tiny Victories, Austin, U.S.

TALLER Architects, SCA and Colab19: Vertical Activation: A Scaffold for Economic Recovery, Bogota, Colombia

VERTEBRAL: El Terreno, Mexico City, Mexico

Diana Kellogg Architects: The Rajkumari Ratnavati Girls School, Jaisalmer, India

The Presenting Partners of the 2021 AZ Awards are Caesarstone, Keilhauer and Landscape Forms.

The Sponsors of the 2021 AZ Awards Winners Reveal are Ciot, Dark Tools and Scavolini.

Media Partners: Archello, Archiexpo, Archilovers, Archinect, Archiproducts, Architect@Work, The Architect’s Newspaper, Architonic, Bustler, Design Week Mexico, Interior Designers of Canada, INDEX Design, Kollectif, v2com newswire and World-Architects.