It’s that time of year, when we raise our glasses to the very best international design and architecture. Our 14th annual AZ Awards edition praises excellence across the many disciplines of design, as awarded by the renowned members of our jury and recognized by the People’s Choice vote.

As often happens during a design competition, trends emerge. And this year Mexican architecture rose to the top on several occasions. The striking towers at Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 and Edificio Tonalá 15 both took prizes for their ingenious maximization of constrained site conditions — as well as their refined architectural expression. And Copas, a serene home in Valle de Bravo, stood out for how wonderfully it nestles into its more natural setting.

Reimagined landscapes were also big winners: Benjakitti Forest Park: Transforming a Brown Field into an Urban Nature, in Bangkok, Thailand, took the jury award for excavating the grounds of a tobacco plant and returning it to its former glory as a green space, but this time a thriving, salutogenic one for everyone to enjoy. (In the same category, Opera Park, in Copenhagen, was recognized with an award of merit for converting a parking lot into a veritable oasis). And in Environmental Leadership, RISE UP in the Rockaways, New York, showed how youth-led land stewardship can be integrated as part of a holistic project that includes architecture, landscape and educational programming. 

We salute all of our winners, around the world, for working out complex scenarios with elegant clarity. 

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

The Best of Milan

We present the most compelling ingenuities, personalities and trends (crimson’s in!) we encountered during Milan Design Week.

Kitchens that Sizzle

Our Spotlight is all about great kitchen design, from projects to systems that we saw at EuroCucina.

Lighting Delights

Our Spec Sheets are bursting with this issue’s selections in fixtures of all types and applications.

The 2024 AZ Awards is presented by Alumilex, Cosentino and Keilhauer and sponsored by Colombo Design America and Technogym. Gala sponsors are George Brown College’s Brookfield Sustainability Institute, Dark Tools, Landscape Forms, Scavolini and  Vogt.

Media Partners: Archello, ArchDaily, Archilovers, Archinect, Archiproducts, The Architect’s Newspaper, Architonic, Bustler, Design Week Mexico, v2com newswire and World-Architects.