On Friday, June 23, Azure celebrated the finalists and winners of the AZ Awards 2023 together with the architecture and design community at Evergreen Brick Works. The occasion marked the first time since 2019 that Azure hosted an in-person gala – and it was a spectacular evening!

Architect Craig Dykers’ speech was an ode to all the things that make Canada great. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

Our charismatic MC, Jessica Allen, exuberantly hosted an exciting night. Before the jury winners and People’s Choice favourites were announced, Azure’s Editor in Chief, Elizabeth Pagliacolo, announced a new initiative – the Nelda Rodger Indigenous Student Award in Architecture and Design – and introduced the gala’s Guest of Honour, the architect Craig Dykers, co-founder of Snøhetta.

A sketch of the AZ Awards 2023 trophy by Marie Christine Dorner.

The awards were then presented in 24 categories. Jury winners received a stunning trophy designed by AZ Awards juror Marie Christine Dorner. This Earth-like orb is made from different layers of wood, including oak, sycamore and walnut, assembled at various thicknesses and in random order so that no two sculptures are alike.

The final trophy. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

The awards also included the A+ Award for Student Work, which comes with a cash prize that is generously sponsored by George Brown College’s Brookfield Sustainability Institute, a global solutions studio focused on applied and smart sustainable solutions for the future.

George Brown School of Design created an evocative installation for the AZ Awards 2023 gala. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

Meanwhile, George Brown School of Design, our decor partner, had created the luminous installation that transformed the Evergreen Brick Works with a paper landscape made of construction tubes lit from within and capped with rings of light. It was the perfect ambience for a fantastic event.

In the lead-up to the awards presentation, guests enjoyed special wines from Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Stratus Vineyards, and celebrated the winners and finalists with bubbles from Stratus’ just-to-be released Ancestral.

Stratus served up the evening’s wine. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

Known as the original way of making champagne, before filtration, this classic style is grown on their Niagara-on-the-Lake farm and is purposefully slightly “hazy” to preserve aromatics, complexity and flavour.

Porta’s mini desserts came in delightful glass jars. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

Later in the evening, an assortment of delicious Italian desserts was generously provided by our Gala Partner, Terroni’s PORTA. It was a sweet end to a wonderful evening.

GALA RECAP VIDEO

GALA SLIDESHOW

Design P.R. mavens Lisa Barnes and Lindsay Singer. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Landscape Forms, an AZ Awards 2023 Presenting Partner, showed off its Take-Out collection and Motive lamp in the Evergreen Brick Works garden. Photo by Arash Moallemi

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Azure’s plant wall in the garden of the Evergreen Brick Works. Photo by Arash Moallemi

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Stanley Sun of Mason Studio and Suzanne Wilkinson of Figure3 (and an AZ Awards 2023 finalist in Residential Interiors). Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Azure publisher Sergio Sgaramella and Keilhauer founder Mike Keilhauer. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Chris Burek, Strategic Relationship Executive at MillerKnoll, with Rebecca and Ottilie Nienkämper. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Colombo Design America, an AZ Awards 2023 Sponsor, showed off some of its colourful hardware. It also hosted a contest. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Sasa Radulovic, a co-founder of Winnipeg firm 5468796 Architecture – and an AZ Awards 2023 finalist – with Azure Senior Editor Stefan Novakovic. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Eric Martin of Toronto’s Picnic Design with Azure’s Director of Marketing & Partnerships, Mahasti Eslajou. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Giannone Petricone Associates’ Ralph Giannone, Azure EIC Elizabeth Pagliacolo, Shim-Sutcliffe’s Brigitte Shim, journalist Beth Kapusta, designer Andrew Jones, GPAIA’s Pina Petricone and Montreal landscape architect Claude Cormier. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Allen Chan of The Design Agency in conversation with designer Andrei Zerebecky. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Two AZ Awards 2023 gala guests having a tête-a-tête on Keilhauer’s Lull lounge chairs. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Andrew Hill of Studio AC with his partner. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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The team of architecture firm DEXD. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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MC Jessica Allen gets the presentation started. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Azure Editor in Chief Elizabeth Pagliacolo announces the Nelda Rodger bursary. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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The audience listens intently. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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AZ Awards Gala Guest of Honour Craig Dykers takes the stage. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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The AZ Awards 2023 trophies all lined up and ready to be handed out. Photo by Arash Moallemi.

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Ralph Giannone and Pina Petricone of Giannone Petricone Associates accept the People’s Choice medallion – from Christina Patriarca, Marketing Manager at Colombo – for The Royal, a hotel in Prince Edward County. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Paolo Ferrari received the trophy in Residential Interiors for his Muskoka Lake House. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Stephen Dalrymple heads to the stage to accept the jury award for Parkside, the lounge chair he designed for Coolican and Company.

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Monica Bussoli, Senior Designer at Scavolini Toronto, presents the trophy to Josh Shelton, Partner at El Dorado (from Portland), for Albina Vision Trust Community Investment Plan, the AZ Awards 2023 winner in Social Good. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Filipi Oliveira of mf+arquitetos travelled all the way from Brazil to attend the gala. He accepted the jury award – from Amanda Butera, Assistant Manager at the Toronto A&D department of AZ Awards 2023 Sponsor Ciot – in Architecture: Houses for Lake House. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Claude Cormier (second from left) and team accept the People’s Choice in Urban: Interventions for The Ring in Montreal. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Brigitte Shim of Shim-Sutcliffe accepts the jury award and People’s Choice in Architecture: Buildings Over 1,000 SqM for the Ace Hotel Toronto from Ryan Heiser, Director of Design at Landscape Forms. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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Mickey Bian of Dedang Design’s Canada office picks up the People’s Choice in Buildings Under 1,000 SqM for the Bache Community Centre in Shanghai. Photo by Mauricio Calero.

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The 2023 AZ Awards is presented by Caesarstone, Keilhauer and Landscape Forms and sponsored by Ciot and Colombo Design America. Gala sponsors are George Brown College’s Brookfield Sustainability Institute, Dark Tools and Scavolini.

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