AArchitectureTHE BEST OF ARCHITIZER 2017

About Architizer and the A+Awards6

Letter from the Founder7

Jury and Popular Choice Winners9

Index238

76

Letter from the Founder

This book celebrates the world’s best architecture, but you don’t have to take my word for it. These winners were chosen by an international jury of more than 400 experts and endorsed by hundreds of thousands of votes online. Our entrants, from more than one hundred countries, run the gamut of architectural typology and form, from the tallest towers to the most elaborate and refined cultural centers.

The A+Awards were designed to fill a void in the architecture award universe: to create an award that isn’t just for one annual winner, but to celebrate all of the amazing buildings that get built in a year. To create that award, one substantive enough to resonate on a global scale, we partnered with innovators in multiple fields: The Wall Street Journal Magazine, to get our winners in front of global decision makers; The Webby Awards, to create a robust and inclusive judging program; and of course Phaidon, to make this beautiful book possible.

At Architizer we stop at nothing to create innovative programs for architects. That is why it was so exciting to launch Architizer Source last year—the world’s first marketplace for building products. Architizer Source unleashes the intrinsic value of what architects do—in the United States, architects control more than a trillion dollars in construction each year—and with Source they will be better able to address their project needs.

As an architect I know that there is so much that technology can do for the way architects work. Register for Architizer Source at architizer.com/source/ and join us as we revolutionize the way buildings get built.

— Marc Kushner

About Architizer and the A+Awards

Architizer is the leading online resource for architecture. Through its vast building database, daily content, Source marketplace, and A+Awards, it is revolutionizing the way architects connect with building product manufacturers and the world beyond.

The Architizer A+Awards is the world’s largest and most visible architecture awards program. It is also the only red carpet event to honor the year’s best architecture. The History of the AwardsLaunched in 2013, the A+Awards consists of three core areas.

Typology — While architects do many things, at the core of their profession, they make buildings and spaces. These categories celebrate traditional building types, ranging from residential, office, and commercial to transportation, landscape, and cultural.

Plus — These awards are designed to showcase how architects build relationships. They celebrate the intersection of architecture and light, art, communication, technology, and more. The Plus categories also include unbuilt projects and conceptual designs.

Product — Every architect and interior designer knows that it takes spec-tacular products and materials to make their vision a reality. We are proud to present products that speak to the solutions that matter most to architects. The JuryComprised of 400+ luminaries across architecture and other industries, our jury includes both the people who make buildings and the people who help make great buildings happen. Each category has a Popular Choice winner in addition to Jury winners, with hundreds of thousands of design enthusiasts and professionals voting for their favorites from around the globe.

Jury and Popular Choice Winners

1110

Awards Category Typology / Type Residential: Apartments / Winner Jury & Popular Choice

Refurbishment in Calle Alcalá Madrid, Spain

StatusBuilt

Year2014

FirmÁBATON and Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti

Firm locationMadrid, Spain and Gambarogno, Switzerland

As part of this renovation project, an unused attic above an apartment was converted into a livable space. Located in a historic building, it combines contemporary features with charming details of traditional Spanish residential architecture.

This apartment in Madrid is divided into two floors. The lower floor’s ceiling decorations, traditional windows, and room partitions were maintained. All existing flooring was replaced with new wood floors. The upper story, an untouched attic providing access to a roof terrace, was designed to become the apartment’s main living space.

ÁBATON and Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architetti connected the two floors of the apartment in a blend of traditional and contemporary spirits. The upper floor is minimalist in character and free of traditional elements. The angular pitched roof—the main feature of the space—creates variations in the height of the ceiling at different points.

Oblique walls were introduced to address the problem of limited natural light. They create large embrasures that reflect sunlight and redistribute it throughout the room. The kitchen is located in the center of the room, where the ceiling is at its highest point. The entrance hall, the corridor, and the lower-floor master bedroom were also designed based on minimalist principles.

1312

Awards Category Typology / Type Residential: Private Houses XS / Winner Jury & Popular Choice

Knapphullet Sandefjord, Norway

StatusBuilt

Year2014

FirmLund Hagem Architects

Firm locationOslo, Norway

Set on the flank of a cliff, this concrete annex is ideal for a two-person stay. Its form blends with the landscape and inspires the imagination to perceive the panoramic view of the sea beyond.

Designed by Lund Hagem Architects as an annex to an existing summer house, Knapphullet is located in Sandefjord, a coastal town seventy-five miles (120 kilometers) south of Oslo. The project contains an open living space with a small bathroom and a mezzanine that can accommodate two people. Accessible via a long boarded walkway, the annex is topped by a terrace and encompasses an atrium shaped by the cliff it is set against.

The site, an isolated piece of land surrounded by large rock formations and dense vegetation, prompted the architects to take advantage of its sheltered aspects. Knapphullet was shaped by the architects’ wish to climb up the escarpment to enjoy scenic views of the sea.

The reinforced concrete roof is filled with insulation material and is water-resistant. Finished with a sawn texture, the interior partitions are made of solid oak, while the acoustic ceiling boasts a simple arrangement of woven oak strips.

3938

Awards Category Typology / Type Residential: Residential Interiors / Winner Popular Choice

VILLA A Cesis, Latvia

StatusBuilt

Year2016

Firmlolot design and OUTOFBOX

Firm locationRiga, Latvia

Although this vacation home exudes a simple refinement, its concealed, smartphone-controlled lighting solutions give it a high-tech edge.

Located on the steep bank of the Gauja River in Latvia, VILLA A was designed in response to the topographical conditions of the site on which it is built. Secluded, the house instills a sense of stability and serene permanence through a refined interplay of concrete and glass.

Inside, the natural oak surfaces and carefully detailed design features—such as the fireplace and the metallic staircase—convey a feeling of coziness and warmth to an otherwise sober atmosphere. The combination of inbuilt lighting fixtures, concealed within and hanging from the ceiling, offers a variety of lighting scenarios, which can all be controlled from a smartphone.

5352

Awards Category Typology / Type Commercial: Office Interiors L, Architecture + Stairs / Winner Jury

Pinterest HQ San Francisco, CA, USA

StatusBuilt

Year2015

FirmIwamotoScott Architecture and Brereton Architects

Firm locationSan Francisco, CA, USA

Set in a repurposed factory in San Francisco’s SoMa district, the architecture of the new Pinterest headquarters reflects the company’s redesigned web platform through clear visual elements and a flexible program, centered around an iconic staircase.

The new Pinterest headquarters in San Francisco occupies a four-story concrete structure that previously housed an agricultural machinery factory.

IwamotoScott Architecture together with Brereton Architects articulated the program around an atrium that also constitutes the project’s main circulation axis. A key aspect of the design was to extend the two-story atrium and staircase to the ground floor, creating a central void at the building’s core that connects all four floors both visually and physically. The staircase serves as the central organizing element of the project. It takes the form of a perforated steel-clad volume that doubles back and intersects at its midpoint to allow for glimpses into the workspace.

At the front of the building is a plywood diagrid ceiling acting as a threshold between the office spaces and the surrounding urban neighborhood. It functions as a canopy for the lobby, the reception area, the coffee bar, and the maker lab. The latter is a space Pinterest uses most to interact with the community through special events and public programs.

6362

Awards Category Typology / Type Commercial: Pop-Ups & Temporary / Winner Popular Choice

Tangential Dreams Black Rock City, NV, USA

StatusBuilt

Year2016

FirmMamou-Mani Ltd.

Firm locationLondon, UK

Fire and LED lights are the core components of this temporary structure lighting up the Burning Man desert.

Tangential Dreams was built for the 2016 Burning Man festival. It is a climbable tower made from inexpensive, off-the-shelf timber components and was designed using digital tools and algorithmic processes. Countless wooden pieces are held in position by horizontal elements rotating along a central axis, gently moving with the wind. Each tangent was stenciled with inspiring quotes from people around the world, collected via a crowd-funding campaign.

At night, colored LED lights animate the dynamic structure to create a moving and glowing rainbow in the desert. The rotating horizontal supports form three staircases providing strong visual connections when climbing to the top of the installation. Throughout the design, the element of fire—in reference to the central theme of the festival—remained one of the project’s key conceptual anchors. The rotating features and airy components create spiraling twisters of smoke, echoing the geometry of Tangential Dreams. The project reflects a new approach to design in which the designer is also the maker.

Awards Category Typology / Type Commercial: Offices — Mid Rise / Winner Popular Choice

WAVE Beirut, Lebanon

StatusBuilt

Year2016

FirmSOMA

Firm locationNew York, NY, USA

This contemporary tower in one of Beirut’s oldest districts features a double-skin facade and a horizontal louver system that acts as a sunscreen.

Built on a corner site in Achrafieh’s Mar Mitr quarter in Beirut, Lebanon, this project presented many challenges. Although SOMA is renowned for its double-skin projects, WAVE wears its second skin out of necessity, mainly due to its location and exposure.

The longer edge of the site faces south, while the shorter one faces west, a situation that requires excellent protection against solar heat gains. Extensive research revealed that a horizontal louver system could function efficiently as a sunscreen solution. The parametric design reacts to the program of the interior. The depth of the louvers varies to provide optimum privacy and shade where required.

If the user requires less privacy, the louvers will be thinner, providing less shade; if the user requires more privacy, the louvers will be deeper, allowing more protection from the sun. The result is a visual effect, mimicking the form and pattern of waves.

7978

Awards Category Typology / Type Commercial: Mixed Use / Winner Jury

Devil’s Corner Apslawn, Australia

StatusBuilt

Year2015

FirmCumulus Studio

Firm locationNorth Hobart, Australia

Through the use of expressively contrasting materials, the slender, sculptural lookout tower adds a touch of drama to one of Australia’s most unusual wineries.

Located on the scenic drive along Tasmania’s east coast, the new Devil’s Corner Cellar Door and Lookout sits within one of Tasmania’s largest vineyards and commands a panoramic view over the Freycinet Peninsula. This project by Cumulus Studio for the wine company Brown Brothers seeks to amplify the experience of such an iconic view.

The Cellar Door offers a lookout and complementary food experiences. It is organized, along with the food market, around a courtyard space, providing shelter from the surrounding environment while allowing glimpses through the tasting area and convenient access to deck spaces. The project is designed as a loose collection of timber-clad buildings that come together as a contemporary reinterpretation of a traditional rural settlement.

The Lookout is a critical component of the design in providing a visual signifier for the site. The three distinct spaces reference unique views of the site: the sky, the horizon, and the tower, which winds its way upward to offer uncompromised vistas of the bay.

8180

Awards Category Typology / Type Commercial: Mixed Use / Winner Popular Choice

Crystal Houses Amsterdam, The Netherlands

StatusBuilt

Year2016

FirmMVRDV

Firm locationRotterdam, The Netherlands

Set in a former townhouse, along a high-end commercial street in Amsterdam, Crystal Houses features a facade of solid glass bricks blending with traditional terra-cotta ones.

MVRDV’s Crystal Houses originated from a request by investor Warenar to design a flagship store that would combine both Dutch heritage with an international architectural perspective on the P.C. Hooftstraat, a shopping street in Amsterdam.

MVRDV wanted to respect the street’s original architectural features and character. The architects developed a solution that calls for an extensive use of glass. Glass bricks cover the lower portion of the former townhouse, but eventually “dissolve” to make way for a traditional terra-cotta brick facade, shielding the apartments “floating” above the commercial space. The glass facade mimics the original design, down to the layering of the bricks and the details of the window frames.

The design hopes to provide a solution to the loss of local character of shopping areas around the world. The increased globalization of retailing has led to the homogenization of high-end commercial streets. Crystal Houses offer the glazed storefront that contemporary retailers need, while nodding to the architectural language of the area.