Albeit small, Slovenia is a captivating country. Bordered by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, it has one of the most diverse architectural cultures of central Europe. It is also home to one of the richest and most diverse natural landscapes of Europe, stretching from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Jože Plečnik, Slovenia’s most influential modernist architect, along with Ivan Vurvik, and his work regarding the iconic “Slovene National Style”, became the founders of the Ljubljana School of Architecture. Their unique architectural style amalgamated modernism, the Vienna Secession (a type of Art Nouveau) and past historical ideas and forms, which became the blueprint for the country’s contemporary architectural practice.

This young generation of architects is passionately embracing environmentally sustainable designs both within dense urban fabrics and natural terrains. Modern structures, such as the Plečnik House and the Stožice Stadium, showcase a fusion of contemporary aesthetics and eco-conscious design principles, developing an extraordinary architectural identity and design practice within the country.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Slovenia based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2026)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2026)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Slovenian architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Slovenia:

30. Prima

© Prima d.o.o.

Prima architectural office was established in 1990. The office uses a multidisciplinary approach to projects of various scales, from urban planning, architecture, interior design, to stage design.

Some of Prima’s most prominent projects include:

• In the Land of Capricorn, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Prima achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

29. SKUPAJ ARHITEKTI

© Janez Marolt

Skupaj arhitekti, led by architect Tomaž Ebenšpanger, is an architectural practice active since 2011, bringing together a strong social sensibility and a continuous pursuit of spatial and material beauty. In addition to residential architecture, the practice is actively involved in education and training for both children and adults. Their work is grounded in a participatory approach to planning and design, based on the belief that inclusive design processes lead to a higher quality of living once residents occupy the space. The practice understands architecture as both rational and poetic. In close collaboration with clients, they engage in a shared process of discovering architecture that enhances authentic spatial experience, material expression, and carefully considered architectural details.

Some of SKUPAJ ARHITEKTI’s most prominent projects include:

• Living in Alpine Village, Stara Fužina, Slovenia

The following statistics helped SKUPAJ ARHITEKTI achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

28. studio PIKAPLUS

© studio PIKAPLUS

The built and natural environment are inextricably linked. Architecture and interiors frame the views, glorify and enhance the qualities of the environment in which they find themselves.

In STUDIO PIKAPLUS, we are a team of architects and landscape architects who integrate architectural and landscape architectural projects through comprehensive solutions in respect for the environment and to enable the comfort of modern living. We produce comprehensive architecture projects, interior design plans and landscape architecture plans.

Some of studio PIKAPLUS’ most prominent projects include:

• The Wooden house, Slovenia

The following statistics helped studio PIKAPLUS achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

27. Gartner Arhitekti

© Gartner Arhitekti

Gartner Arhitekti was founded in 2010. Our field of activity covers everything from interiors and single-apartment buildings to larger and more demanding buildings, as well as energy renovations and renovations of buildings of all sizes. Regardless of the size, we try to create a functional, aesthetic, unique, and technically perfect product with each project.

Some of Gartner Arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• Low-energy Sports Hall Mengeš, Mengeš, Slovenia
• Milka Boutique Hotel & Restaurant, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Gartner Arhitekti achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

26. elastik

© Miran Kambic

Elastik is an international brand for networking and designing architecture, urbanism and media with other disciplines. We strive for performative and aesthetic improvement of buildings, for connectivity between functionality and technique.

Elastik is an architectural studio organized as an international network of individuals who come forward to form project groups according to the specific requirements of a given project or of the client in question; hence, the name Elastik. In this context, Elastik works independently of various geographic and political borders and as an adaptable meshwork.

Some of elastik’s most prominent projects include:

• Mezzanine house, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Facelift of a semi-detached house, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Harmonica House, Dolšce, Slovenia

The following statistics helped elastik achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

25. Landscape

© Landscape d.o.o.

Established by partners Gregor Vreš and Tina Demšar in 1998, Landscape brings a different way of looking at each design project. Our landscape architectural office focuses on creating modern luxury through fully integrated landscape and architectural designs with strong attention to detail. Through modern reinterpretation of heritage, the traditional and the indigenous characteristics of the location, we create unique spaces.

Some of Landscape’s most prominent projects include:

• BLED // Garden Village Bled, Bled, Slovenia
• Aromatic Mediterranean garden, Slovenia
• Urban garden renovation, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Urban Sculpture Garden, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• LJUBLJANA // Biotechnical faculty, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Landscape achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

24. Studio 360

© Miran Kambic

STUDIO 360 is a company providing integrated solutions in the fields of architecture and branding. Ten years of experience, the combination of two- and three-dimensional expertise and many international awards guarantee our excellence, contributing to the strategic brand development, efficient results and client satisfaction.

The 360 architectural department focuses on flexible design concepts and innovative building techniques that improve the quality of living. Every building receives a comprehensive solution: analysis of context, client’s brief, investment and construction technologies. We aim to achieve more with less and creatively transform constraints into opportunities. Our know-how allows a smooth transition from concept to implementation.

Some of Studio 360’s most prominent projects include:

• Geometric Residence, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Cat’s Residence, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Dermatology Clinic, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Exhibition set, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Business society offices, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Studio 360 achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

23. AKSL arhitekti

© Janez Marolt

Founded in the year 2000 by distinguished architects Špela Leskovic and Aleš Košak, AKSL architects is a dynamic design firm that emerged from the hallowed halls of the Faculty for Architecture in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Both founders graduated with honors, setting the foundation for a future marked by innovation and excellence.

AKSL architects operates at the intersection of architecture and interior design, bringing a holistic approach to their projects. Their portfolio reflects a commitment to multidisciplinary collaboration, drawing on the expertise of professionals from various fields. This inclusive approach ensures that each project benefits from a diverse range of perspectives, resulting in unique and well-rounded designs.

Over the past decade, AKSL architects has transcended its origins, evolving into an international design office that leaves its mark on a global scale.

Some of AKSL arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• House 5Ž, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Bookstore Modrijan, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Cafeteria Rog
• Restaurant Evergreen, Smlednik, Slovenia
• Restaurant Element, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped AKSL arhitekti achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

22. OD-DO architecture

© OD-DO architecture, Navor

Od-do architecture was founded by architects Aleš Žmavc and Matic Škarabot in 2018. The company was founded as a result of receiving 1st prize in the public competition for the Footbridge over the Soča River in Tolmin, Slovenia. Since then, we have completed over 100 successful projects and expanded our team with skilled architects and design professionals. Our designs cover more than 30,000 square meters of public, private, and commercial real estate, and we have collaborated with over 20 public and private companies. We work on a range of scales from interior design projects to large-scale urban developments. Our portfolio is a testament to our commitment to delivering innovative architecture, high-quality design, and value-driven solutions that meet the needs of our clients and generate value for users.

Some of OD-DO architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Comprehensive renovation and extension of the Kindergarten, Učenjak unit, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped OD-DO architecture achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

21. ARK Arhitektura Krušec

© Miran Kambic

Arhitektura Sagadin is an architecture firm based in Slovenia. The firm’s portfolio includes an array of projects, from residential to institutional and urban interventions.

Some of ARK Arhitektura Krušec’s most prominent projects include:

• NZS Headquarters, Kranj, Slovenia
• House on Golo, Golo, Slovenia

The following statistics helped ARK Arhitektura Krušec achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

20. Bevk Perović arhitekti

© OFIS architects, SADAR + VUGA, dekleva gregoric architects, Bevk Perović arhitekti

In 1997, Vasa J. Perović and Matija Bevk founded Bevk Perović arhitekti in Ljubljana, Slovenia. They work, alongside the international team of 9 young architects, on a diverse range of projects in different European countries.

Since its beginnings, the studio has received wide international recognition. They have been awarded numerous national and international prizes (European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Emerging Architect Award in 2007, Kunstpreis Berlin in 2006, Piranesi Award in 2005, 5 Plečnik Prizes for best building of the year in Slovenia, 4 Golden Pencil awards by the Chamber of Architects, Prešeren Prize, the highest national prize for culture, awarded by the President of the Republic of Slovenia in 2005, etc)

Bevk Perović arhitekti have recently won a few large international competitions – the competition for Refurbishment of Drama theatre in Ljubljana, the competition for Neue Galerie und Kasematten / Neue Bastei in Wiener Neustadt, competition for Highrise Apartment Building Nordbahnof in Vienna, Austria and most recently the competition for New Court Building and Main Bus Terminal in Ljubljana.

Some of Bevk Perović arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• The Cultural Center of European Space Technologies, Vitanje, Slovenia
• Apartment building Prule, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Bevk Perović arhitekti achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

19. Arhitektura Sagadin

© AB objekt d.o.o.

Arhitektura Sagadin is an architecture firm based in Slovenia, with projects centered mostly around residential architecture.

Some of Arhitektura Sagadin’s most prominent projects include:

• Renovation of a house Slavik, Ptuj, Slovenia
• House on the edge of the forest, Sveti Jernej, Slovenia
• House Podgoro, Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Arhitektura Sagadin achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

18. Jereb in Budja arhitekti

© Jereb in Budja arhitekti d.o.o.

The office was founded in 2007 by Rok Jereb (1975, Ljubljana) and Blaž Budja (1975, Kranj). They focus strongly on thoughtful and detailed architecture, emphasising relations between the local environment and the client. They won several architectural competitions: Sports hall Stopiče (Novo Mesto, Slovenia), Ljubljana main train station (in collaboration, Slovenia), Kokra Canyon revitalisation (Kranj, Slovenia), Social housing (Ivančna Gorica, Slovenia) and others.

Spots Hall Stopiče was awarded the main Slovenian architecture award, Plečnik medal in 2012 and was nominated for the European Union Prize for Architecture Mies van der Rohe award 2013.

Some of Jereb in Budja arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• Retirement Home Šmarje pri Jelšah, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Slovenia
• Mothers home Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Occupational Activity Center INCE, Mengeš, Slovenia
• Stopiče Sports Center, Novo Mesto, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Jereb in Budja arhitekti achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

17. scapelab

© scapelab

Scapelab is an architectural office established in 2001 by Marko Studen, who graduated from the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Architecture and GSAPP, Columbia University, New York. For six years, he was director of Europan Slovenia, an international housing competition project, and a lecturer at both the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana and the University of California. He was an editorial board member of Piranesi Magazine and Art.si Magazine, and a member of national and international competition jury committees. He is a co-editor of European Urbanity: Europan 7 and 8, Austria and Slovenia (Springer Verlag, 2006).

Some of scapelab’s most prominent projects include:

• SIMPLE HOUSE, Radovljica, Slovenia
• DR HOUSE, Slovenske Konjice, Slovenia
• Slovenska Boulevard, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• SUN PARK, Lucija, Slovenia

The following statistics helped scapelab achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

16. Sanja Premrn

© Sanja Premrn

In our work, we do not distinguish between architecture and interior design. We strive to offer a holistic approach that encompasses all aspects of design.

Some of Sanja Premrn’s most prominent projects include:

• Ceramic studio reno, Slovenia
• SPIN bar, Kozina, Slovenia
• Picerija in oštarija Tonca, Kozina, Slovenia
• Concrete house, Bartlesville, Oakland
• Našahiša, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Sanja Premrn achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

15. AB objekt

© Matej

AB objekt is an architecture firm based in Celje, Slovenia. Its work is centered around residential architecture.

Some of AB objekt’s most prominent projects include:

• House on the edge of the forest, Sveti Jernej, Slovenia
• Renovation of a house, Slavik, Ptuj, Slovenia
• House 34m, Vojnik, Slovenia
• House DB, Pongrac, Slovenia
• House Svetelka, Svetelka, Slovenia

The following statistics helped AB objekt achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

14. Tria Studio

© Tria Studio

Tria is an architecture studio that creates high-quality and innovative architectural solutions. Since its foundation in 2007, we have received numerous awards and distinctions in the field of architectural creation (public and invited competitions).

Some of Tria Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• House Celje, Celje, Slovenia
• Farewell Chapel Tuhinj, Zgornji Tuhinj, Slovenia
• Apartment Koseze, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Benetton Flagship Store, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Economics Library, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Tria Studio achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

13. Arhitektura Jure Kotnik

© Janez Marolt

Arhitektura Jure Kotnik is an award-winning architectural office located in Ljubljana (SI) and Paris (F). It was founded in 2006 by architect Jure Kotnik. The office works in various fields of architecture, from research, design, to consulting for various international clients. Office became widely known first for its projects in the field of container architecture and later for the research and design of educational architecture, hybrid architecture and design. Jure Kotnik is the author of the bestselling first monograph on container architecture and the author of several internationally published books and articles. Jure Kotnik has won various awards for its innovative approach in architecture, and the projects have received worldwide media coverage.

Some of Arhitektura Jure Kotnik’s most prominent projects include:

• Kindergarten Kekec, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Kindergarten Jelka, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Kindergarten Ajda 2, Ravne na Koroškem, Slovenia
• 2+ Weekend House, Trebnje, Slovenia
• Šmartno Timeshare Kindergarten, Šmartno, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Arhitektura Jure Kotnik achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

12. SADAR + VUGA

© Miran Kambic

SADAR+VUGA was founded by Jurij Sadar and Boštjan Vuga in 1996. Over the past two decades, the company has been an incubator of critical European architectural practice focusing on open, innovative and integrated architectural design and urban planning.

The office has a forward-leaping and often critical approach, covering a wide spectrum of production from urban planning to interior design. The stimulation for its projects comes from visual, audial and textual information, from art and fashion, science and technology, allowing them to generate a sensitive and responsive environment we live in.

Some of SADAR + VUGA’s most prominent projects include:

• Air Traffic Control Centre, Zgornji Brnik, Slovenia
• Boutique Almira Sadar, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• The Cultural Center of European Space Technologies, Vitanje, Slovenia
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Condominium Trnovski Pristan, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped SADAR + VUGA achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

11. Fabrikat arhitektura

© Fabrikat arhitektura d.o.o.

Fabrikat arhitektura is an architecture and interior design firm based in Slovenia. Its work is centered around residential architecture.

Some of Fabrikat arhitektura’s most prominent projects include:

• Comprehensive renovation and extension of the Kindergarten, Učenjak unit, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• House DMD, Cerklje na Gorenjskem, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Fabrikat arhitektura achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

10. SVET VMES

© Matevz Paternoster

SVET VMES was founded in 2010 as a non-formal creative group of architects from Ljubljana, with an urge to question, explore and expose the potential of left-over, ‘in-between’ spaces within educational and public buildings. By shifting between observation and action.

SVET VMES analyses the existing dilapidated interior and exterior ‘in-between’ areas, to locate the sore points and to remediate, heal and transform them into places of events, potential, comfort, interaction, negotiation, delight and seclusion, inventing a new kind of ‘loaded’ interstitial typology. Our interventions of various scales allow us to instigate and explore new ‘in-between’ behaviors, encourage spatial sensitivity and emergence among people, challenge their daily patterns and disturb the existing social reality.

SVET VMES has, in recent years, continuously modified and transformed into a venturesome and research-driven design practice, whose work was locally and internationally recognized, published and awarded.

Some of SVET VMES’s most prominent projects include:

• Blue Gallery, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• School Landscape, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Three Containers, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Rotating Wall, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Loggia, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped SVET VMES achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

9. dans arhitekti

© dans arhitekti

In our office, DANS arhitekti, we create spaces and culture in which we live, work, feel and socialize with each other. We are consciously exploring the relationship between people and the built environment. We think about innovative ways of using the space and, at the same time, drawing from archaic building principles, exploiting the opportunities opened by sustainable construction, and the possibility of creating pleasant, livable spaces. No matter if we are designing urban public spaces or facilities with a focus on engineering and technology, large spaces with heavy flow of people or intimate ambiances we try to create different moods through the use of nuances and careful details.

Some of dans arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• Bicycle Bridge Across the Sava River, Bohinjska Bistrica, Slovenia
• Grosuplje Cultural Center, Grosuplje, Slovenia
• Renovation of terraced houses Progres – Mirje, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Don Bosco Church, Maribor, Slovenia
• Holiday house BNKS, Novigrad, Croatia

The following statistics helped dans arhitekti achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

8. abiro

© Miran Kambič

Under this name, a three-room architects’ office was founded in 1998, but later it has been constantly expanding and changing. The current team is made up of Matej Blenkuš — head of the practice, Katja Cimperman, Grega Valencic, Aleksander Cifer, Sara Ambrus and Deja Dukic, all of them graduated architects.

Some of abiro’s most prominent projects include:

• DARS Office building, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Ski Jumps Planica, Rateče, Slovenia
• Wine Cellar, Brežice, Slovenia

The following statistics helped abiro achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

7. Superform

© Superform

SUPERFORM is an innovative architectural practice from Slovenia, founded by Marjan Poboljšaj and Anton Žižek in 2001. It is successfully active in the field of architecture, interior design and urban planning.

Superform introduces a new approach: architecture is an experience, which we sense on the three levels of perception: mental level, sensual level and physical level. Every Superform project has a specific code. The code of the project is a sum of the perception levels and the specific name of the project, which classifies the story/saga of each project. With the project code, Superform communicates with the client and the public.

Some of Superform’s most prominent projects include:

• House – My little big world, Rogaška Slatina, Slovenia
• House – Route Home, Maribor, Slovenia
• Assembly and storage facility Tajfun, Šentjur pri Celju, Slovenia
• Kindergarten Cerkvenjak, Cerkvenjak, Slovenia
• Apartment – Towards the sun, Ljubljana, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Superform achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

6. Atelje Ostan Pavlin

© Virginia Vrecl

Atelje Ostan Pavlin (Aleksander Ostan, Nataša Pavlin and collaborators) is an architectural firm, active within the broader field of living cultures that include planning, building, leading workshops, teaching, lecturing, researching, writing, etc. The core of our interest lies within the concepts of responsible, sustainable living, planning and building paradigm in urban, rural and natural environments.

We research diverse regional traditions of the world (anonymous architecture) on one hand and new, inventive, participative architecture on the other hand. We love to work in naturally and culturally diverse and sensitive environments, being aware of the complex and critical situation the world is in. We are reading the complex, multilayered context of each situation, trying to respond to the task in a complex but simple way.

Some of Atelje Ostan Pavlin’s most prominent projects include:

• Cycling and Pedestrian Bridge in Bohinj, Slovenia, Radovljica, Slovenia
• Interpretation Center of Biodiversity and Pile Dwellings in the Ljubljana Marsh Nature Park, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Renovation of a residential house in Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Wooden extension to an existing house, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Family Chapel near Bovec, Bovec, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Atelje Ostan Pavlin achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

5. dekleva gregoric architects

© Flavio Coddou Photography

dekleva gregoric arhitekti was set up in 2003 by Aljosa Dekleva and Tina Gregoric after returning from the Architectural Association, London, where they had both been studying for their Master’s degrees. Aljosa Dekleva, M.Arch (AA Dist), b.1972, Postojna, Slovenia, 1998 graduated from Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2001 Master’s degree in Architecture with Distinction, DRL, Architectural Association, London. Tina Gregoric, M.Arch (AA Dist), b.1974, Kranj, Slovenia, 2000, graduated from the Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, 2001, Master’s degree in Architecture with Distinction, DRL, Architectural Association, London.

Some of dekleva gregoric architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Pavilion of Slovenia: Leave Minimal Mark – EXPO Osaka 2025
• Compact Karst House, Vrhovlje, Slovenia
• Sunken design studio , Škofja Loka, Slovenia
• Chimney House, Logatec, Slovenia
• Home at Arsenale – La Biennale di Venezia, Slovenian pavilion, Venice, Italy

The following statistics helped dekleva gregoric architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

4. Arhitektura

© Arhitektura

ARHITEKTURA is a company where the experience and ideas of two generations converge in a common cultural motive: making good architecture. Architecture that is both rational and poetic. Architecture, which is the result of a wider spatial, historical, technological and social context, and is something that arises without predefined forms and is only just looking for its aesthetic justification. Architects, model-makers, interior and product designers are working in our office in Ljubljana. Together we have dedicated ourselves to enriching spatial life in the fields of architecture, urbanism and design since 1997.

Some of Arhitektura’s most prominent projects include:

• Suha Private House
• Zois House Studios, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Folding Wall Apartment, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• The Black Barn, Slovenia
• Rafting Bridge, Celje, Slovenia

The following statistics helped Arhitektura achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

3. SoNo arhitekti

© SoNo arhitekti

SoNo arhitekti unites a new generation of Slovenian architects to create a modern, high-quality architecture that is emerging as a mix of architectural theory, study and research of the sites’ locations, innovation and testing of new materials and construction methods.

Our typical architecture is a complex, unconventional structure that strives to be placed into the landscape as best as possible, satisfying the client’s desires and needs, efficiently including natural resources, which is reflected in the innovative floor plan solutions.

Some of SoNo arhitekti’s most prominent projects include:

• House M, Slovenia
• House PT, Slovenia
• House Re, Vrhnika, Slovenia
• Mountain View House, Austria
• Musterhaus Wienna, Vienna, Austria

The following statistics helped SoNo arhitekti achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

2. OFIS architects

© OFIS architects

OFIS architects is an architectural office based in Ljubljana, formed by Rok Oman and Spela Videcnik in 1998. They studied architecture at the Ljubljana School of Architecture and at the Architectural Association in London (grad.2000). OFIS work negotiates between architectural projects in different scales (from 30 square meters to 50,000 square meters), performing arts and set design. OFIS has partner firm agreements in London, Paris and Moscow. Their academic career involves teaching at Harvard GSD in Boston.

Some of OFIS architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Alpine Shelter Skuta, Slovenia
• Winter Cabin on Mount Kanin, Kanin
• Shoebox House, Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Alpine Ski Apartments, Kranjska Gora, Slovenia
• Tetris Apartments

The following statistics helped OFIS architects achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

1. ENOTA

© Miran Kambič

Enota was founded in 1998 with the ambition to create a contemporary and critical architectural practice of an open type based on a collective approach to the development of architectural and urban solutions. Over the years, Enota has been constantly developing, and from its beginnings, it has served as a creative platform for more than fifty architects. Enota is led by founding partners and principal architects Dean Lah and Milan Tomac. Constant changes and new complex situations in the world around us drive us to think about new ways of architectural and urban organization. In order to be able to produce answers to those new questions, we believe it’s time to surpass the boundaries of conventional disciplines set mainly by our cultural backgrounds.

Some of ENOTA’s most prominent projects include:

• Ptuj Performance Center, Ptuj, Slovenia
• Češča Vas Pool Complex, Češča Vas, Slovenia
• Češča Vas Pool Complex, Novo Mesto, Slovenia
• Velenje Car Park, Velenje, Slovenia
• Wellness Plesnik, Mozirje, Slovenia
• Featured image: Termalija Family Wellness, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Slovenia

The following statistics helped ENOTA achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Slovenia:

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well-written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High-quality, in-focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and is shared with 170,000 subscribers.

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

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The Baltic States are often discussed in geopolitical terms, occasionally in economic ones, but rarely as architectural protagonists. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania tend to sit in the shadow of their Nordic neighbors, despite producing a body of contemporary work that is confident, precise and distinctly regional.

In the decades following renewed independence, public buildings have taken on particular weight. Museums, concert halls, municipal offices, plazas and even modest infrastructural projects have become ways of expressing identity and long-term direction. Rather than leaning on spectacle, many of these works rely on material clarity, landscape awareness and a measured dialogue with history.

From timber pavilions in small island towns to copper-clad concert halls and carefully inserted museum spaces within centuries-old walls, this collection looks at how the Baltics are shaping their public realm today and why it deserves far more attention.

Kärdla City Pavilion

By Olsson Lyckefors Arkitektur, Estonia

Every small town needs a room of its own. In Kärdla, that room now stands at the center of the square. Built to mark Estonia’s centenary, the pavilion gathers daily life that once felt dispersed. The concept draws on Hortus Conclusus, the enclosed garden. Timber walls define a sheltered courtyard within the open townscape.

The interior is calm and largely open, while activity lines the edges. Market stalls, a small stage and an info center face outward toward the square. Slender wooden slats filter light, with spacers referencing patterns from Kärdla’s textile past. A glass roof admits sky and weather. Over time, the timber will weather, and the garden will grow denser, giving the square a steady civic presence.

Biotoop Cultural Center

By McKinley Studios, Tartu, Estonia

Proposed for a riverside site along the Emajõgi in Tartu, Biotoop Cultural Centre imagines a compact cultural building embedded within parkland. The concept limits its footprint so that the surrounding landscape remains dominant, organizing the program across six levels, with two placed below ground to reduce visual impact.

Each level is conceived as a spatial interpretation of one of Estonia’s five national park landscapes. Undulating floor plates circle an open courtyard and connect through a continuous ramp, guiding visitors upward through museum spaces, a library, a cinema, and restaurants. A rooftop park would frame views over the city, completing a gradual ascent from river to skyline.

Rural Municipality Building in Saue

By molumba, Saue, Estonia

Set at the edge of Saue’s central park, the rural municipal building closes the green space with quiet authority. From a distance, it reads as a pavilion. A carved archway cuts through the triangular volume, marking the entrance while offering shelter to passersby. A double-skin façade protects the workspaces within, balancing openness and privacy.

The plan follows a clear structure. Public services occupy the outer ring. A compact core contains council chambers and meeting rooms. The building is constructed entirely from CLT. Timber surfaces remain visible inside, their texture left raw. Systems are concealed beneath raised floors, keeping ceilings clear. The result is efficient, durable and grounded in material honesty.

V- Plaza Urban Development

By 3deluxe, Kaunas, Lithuania

In Kaunas, a former traffic-dominated square has been given back to people. V-Plaza replaces asphalt with movement shaped by cyclists, skaters and pedestrians. Two ground logics guide the design. A linear grid respects historic sightlines. Curved paths follow natural routes across the site.

Light granite, timber and sculpted white concrete define the terrain. Sloped lawns, stepped seating and skateable forms create an active surface. Water features cool the open plane and invite play. An underground garage keeps cars out of view. Surrounding buildings were renovated and extended, unified by white façades and open interiors. The result supports everyday use, public events and new patterns of urban mobility.

Kaunas City Museum

By Processoffice, Kaunas, Lithuania

Kaunas Town Hall has stood since 1542. Its latest transformation turns the historic structure into a contemporary museum while keeping its layered character visible. The design follows a clear principle: new elements must read as new. A “box-in-box” strategy inserts modern structures within the old fabric without erasing it.

Vaulted basements were cleaned and conserved. The unused attic now holds a suspended glass-and-steel pavilion, set within the timber roof frame. A sculptural copper staircase links the levels and signals the present moment. Original masonry, clay tiles and wood surfaces remain exposed. The result supports exhibitions, events and daily visitors without diluting the building’s past.

Lithuania House of Basketball

By Architectural bureau G.Natkevicius and partners, Kaunas, Lithuania

A museum dedicated to Lithuania’s most celebrated sport, the House of Basketball, stands at the meeting point of Kaunas Old Town and Santaka Park. The building marks the edge of the historic quarter while presenting a clear contemporary form. Its curved volume wraps around a century-old oak tree, which becomes the spatial anchor of the project. A small courtyard forms at this center, guiding visitors toward the entrance.

The façade is composed of aluminum framing, glass and copper plates. Over time, the copper will darken, aligning with the surrounding brick context. Inside, exposed concrete and restrained tones provide a neutral setting for the exhibition story.

More than just a public restroom

By Open Architecture Design, Riga, Latvia

Public restrooms rarely get architectural attention. In this project, however, they are treated as a deliberate urban gesture. Repurposed shipping containers form a compact sanitation block placed beside an existing staircase. The intervention is straightforward and visible, turning basic infrastructure into part of the spatial identity.

The containers are adapted for durability and efficient use. Bright light fixtures define the façade and support orientation after dark. Outdoor sinks help manage crowds during events. Drinking water stations and a small relaxation area respond to seasonal demand. Practical needs are addressed with clarity, giving everyday services a defined presence within the public realm.

Pedestrian Path and View Terrace

By DJA, Valmiera, Latvia

In Valmiera, this pedestrian path and viewing terrace turn a simple walk into a gradual approach toward the Gauja. A gravel track branches from the asphalt road and shifts into a timber walkway. It ends in a circular platform that meets the water with restraint.

The terrace stands above ground, as the site floods roughly once a decade. Its curved outline allows emergency vehicle access. The structure rests on pine timber frames, with concrete slabs used where utilities pass below. Larch planks with an anti-slip milling finish the surface. Seating rises from the deck, offering places to pause and face the river.

Great Amber – Concert Hall Liepaja

By Volker Giencke & Company, Latvia

Popular Choice Winner, Hall/Theater, 4th Annual A+Awards

A concert hall more than a century in the making, Great Amber finally opened in Liepāja in 2015. The monolithic, cone-shaped volume leans slightly, conceived as a response to the city known as the birthplace of wind. Its translucent amber façade wraps an irregular concrete structure, forming a protective envelope around the performance spaces within.

Inside, the main hall follows an oval vineyard layout to achieve precise acoustics, developed with Müller BBM. Helmholtz resonators and an adjustable reflector fine-tune the sound. Fourteen reflective tubes draw daylight deep into the interior. The building houses multiple stages and music education spaces, establishing a new cultural anchor for the city.

Pavilion and Workshops for Nature Concert Hall

By DJA, Sigulda, Latvia

Designed for the Nature Concert Hall in Gauja National Park, this pavilion serves as a stage, screen and spatial frame for a multimedia event that unites science and music. A chamber orchestra and band perform beneath its roof, while the façades carry light and video projections.

The volumes echo forms found in the landscape. The structure limits ground contact to protect the meadow. Nearby workshops use modular units that can be rearranged and carefully positioned. Vertical fabric bars wrap both pavilion and modules, rotating to adjust transparency and light. The project turns performance into a dialogue with nature.

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The post Public Architecture in the Baltics: Small Nations, Strategic Civic Design appeared first on Journal.

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While cohesion is often the safe route, we architects have always had a soft spot for material contrasts that, on paper, shouldn’t quite work, and yet somehow do. But when the line is clear, the result can feel sharper and more intentional than any carefully matched palette.

And at a time when add-ons and adaptive reuse are quite common and a renewed interest in honoring what already exists, these material splits have become even more visible. Extensions declare themselves. Insertions refuse to imitate. But the strategy isn’t limited to just renovations. Even new builds are embracing deliberate divides to clarify structure, signal function or simply establish identity.

This collection spotlights eight projects that draw that line with confidence. Projects where contrast isn’t an unplanned side effect, but the organizing idea.

Virunga Mountain Spirits Distillery

By BE_Design, Musanze, Rwanda

Jury Winner, Architecture +Low Cost Design, 13th Annual A+Awards
Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Low Cost Design, 13th Annual A+Awards
Special Mention, Factories & Warehouses, 13th Annual A+Awards

At the foot of the Virunga Mountains, this 1,100 square meters distillery is organized around a clear material divide. Designed for Virunga Mountain Spirits, a women-led Rwandan company, the building places production at its center and wraps it with a thick inhabitable wall.
The distillery room occupies a transparent and semi-transparent volume that exposes the full height of a 10-meter copper and stainless steel still. Daylight enters freely, turning the technical process into something visible and shared. Surrounding this luminous core, hand-shaped volcanic rock walls form a dense outer ring that contains offices, tasting areas and storage.

The Refinery at Domino

By Practice for Architecture & Urbanism | PAU, Brooklyn, New York

Jury Winner, Commercial Adaptive Reuse Projects, 12th Annual A+Awards
Popular Choice Winner, Commercial Adaptive Reuse Projects, 12th Annual A+Awards

Few industrial conversions have been as closely watched as the transformation of the former Domino Sugar Factory Refinery. Once built for sugar production, the landmark structure has been reworked into contemporary offices through a clear architectural incision: a new building inserted within the old masonry shell.

The original brick remains heavy and scarred, its small windows recalling a time of controlled light and intense labor. Set back from this envelope, a freestanding glass and steel vault introduces tall, accessible floor plates and daylight-filled atria. The contrast is intentional and sharp. Weathered masonry holds memory and mass, while the new interior form reads as light, precise and openly modern, establishing a firm line between preservation and present use.

A TOUCH OF NEW

By ARISTIDES DALLAS ARCHITECTS, Tinos Regional Unit, Greece

In the village of Triantaros, where houses have grown gradually through careful additions, this residence follows the same logic while making the moment of change explicit. The project begins with an existing Tinian stone structure, which is retained as the grounded base of the house. Instead of extending it in stone, a fair-face concrete volume is placed above, held apart by a continuous horizontal slit that marks the junction between eras.

This gap, filled with glazing, brings light into the depth of the plan and frames distant views, while making the construction sequence legible. The rough, load-bearing stone speaks of local building traditions and accumulated labor, while the smooth concrete sitting above reads as intentional and contemporary. The house tells its story through this measured separation, allowing old and new to coexist without imitation.

Arghavan (Cercis) Commercial Project

By 13 Degrees Architecture Studio, Yazd, Iran

Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Innovation, 13th Annual A+Awards

This project elevates wicker weaving from a rural technique to an architectural system, using branches of the Cercis tree to form a full building shell. What is usually temporary and lightweight is here organized, detailed and fixed in place.

The woven screen stands before a conventional structural frame, creating a clear separation between load-bearing construction and climatic envelope. Its porous surface filters Yazd’s intense sun and moderates heat, acting as a breathable membrane rather than a sealed wall. The contrast lies in the meeting of scales and values: fragile branches assembled by hand set against urban mass and standard building methods, transforming low-cost organic material into a permanent civic façade.

VJC Iporaga House

By Marina Salles Arquitetura e Interiores, Guarujá, Brazil

Set on a steep, forested site in Guarujá, VJC House is organized as a vertical sequence of platforms stepping down the terrain. The lower levels are partially embedded in the slope and contain the private rooms, while the upper floor opens toward the canopy and distant sea.
A concrete structure establishes the main slabs and roof plane, giving the house a clear geometric outline. Within this frame, wide glass panels and slatted timber screens define the living spaces. The wood wraps the middle levels as a permeable layer, filtering light and air, while granite floors extend from interior rooms to the pool deck, anchoring the house to the ground.

Thirty75 Tech

By Verse Design LA, Santa Clara, California

From across the intersection, Thirty75 Tech appears as two separate volumes placed side by side. A clear glass corner exposes the office floors directly to the street, while the rest of the building reads as a dense metallic mass.

As you approach, that reading shifts. The seemingly solid volume is, in fact, wrapped in a continuous layer of vertical aluminum louvers set in front of a curtain wall. What first feels opaque begins to reveal depth and spacing. The fins are precisely angled to meet solar shading targets, turning the façade into a performative screen that contrasts with the unfiltered transparency of the glass corner.

Lagar Oliq Complex

By Play Arquitetura, São Bento do Sapucaí, Brazil

Oliq Restaurant completes a small architectural ensemble built over nearly a decade around an olive oil production facility in rural Minas Gerais. What began as a simple shed for processing olives gradually expanded into an annex and, finally, a restaurant positioned at the front of the site overlooking the valley. Each phase is marked by a material shift. The original mill is defined by a broad wooden roof sheltering a timber box. The annex introduces concrete and masonry, partially embedded in the slope. The restaurant continues the progression with a stone-clad base and plastered upper volumes painted dark green. The project does not disguise its evolution. Wood, concrete and stone record different moments of growth, giving the ensemble a layered but legible identity.

Fire Station in Straubenhardt

By wulf architekten, Straubenhardt, Germany

This fire station brings together six previously independent firefighting units on a single, strategically located site. It was conceived according to the »Cradle to Cradle« principle, an approach to circular construction in which materials are selected, detailed and assembled so they can be disassembled and reused at the end of the building’s life.

The project organizes its operational, public and administrative spaces through a clear vertical stacking that is legible from the outside.

A concrete base is cut into the slope, containing the vehicle garage, storage and all essential operational facilities, with the north façade opening directly to the street for rapid deployment. Above it, an open-air deck functions as parking and event space. The top level is built in timber and wrapped in a continuous white expanded metal façade, housing classrooms and offices.

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The post When Architecture Draws the Line: 8 Projects Where Material Contrast Is the Concept appeared first on Journal.

London is a city that has been forced to redevelop constantly. Like many cities, it has accrued layers of history. However, events like the Great Fire and the Blitz have also torn holes in the urban fabric, necessitating moments of reflection and rethinking. Nowadays, Georgian, Regency and Victorian architecture are intermingled with hulking Brutalist structures, curving glass façades and anonymous steel giants.

Nowadays, the city remains home to preeminent architectural schools such as UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture. In addition, London’s galleries and museums nurture a design culture with thought-provoking exhibitions about space and society, including the ever-popular Serpentine Pavilion. Meanwhile, as a global metropolis, the British city’s diversity is one of its great strengths, becoming home to a bevy of heavyweight firms and up-and-coming studios whose names are known locally and abroad.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in London based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2026)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2026)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of London architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in London:

30. Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

© Jim Stephenson Architectural Photography + Films

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) is an award-winning, international architectural practice based in London. Over three decades, RSHP has attracted critical acclaim with innovative projects across Europe, North America and Asia. The practice is experienced in designing a wide range of building types, including office, residential, transport, education, culture, leisure, retail, civic and healthcare.

The quality of its designs has been recognised with some of architecture’s highest awards, including two RIBA Stirling Prizes, one in 2006 for Terminal 4, Madrid Barajas Airport and the other in 2009 for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centre, London.

RSHP employs around 180 people in offices across the world – London, Shanghai, Sydney and Madrid.

Some of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners’ most prominent projects include:

• One Park Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
• Jean Prouvé 6×6 Demountable House, 1944, Adaptation Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, 2015, Paris, France
• International Towers Sydney, Barangaroo, Australia
• Conservation and Storage Facility, Musée du Louvre, Liévin, France
• Oslo Airport Competition, Oslo, Norway

The following statistics helped Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

29. Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

© Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

At Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, we make buildings that are satisfying to use and beautiful to look at; an architecture that is defined by the experience of users who should be able to understand and use each building with ease and enjoyment.

We design very different buildings, for very different people to use in very different ways, and, since our early days in the late 1980s, we have grown from four to over one hundred and fifty people and our budgets from a few thousand to tens of millions of pounds.

Through our wide range of projects, we search for opportunities in every site, budget and programme and pursue a pragmatic, analytical and collaborative working method to produce a responsive, intelligent and delightful architecture.

Some of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris’ most prominent projects include:

• North London Hospice, London, United Kingdom
• Alder Centre, United Kingdom
• Barking Central, Barking, United Kingdom
• Burntwood School, London, United Kingdom
• Adelaide Wharf, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Allford Hall Monaghan Morris achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

28. Farrells

© Farrells

Farrells is an international firm of architects, urban planners and designers, founded in 1965 by Sir Terry Farrell, an architect-planner and a leading proponent of urbanism. With offices in London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, the firm is a group of diverse talent that has delivered a broad range of projects worldwide. Our international studios combine urban planning, architecture, and design, providing end-to-end services for projects of all sizes and industries, from concept to completion.

Some of Farrells’ most prominent projects include:

• Chelsea Waterfront, London, United Kingdom
• M+ Museum of Visual Culture, Hong Kong
• Kowloon Station Development, Hong Kong
• Qianhai Financial Centre, Shenzhen, China
• KK100, Shenzhen, China

The following statistics helped Farrells achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

27. Carl Turner Architects

© Carl Turner Architects

Carl trained at the Royal College of Art, gaining a first-class honours degree and a RIBA Bronze Medal (runner-up) before undertaking an MA at the Royal College of Art in London. The RCA provided a foundation for collaboration and working across platforms with an integrated approach; Carl sees his approach to design and construction as an extension of his time there as a ‘maker’.

User-focused design was embedded as a founding principle for practice, through a two-year research post for the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the RCA, investigating new strategies for wayfinding for BAA plc at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. After working for Norman Foster on the Citibank Tower (Canary Wharf) and Penoyre and Prasad on various community-based projects, Carl formed a partnership (TurnerCastle).

Some of Carl Turner Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Slip House, United Kingdom
• Stealth Barn, United Kingdom
• Ochre Barn, Norfolk, United Kingdom
• Frame House, United Kingdom
• Tulip Bar, Milan, Italy

The following statistics helped Carl Turner Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

26. David Chipperfield Architects

© David Chipperfield Architects

David Chipperfield Architects was founded in 1985 and has offices in London, Berlin, Milan and Shanghai. The practice works internationally on cultural, residential and commercial projects, providing full architectural and interior design, master planning, product and furniture design services for both public and private sectors. Our diverse built portfolio includes museums and galleries, libraries, apartments, private houses, hotels, offices, master plans, and retail facilities. David Chipperfield Architects has won more than fifty national and international competitions and many international awards and citations for design excellence.

Some of David Chipperfield Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield, United Kingdom
• James Simon Gallery, Berlin, Germany
• Cafe Royal, Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre, London, United Kingdom
• Villa Eden, Italy
• Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany

The following statistics helped David Chipperfield Architects achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

25. Jestico + Whiles

© Benedict Luxmoore

Jestico + Whiles is an award-winning architecture and interior design practice with a respected heritage, driven by curiosity and a passion for design. We run with purpose for the benefit of all.

Established as a design-led studio over 40 years ago, we pioneered employee-ownership in architectural practice in the UK. We have remained true to our core values of humanity and sustainability as we have grown into the thriving international practice that we are today. In 2024, we became a certified B Corp, recognising our commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

Our core ethos is to produce great design and have fun doing it.

Some of Jestico + Whiles’ most prominent projects include:

• National Graphene Institute, Manchester, United Kingdom
• Stoke Newington Sixth Form Centre, London, United Kingdom
• House 19, Amersham, United Kingdom
• Southwark Town Hall & Theatre, Peckham, London, United Kingdom
• Stoke Newington School and Sixth Form, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Jestico + Whiles achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

24. Eldridge London

© Nicholas Guttridge

London architectural practice Eldridge Smerin was established in 1998 and has since relaunched as Eldridge London. Architect Nick Eldridge’s vision continues to inspire the design and material quality of the practice’s recent projects in the UK and abroad, defined by a series of cutting-edge houses, including the Stirling Prize-nominated Lawns project and the House in Highgate Cemetery.

The practice has also completed a number of high-profile retail, commercial and cultural projects, including interiors for Selfridges Birmingham, Villa Moda Kuwait, O2’s Mobile Applications Development Centre, the Design Council Headquarters, The Business and Intellectual Property Centre, a restaurant at the British Library and the Globe Theatre’s Sackler Studios.

The practice demonstrates a consistent approach to producing intelligent and unique solutions to specific client briefs and often constrained budgets with an unerring attention to detail from concept through to completion.

Some of Eldridge London’s most prominent projects include:

• Cor-Ten House in Putney, London, United Kingdom
• House in Coombe Park, Kingston, United Kingdom
• House in Epsom, Epsom, United Kingdom
• House in Chelsea, London, United Kingdom
• House in Highgate Cemetery, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Eldridge London achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

23. Michaelis Boyd

© Studio Gang

Michaelis Boyd is a design-led architectural practice with a uniquely creative approach that challenges and develops a client’s brief to create elegant, effective and rewarding solutions. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that each scheme functions in the best possible manner, in terms of flow, light and space.

Some of Michaelis Boyd’s most prominent projects include:

• Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge, North West, Botswana
• The Groucho Club, London, United Kingdom
• 11 Hoyt, Brooklyn, New York
• Arijiju, Kenya
• Brewdog Clapham, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Michaelis Boyd achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

22. FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture)

© Bruce Hemming Photography

Architecture has the power to transform environments and quality of life.

FORM studio aims to create places that can be inhabited and experienced by people in a natural and instinctive way. Enjoyable places with a tranquil sense of simplicity, which create a supportive and uplifting backdrop for life.

Individual solutions are developed for our clients, which are an intelligent, inventive and sustainable response to the complex matrix of issues that shapes each project. Solutions with a lucidity and apparent simplicity that belie their underlying complexity.

Listening, analysis, discussion and clarification are at the heart of an inclusive approach that recognises the fact that some of the best ideas are generated in the space between people rather than by individuals.

Some of FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture)’s most prominent projects include:

• Bermondsey Warehouse Loft, London, United Kingdom
• Walcot Square Mews, London, United Kingdom
• Flatiron House, London, United Kingdom
• Benbow Yard, London, United Kingdom
• Narrow House, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped FORM studio (previously FORM design architecture) achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

21. Hopkins Architects

© Hopkins Architects

Hopkins Architects is an international architectural practice with studios in London and Dubai. Led by its five Principals, the practice’s work is rooted in clear and logical design thinking, a deep understanding of the potential of materials and craft, and consideration of context. A consistent and rigorous approach has resulted in a portfolio of ground-breaking, beautiful and functional buildings across Europe, the US and Asia, which have added tangible value for both clients and users.

The practice has designed and delivered a portfolio of renowned, award-winning projects, including Portcullis House at Westminster and the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

Some of Hopkins Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center, Colby College, Waterville, Maine
• Buhais Geology Park Interpretive Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
• Eton Sports & Aquatics Centre, Windsor, United Kingdom
• Khor Kalba Turtle and Wildlife Sanctuary, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
• London 2012 Olympic Velodrome, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Hopkins Architects achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

20. RCKa

© RCKa

RCKa provides an innovative model for young architectural practices operating in a challenging and changing civic and economic landscape. Our active and enterprising approach to enabling and securing projects of relevance to the local community is based upon critical dialogue and was developed to satisfy the central ambition of the practice, to produce consistently high-quality, pioneering and socially responsive architecture.

Formed in 2008 following a successful international housing competition win, RCKa quickly established itself as one of the UK’s most exciting young practices.

Some of RCKa’s most prominent projects include:

• Masterplan Begbroke Innovation District, Oxford, United Kingdom
• The New Generation Youth Venue (TNG), London, United Kingdom
• Twisted House, London, United Kingdom
• De La Rue Technology Centre, Basingstoke, United Kingdom
• Churchley Road Allotment Apartments, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped RCKa achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

19. 6a architects

© Johan Dehlin

6a architects was founded by Tom Emerson and Stephanie Macdonald in 2001. They are best known for their contemporary art galleries, educational buildings, artists’ studios and residential projects, often in sensitive historic environments. 6a architects rose to prominence with the completion of two critically acclaimed public art galleries, Raven Row (2009), which won a RIBA Award in 2011, and the expanded South London Gallery (2010).

Recently completed projects include a new 68-room hall of residence at Churchill College, Cambridge (2016), which garnered a RIBA Regional East Award (2017), and a new studio complex for photographer Juergen Teller (2016), which was the winner of both RIBA London Building of the Year (2017) and a RIBA National Award (2017).

Some of 6a architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Façade for Paul Smith, Mayfair, London, United Kingdom
• Tree House, London, United Kingdom
• V&A Gallery 40, London, United Kingdom
• Cowan Court, Churchill College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
• Photography Studio for Juergen Teller, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped 6a architects achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

18. DA bureau

© DA bureau

DA BUREAU is a team of architects and designers working on public spaces worldwide. We create creative concepts and architectural solutions for restaurants, retail, hotels, residential complexes, offices and individual projects.

With a team of more than 30 architects and designers, our strength lies in creating designs that respect their context, integrate contemporary technologies, and deliver sensory experiences that vividly connect with and recontextualise urban landscapes.

Some of DA bureau’s most prominent projects include:

• KINKALLY restaurant & bar KINKY, London, United Kingdom
• GH17 apartment, Berlin, Germany
• COMO restaurant, Yerevan, Armenia
• OSSU eatery, Saint Petersburg, Russia
• GRASSA restaurant, Moscow, Russia

The following statistics helped DA bureau achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

17. Atelier Chang

© Kyungsub Shin

Atelier Chang is an international design praxis based in South Kensington, London and Zurich since 2011. Our design philosophy is to create innovative design through focusing on the unembellished basics – the basics of nature, social behaviour, and urban phenomena. To achieve this absolute simplicity of content through impactful forms takes extra effort in researching the context, a devotion to material and technology, and active interaction with other industries. Currently, we work on projects in Asia and Europe at multiple scales of design, covering master plans, architecture, interior design, installations and products.

Some of Atelier Chang’s most prominent projects include:

• Knot House, Geoje-si, South Korea
• SJCC Glamping Resort & White Forest Restaurant, Suncheon-si, South Korea
• Glamping, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea
• KCP Fffice, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Atelier Chang Ltd achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

16. Levitt Bernstein

© Tim Crocker

As architects, landscape architects and urban designers, Levitt Bernstein creates award-winning buildings, living landscapes and thriving urban spaces, using inventive design to solve real-life challenges. Putting people at the heart of our work, each of our projects is different, but the driving force behind every one is the desire to create an environment that is beautiful, sustainable and functional.

Some of Levitt Bernstein’s most prominent projects include:

• Neutron Research Centre, Grenoble, France
• Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France
• Vaudeville Court, London, United Kingdom
• The Courtyards, Dovedale Avenue, Lancashire, United Kingdom
• Sutherland Road, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Levitt Bernstein achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

15. Haworth Tompkins

Photo: Philip Vile - © Haworth Tompkins

Haworth Tompkins is an award-winning British architectural studio united by a commitment to integrity, intellectual quality and the art of making beautiful buildings. Founded in 1991 by Graham Haworth and Steve Tompkins, the rapidly-growing London-based studio consists of 70 people, and specialises in bespoke buildings in the public, cultural, private and financial sectors.

Acclaimed projects include the Everyman Theatre, winner of the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2014, Young Vic Theatre, Royal College of Art campus in Battersea, Coin Street housing development and the London Library, for which they received the prestigious American Institute of Architects’ Excellence in Design award. The studio is currently working on a number of highly anticipated schemes, including the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Fish Island Village, Bristol Old Vic and Kingston University.

Some of Haworth Tompkins’ most prominent projects include:

• National Theatre ‘The Shed’, London, United Kingdom
• Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, United Kingdom
• Dovecote Studio, Snape, United Kingdom
• Open Air Theatre, London, United Kingdom
• Park View School, Birmingham, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Haworth Tompkins achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

14. AL_A

© AL_A

Architecture studio AL_A was founded in 2009 by the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning architect Amanda Levete with directors Ho-Yin Ng, Alice Dietsch and Maximiliano Arrocet.

Their designs are conceived not just as buildings, but as urban propositions. Spaces that promote reciprocity between nature and neighbourhood; projects that express the identity of an institution, reflect the ambitions of a place, and hold the dreams of a community.

Some of AL_A’s most prominent projects include:

• Maggie’s Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
• MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal
• V&A Exhibition Road Quarter, London, United Kingdom
• Corian Super-surfaces
• Spencer Dock Bridge, Dublin, Ireland

The following statistics helped AL_A achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

13. Buckley Gray Yeoman

© Buckley Gray Yeoman

Formed in 1997, Buckley Gray Yeoman is an award-winning architecture and design practice based in Shoreditch, London. Directed by Matt Yeoman and Paul White, the firm provides pragmatic and deliverable solutions to complex design issues.

Founded on the premise that outstanding results require careful planning and an intuitive approach, Buckley Gray Yeoman’s designs adapt and respond to the context of each project to create intelligent and enduring architecture. The practice’s work is driven by the needs and ambitions of its clients.

Some of Buckley Gray Yeoman’s most prominent projects include:

• Apparatus, London, United Kingdom
• Carnaby Club, London, United Kingdom
• Henry Wood House, London, United Kingdom
• Channing School, London, United Kingdom
• The Buckley Building, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Buckley Gray Yeoman achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

12. Bennetts Associates

© Bennetts Associates

Bennett’s Associates creates sustainable and enduring architecture. As one of the UK’s leading practices, their diverse portfolio has been celebrated with more than 150 awards over 30 years and covers education, cultural and workplace projects in both the public and private sector, ranging from masterplans to small historic buildings. They are an employee-owned trust of 70 people with studios in London, Edinburgh and Manchester, and have recently earned Building Design’s Higher Education Architect of the Year 2019 Award.

Bennetts Associates also leads in their field in sustainability — in April 2019, they became the world’s first architects to secure Science Based Target approval and commit to the UN’s Climate Neutral Now campaign.

Some of Bennetts Associates’ most prominent projects include:

• The Royal College of Pathologists, London, United Kingdom
• Jaguar Land Rover Advanced Product Creation Centre, Gaydon, United Kingdom
• Storyhouse, London, United Kingdom
• Syngrou Avenue Office Complex, Athens, Greece
• 11-21 Canal Reach, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Bennetts Associates achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

11. Studio Seilern Architects

© Studio Seilern Architects

Studio Seilern Architects is a London-based international creative practice established in 2006 by Christina Seilern with the intent of producing exceptional architecture that lasts, working across geographies, building sizes and typologies. Our diverse portfolio of built work spans the UK, Europe and Africa.

While we tackle a diversity of projects, it is our conscious decision to keep working on the smaller and larger scales, both simultaneously and continuously: from new build to restoration works. Irrespective of size or context, each project we undertake informs another. The smaller scale keeps our pencils sharp on questions of intricate detailing and the unraveling of the human condition, both on the living and working fronts.

Some of Studio Seilern Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Andermatt Concert Hall, Andermatt, Switzerland
• El Gouna Plaza, Hurghada, Egypt
• Boksto Skveras, Vilnius, Lithuania
• G.W.Annenberg Performing Arts Centre, Reading, United Kingdom
• Paros Residence, Paros, Greece

The following statistics helped Studio Seilern Architects achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

10. Hawkins\Brown

© Gareth Gardner

The first time someone decided to mix sweet and salty popcorn, their guests must have been horrified. Minutes later, though, they would be guzzling the lot. That’s the thing about new combinations — you have to be a bit odd to consider them in the first place, but when they pay off, you’re left wondering how you managed before they existed.

Admittedly, this isn’t a usual sort of About page for an architectural practice, but we’re not a usual sort of practice. We believe that projects come alive through uncommon combinations of ideas and people. In fact, we think that’s the only way they really come alive at all.

Some of Hawkins\Brown’s most prominent projects include:

• 1235 Vine Street, Los Angeles, California
• Masterplan Begbroke Innovation District, Oxford, United Kingdom
• Corby Cube, Corby, United Kingdom
• Student Village, Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, United Kingdom
• Park Hill, Sheffield, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped HawkinsBrown achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

9. Steyn Studio

© Steyn Studio

Steyn Studio is a collaborative architecture practice. We believe that design has the power to solve problems, inspire, and improve lives, and we work hard every day to realise this ambition. We always aim to do this honestly and with the freedom to creatively explore meaningful design solutions. Designs that make a real difference to the end-user and the client, culturally and commercially.

Some of Steyn Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Bosjes Chapel, South Africa
• Spens Garden Café & Winkel Gift Shop, South Africa
• Sierra House, Madrid, Spain
• Kombuis Restaurant, South Africa

The following statistics helped Steyn Studio achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

8. Allies and Morrison

© Nicholas Guttridge

We are architects and urbanists. We strive to design beautiful buildings that have a long life and can adapt over the generations. We also shape enduring places, whether new pieces of the city or settlements at any scale. All our projects are concerned with the crafting of every detail and an appreciation for the uniqueness of each context.

As architects, we are known for the rigour of our technical delivery, a commitment to quality, and to embedded environmental performance. As urbanists, we are known for developing plans that are flexible and pragmatic, inspirational in vision, responsive to the local climate and character. Based in London and Cambridge, we come from around the world, and our diversity is one of our fundamental strengths.

Some of Allies and Morrison’s most prominent projects include:

• Msheireb Downtown Doha Phase 4, Doha, Qatar
• Top image: King’s Cross Masterplan, London, United Kingdom
• London College of Fashion, London, United Kingdom
• 2150 Lake Shore, Toronto, Canada
• 100 Bishopsgate, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Allies and Morrison achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

7. Squire and Partners

© Jack Hobhouse

Squire & Partners is an architecture and design practice with experience spanning four decades, earning it an international reputation for architecture informed by the history and culture of where it is placed. Their award-winning portfolio, for some of the world’s leading developers, includes masterplans, private and affordable residential, workspace, retail, education and public buildings.

In addition, the practice has a series of dedicated teams for modelmaking, computer-generated imaging, illustration, graphics and an established interior design department, which has created a number of bespoke product ranges.

Squire & Partners’ approach responds to the unique heritage and context of each site, considering established street patterns, scale and proportions, to create timeless architecture rooted in its location.

Some of Squire and Partners’ most prominent projects include:

• The Ark, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice, London, United Kingdom
• Zubabox, Bogotá, Colombia
• 5 Hanover Square, London, United Kingdom
• Mayfair House, London, United Kingdom
• Reiss HQ

The following statistics helped Squire and Partners achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

6. bureau de change

© bureau de change

Bureau de Change is an award-winning architecture practice founded by architects Katerina Dionysopoulou and Billy Mavropoulos. Its work is a direct product of the founders’ upbringing, passions and experiences – combining the pragmatism and formality of their architectural training with a desire to bring a sense of theatre, playfulness and innovation to the design of spaces, products and environments. The result is a studio where rigorous thinking and analysis are brought to life through prototyping, testing and making.

Some of bureau de change’s most prominent projects include:

• The Interlock, London, United Kingdom
• Nikos Koulis’ flagship, Athens, Greece
• Clay House, London, United Kingdom
• The Uxbridge Bower, London, United Kingdom
• Step House, London, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped bureau de change achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

5. Alison Brooks Architects

© Alison Brooks Architects

Founded in 1996, Alison Brooks Architects has developed an international reputation for delivering design excellence and innovation in projects ranging from urban regeneration, masterplanning, public buildings for the arts, higher education and housing.

ABA’s award-winning architecture is born from our intensive research into the cultural, social and environmental contexts of each project. Our approach enables us to develop pioneering solutions for our buildings and urban schemes, each with a distinct identity and authenticity. Combined with rigorous attention to detail, ABA’s buildings have proved to satisfy our clients’ expectations and positively impact the urban realm.

Our approach has led ABA to be recognised with both national and international awards, including the Architect of the Year Award 2012 and Housing Architect of the Year 2012.

Some of Alison Brooks Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• The Smile, London, United Kingdom
• Lens House, London, United Kingdom
• Exeter College Cohen Quad, Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
• Mesh House, London, United Kingdom
• Severn Place, Cambridge, United Kingdom

The following statistics helped Alison Brooks Architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

4. Adjaye Associates

© Ivane Katamashvili

Since establishing Adjaye Associates in 2000, Sir David Adjaye OBE has crafted a global team that is multicultural and stimulated by the broadest possible cultural discourse. The practice has studios in Accra, London, and New York with work spanning the globe. Adjaye Associates’ most well-known commission to date, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), opened in 2016 on the National Mall in Washington DC and was named “Cultural Event of the Year” by The New York Times.

Further projects range in scale from private houses, bespoke furniture collections, product design, exhibitions, and temporary pavilions to major arts centers, civic buildings, and master plans.

Some of Adjaye Associates’ most prominent projects include:

• The Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• dot.ateliers, Accra, Ghana
• Winter Park Library & Events Center, Winter Park, Florida
• 130 William, New York City, New York
• Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The following statistics helped Adjaye Associates achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

3. Heatherwick Studio

© Heatherwick Studio

Heatherwick Studio is a team of 180 problem solvers dedicated to making the physical world around us better for everyone. Based out of our combined workshop and design studio in Central London, we create buildings, spaces, master-plans, objects and infrastructure.

Focusing on large-scale projects in cities all over the world, we prioritise those with the greatest positive social impact. Working as practical inventors with no signature style, our motivation is to design soulful and interesting places that embrace and celebrate the complexities of the real world.

The approach driving everything is to lead from human experience rather than any fixed design dogma. The studio’s completed projects include a number of internationally celebrated buildings, including the award-winning Learning Hub at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University and the UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010.

The studio is currently working on 30 live projects in ten countries.

Some of Heatherwick Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Coal Drops Yard, London, United Kingdom
• Maggie’s Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
• Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Hampshire, United Kingdom
• 1000 Trees Phase 1, Shanghai, China
• Little Island, New York City, New York

The following statistics helped Heatherwick Studio achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

2. Foster + Partners

© Foster + Partners

Foster + Partners is a global studio for sustainable architecture, engineering, urbanism and industrial design, founded by Norman Foster in 1967. Since then, he and the team around him have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation. With offices across the globe, we work as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse.

Some of Foster + Partners’ most prominent projects include:

• Legacy of Bodegas Faustino Winery, Oyón-Oion, Spain
• Apple Battersea, London, United Kingdom
• Ombú, Madrid, Spain
• Transamerica Pyramid Center, San Francisco, California
• Apple The Exchange TRX, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The following statistics helped Foster + Partners achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

1. Zaha Hadid Architects

© Zaha Hadid Architects

Internationally renowned architecture firm Zaha Hadid Architects works at all scales and in all sectors to create transformative cultural, corporate, residential and other spaces that work in synchronicity with their surroundings.

Some of Zaha Hadid Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beijing, China
• KnitCandela, Ciudad de México, Mexico
• Leeza SOHO, Beijing, China
• Heydar Aliyev Center, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Striatus 3D Printed Bridge, Venice, Italy

The following statistics helped Zaha Hadid Architects achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in London:

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in London appeared first on Journal.

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Orange, right? A color that tends to divide the room. Some people swear by it, others avoid it like a questionable paint choice from the early 2000s. Trends have pushed it in and out of fashion, and yet, it never quite disappears. Maybe that is because orange carries a certain energy that architecture sometimes needs.

It can signal warmth, movement, even a bit of mischief. A flash of orange can guide people through a building, call attention to a structure, or give a space a sense of life. The projects below show architects leaning into that attitude. No hesitation. Just confident, unapologetic orange doing exactly what it does best.

Design of kiosks and observation decks in Wuhan Tianhe Airport T2

By UAO Design, Wuhan, China

At Wuhan Tianhe Airport T2, UAO Design faced a tricky challenge: introduce new kiosks and observation decks into an almost finished terminal, and do it fast. Their answer was a lightweight architectural system built from stainless steel frames and prefabricated modules based on a grid, allowing the structures to arrive ready for quick assembly with minimal disruption.

Columns wrapped in translucent Plexiglas filter the daylight from above, casting soft color across the concourse. Then thermal orange steps into the scene. Warm and unmistakable, the color cuts through the airport’s pale interior, shifting as the light changes and turning these modest pavilions into lively markers that catch the eye and invite travelers to pause.

Porcelain Factory Plugin Revival

By People’s Architecture Office, Jingdezhen, China

PAO approached the regeneration of this former porcelain factory with a clear idea: add new life without erasing the old one. Their “plugin architecture” strategy inserts contemporary elements into the preserved workshops. New rooms, stairs and walkways slip inside the historic shell while a glass pavilion anchors the public square.

Brick vaults and tall chimneys still tell the story of ceramic production. Then comes the orange. Bold and warm, it cuts through the muted brick palette. The color recalls the glow of kiln fires and hot clay. These flashes of orange mark new spaces and guide visitors, giving the historic complex a fresh pulse.

Go-Green Biomass Power Plant

By Urbansense Arquitectura e Planeamento, Constância, Portugal

You could spot this power plant from a distance, and that is very much the point. Instead of hiding the machinery behind neutral cladding, Urbansense Arquitectura e Planeamento gave the new biomass facility a façade that openly celebrates the process inside. Curving dark grey metal panels wrap the main volumes, but the boiler house is wrapped in translucent orange polycarbonate. The color proudly marks the place where energy is produced, turning the technical core into the building’s visual center.

During the day, the orange surface cuts through the muted industrial surroundings. At night, the illuminated interior turns the structure into a glowing landmark, a warm signal of the site’s shift toward fossil-free energy.

Hampi Art Labs

By Sameep Padora and Associates, Hampi, India

Hampi Art Labs by Sameep Padora and Associates, Hampi, India | Photographed by Studio Recall

Set against the rocky landscape of Hampi, this art campus rises from the ground with a low, flowing form that follows the curves of the nearby Tungabhadra River. Studio Recall shaped the galleries as a series of earth-like mounds that open into quiet courtyards and shaded passages. The surfaces carry a deep iron-oxide orange, drawn from the region’s soil and stone.

In the strong southern light, the color feels confident and grounded. It ties the architecture to the landscape while giving the complex a clear identity from afar. Against green vegetation and a wide blue sky, the orange walls glow with warmth, turning the campus into a sculptural landmark.

Coach Airways

By Spacemen, Malacca, Malaysia

An abandoned Boeing 747 in Malacca now hosts one of the most unexpected interiors around. Designed by Coach NY with local studio Spacemen, the aircraft was transformed into a retail and café experience that nods to the glamour of 1970s air travel. Visitors move through a sequence of cabins that mix retro aviation details with playful retail displays.

Then comes the café at the rear of the plane, and the mood shifts. The entire space is drenched in orange. Seats, walls, counters, everything. The color brings warmth to the metallic shell of the aircraft and turns the cabin into a glowing, almost cinematic setting that feels lifted straight from a retro-futurist dream.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

The post Orange You Glad When Architects Bypass Standard Neutral Palettes? appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

Large civic and institutional buildings often face a common design challenge: scale. Sports centers, town halls, research facilities and industrial campuses require large spans and expansive floor areas. This fact often results in buildings that feel heavy and difficult to appreciate at the human scale. When handled poorly, these structures also dominate their context rather than relate to it.

One strategy architects increasingly use to manage this scale is the use of repetitive roof forms. Instead of covering the entire structure with a single massive roof, some designers repeat smaller roof units such as gables, pitched volumes, or saw-tooth profiles across the building. This approach breaks down large masses into more legible parts while maintaining the spatial continuity required for such buildings.

Beyond visual relief, repetitive roof systems often carry practical advantages. This repetition can simplify structural spans and create opportunities to solve some design challenges, such as lighting and ventilation. The following civic projects demonstrate how architects use repetitive roof forms to control massing and create public buildings that feel more approachable in scale.

Haidong City Sports Center, China

By Character Architecture Design Studio, China Architecture Design & Research Group, Haidong, China

Haidong City Sports Centre by Character Architecture Design Studio, China Architecture Design & Research Group, Haidong, China

The Haidong City Sports Center spans 678,126 square feet (63,000 square meters) and includes a 15,000-seat stadium, a 5,000-seat arena, and a swimming facility. Instead of covering this large program with a single roof, the architects organized the complex under a series of folded saw-tooth roof forms that step across the sloping site. These repetitive roof forms break the sports complex into smaller visual volumes that follow the terrain of the site.

Town Hall and Culture Center Son en Breugel

By INBO, Son en Breugel, Netherlands

Town hall and culture center Son en Breugel by INBO, NB, Netherlands

INBO converted a 1960s church of at least 25,000 square feet (2,322 square meters) into the town hall and cultural center for Son en Breugel. The architects retained the building’s distinctive concrete shed roof and organized new civic functions as independent volumes beneath it. Instead of replacing the structure, they used the existing repetitive roof forms to introduce daylight into the deep interior. INBO inserted roof lights along the existing roof folds and opened sections of the façade to improve illumination.

Museum Kaap Skil

By Mecanoo, Oudeschild, Netherlands

Museum Kaap Skil by Mecanoo, Oudeschild – Texel, Netherlands| Image via Mecanoo

Mecanoo designed the 12,916 square feet (1,200 square meters) Museum Kaap Skil for the small harbor village of Oudeschild on Texel Island. Civic buildings in modest settlements like this must avoid overpowering their surroundings, so the architects used repetitive roof forms to control the building’s scale. They used four atypical linked gabled roofs to break the museum into smaller volumes and match the roofing style of the neighboring buildings. These repeated roofs also shape the exhibition space below and bring daylight into the upper gallery.

MiZa – MAKE + SEAF

By DRAW architecture + urban design, Abu Dhabi, UAE

MiZa – MAKE + SEAF, by DRAW architecture + urban design, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Large industrial buildings often read as long, continuous volumes. DRAW addressed this challenge in MiZa – MAKE + SEAF, a cultural makerspace spanning at least 25,000 square feet (2,322 square meters) in Abu Dhabi’s Mina Zayed district. The architects adopted the district’s warehouse typology and organized the building into five repeated gabled roof bays. Each roof defines a structural span and houses creative workspaces. The repetition breaks the long volume into smaller parts and keeps the building aligned with the industrial rhythm of the area. DRAW Architecture then lifted and rotated a pavilion between two roof bays to create a shaded courtyard. This move interrupts the roof sequence and introduces a central gathering space while maintaining the overall roof rhythm.

Horsevænget

By Christensen & Co Architects, Rødovre, Denmark

Horsevænget by Christensen & Co Architects, Rødovre, Denmark

Buildings for children must avoid the scale and character of typical civic institutions. The architects addressed this challenge at Horsevænget Daycare Center, which accommodates 128 children and 40 staff members. They organized the new building as a sequence of repetitive roof forms instead of a single volume. Each roof defines a smaller learning space and connects directly to outdoor play areas. The architects also shift the roof units to different heights. This variation breaks the building mass further and introduces more dramatic interior spaces with changing ceiling levels.

The Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship

By Sasaki, Washington, Connecticut

The Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship by Sasaki, Washington, Connecticut

Replacing large institutional buildings on historic campuses can create a scale problem. Sasaki addressed this challenge in the design of the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Center for Innovation and Active Citizenship at the Frederick Gunn School. Instead of introducing a single large structure, the architects organized the building into three pavilion volumes, each with repetitive pitched roofs inspired by the region’s farmhouse typology. Sasaki arranged these pavilions along the campus edge and connected them internally to house labs, classrooms, and collaborative spaces. This strategy breaks the overall mass into smaller parts and allows the building to match the scale of surrounding campus structures.

Large civic buildings rarely escape the challenge of scale. Programs that require large spans and expansive interiors often produce buildings that feel heavy or difficult to read. Repetitive roof forms offer one way to address that condition. By dividing large structures into smaller roof units, architects can make complex buildings easier to understand while keeping the structure efficient.

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The post The Power of the Pitch: 6 Civic Buildings That Multiply the Gable appeared first on Journal.

What goes on Down Under? With such a large body of water separating this Oceanic country from the rest of the Western world, it is easy to forget Australia’s similarities to its North American counterparts. When it comes to the built environment, Australia’s architectural landscape is filled with trends and advancements quite similar to those explored in the West. Nevertheless, the country maintains a distinct architectural lexicon rooted in its particular climate, landscape, Indigenous heritage and colonial past.

The country’s Western influence can be attributed to the British colonial period, which is apparent today in the Victorian-style homes and Gothic churches found all over Australia. The nation also maintains a keen interest in heritage, with structures such as the famed Sydney Opera House, Australian Convict Sites and Royal Exhibition Building receiving UNESCO Heritage status. Beyond its British ties lies an incredible landscape well-suited for architectural exploration and indoor-outdoor living as well as a commitment to ecologically responsible design.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Australia based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2026)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2026)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Australian architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Australia:

30. Candalepas Associates

© Brett Boardman Photography

Candalepas Associates is a rare company that has produced a unique array of projects with diversity in scale and typology. Projects from religious buildings to public parks, individual houses to large multi-residential developments have been produced by the firm.

In twenty years’ practice, the firm has been the recipient of over 30 awards in architecture. Almost every project the firm has completed has been published or awarded State or National Architecture Prizes, including the Sulman Medal (twice), the Frederick Romberg and Seidler National Awards in Architecture, the Aaron Bolot Award numerous times and the Premier’s Award.

The success of the firm is closely related to the direct engagement undertaken by Director Angelo Candalepas in every stage of the procurement of the work.

Some of Candalepas Associates’ most prominent projects include:

• Punchbowl Mosque, Punchbowl, Australia
• 29-35 Prince Street, Cronulla, Australia
• Finlayson Street, Lane Cove, Australia
• All Saints Gymnasium, Sydney, Australia
• Francis Street, Bondi, Australia

The following statistics helped Candalepas Associates achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

29. Jackson Clements Burrows

© Jeremy Weihrauch

JCB is an award-winning architecture, interior design and urban design practice established in 1998 by Tim Jackson, Jon Clements and Graham Burrows. Our team of over 70 design professionals is united by a shared commitment to the delivery of innovative design solutions.

JCB is driven by core design principles that allow us to explore each new project afresh and an approach that is site sensitive, engaged with local climatic conditions and adaptive to contextual opportunities. Our methodology is iterative and develops through our engagement processes, which embrace close collaboration with the client, stakeholders and the community, along with a deep understanding of the site and history.

We collaborate across sectors and disciplines, understanding that learning lessons can come from everywhere.

Some of Jackson Clements Burrows’ most prominent projects include:

• Upper House, Carlton, Australia
• South Melbourne Life Saving Club, Albert Park, Australia
• Moonlight Cabin, Victoria, Australia
• Henley Street, Barwon Heads, Barwon Heads, Australia
• Harold Street Residence, Middle Park, Australia

The following statistics helped Jackson Clements Burrows achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

28. Silvester Fuller

© Silvester Fuller

Silvester Fuller is an award-winning architecture and interior design studio based in Sydney, Australia. Behind our design process is a commitment to discover the hidden potential within each project. We approach each project as a unique challenge, yet all are focused on creating environmentally, socially and economically sustainable spaces for living.

Our work spans a broad range of project types, including public, residential, commercial, hospitality and education. Our projects share a rationality of thought, often with surprising outcomes. To identify unique project concepts, our team of talented architects and designers draws on expertise and perspective from a diverse range of disciplines and cultural influences.

Some of Silvester Fuller’s most prominent projects include:

• Froebel Carlton, Melbourne, Australia
• 18 Loftus Street, Sydney, Australia
• Table Cape Resort, Tasmania, Australia
• Froebel Play Pods, Sydney, Australia
• Aquarius Compact Living, Sydney, Australia

The following statistics helped Silvester Fuller achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

27. Kosloff Architecture

© Kosloff Architecture

We believe that in order to build a highly engaged practice culture, we need to be willing to challenge existing ideas regarding ownership, succession planning, career trajectories and modes of working. Exploration of alternative models for structuring an architectural practice requires a willingness to engage with complexity and deserves as much focus as the buildings and places we design.

We see this as fundamental to the production of good architecture, forming the basis for innovation, risk-taking and the continual pursuit of excellence. Ideas around legacy and impact are equally relevant to the environment we create for everyone within the practice, as well as everyone we collaborate with.

Some of Kosloff Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Warrnambool Library and Learning Centre, Warrnambool, Australia
• Templeton Primary School, Wantirna, Australia
• Mount Alexander College, Melbourne, Australia
• Templeton Primary School, Wantirna, Australia
• 18 Innovation Walk Revitalisation Project, Clayton, Australia

The following statistics helped Kosloff Architecture achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

26. WALA

© WALA

WALA is an emerging architectural studio based in Melbourne. We provide architectural, interior and design services across a diverse range of projects. The studio is composed of passionate designers and individuals who all share a keen focus on intuitive and sustainable design.

Our residential projects form the true backbone of the studio. We take pride in working intimately and collaboratively with homeowners, with particular emphasis placed on ensuring that each new home complements their lifestyle and sense of individuality.

We believe that thoughtful and purposeful design solutions can often create the most elegant results.

Some of WALA’s most prominent projects include:

• Downside Up House, Albert Park, Australia
• Open Shut House, Kooyong, Australia
• Henry House, Melbourne, Australia
• The Little Man Cafe, Seddon, Australia
• Coburg Freeboard House, Coburg, Australia

The following statistics helped WALA achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

25. Carter Williamson Peake Architects

© Carter Williamson Peake Architects

Architecture is the construction of ideas represented as sequences of space illuminated by natural light. These ideas form the spaces we live in, move through, and feel better for having been in. Good architecture should allow us to feel safe and secure, confident and expressive, quiet and reflective. Good architecture should make our lives better. This is what we do at Carter Williamson and is what you can see in the images on our website. We are often asked what our area of specialization is. We specialize in design. We specialize in thinking about your needs and your building. We specialize in making good architecture.

Some of Carter Williamson Peake Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Dining Hall, The Rocks
• Balmain House, Australia
• Green House, Rozelle, Australia
• Upside-Down-Back-To-Front-House, Rozelle, Australia
• Spiegel Haus, Alexandria, Australia

The following statistics helped Carter Williamson Peake Architects achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

24. John Wardle Architects

© John Wardle Architects

Our practice has evolved from a smaller studio into a larger collaborative environment where every project has a range of creative, technical and strategic contributions from a diversity of architects and interior designers within JWA. Beyond the office, our engagement with others is similarly inclusive, always curious to understand another’s point of view.

Many projects by JWA have been highly awarded. This includes twice being recognised with the prestigious Sir Zelman Cowen Award for best public building in Australia in 2002 and 2006 by the Australian Institute of Architects. JWA has also won the Harold Desbrowe-Annear Award for best residential project on three occasions and has twice been the recipient of the Victorian Architecture Medal.

Some of John Wardle Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
• Learning and Teaching Building, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
• Boneo Country House, Victoria, Australia
• Fairhaven Beach House, Fairhaven, Australia
• Jeffrey Smart Building, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

The following statistics helped John Wardle Architects achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

23. Christopher Polly Architect

© Brett Boardman Photography

Christopher Polly Architect is an award-winning full-service architecture practice based in Sydney, Australia. It engages with clients who share in the reward of accomplishing bold visions to enrich their daily lives, who prioritise quality over quantity, and who place value in achieving inventive and well-crafted spaces that are meticulously detailed and finished.

The practice distils a holistic detail design approach in the delivery of highly creative and pragmatic architectural solutions on site another’snate with conceptual rigour and a command of materials and systems.

Some of Christopher Polly Architect’s most prominent projects include:

• Cosgriff House, Sydney, Australia
• Unfurled House, Sydney, Australia
• Darling Point Penthouse, Darling Point, Australia
• Elliott Ripper House, Sydney, Australia
• Haines House, Sydney, Australia

The following statistics helped Christopher Polly Architect achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

22. buckandsimple

© buckandsimple

Established in 2013, we envisioned a firm with a commitment to craftsmanship, attention to detail and quality of life.

We are proud to list a portfolio that covers an extensive range of works from bespoke interiors and custom furniture to residential, commercial and hospitality projects. Our process focuses on the craft; harnessing opportunities of site, brief and the client by delivering uniquely tailored, environmentally sustainable solutions of a timeless nature.

We strive to utilise materials that improve with age, that show a history, employing details and mechanisms that react to inhabitant input and allow the built envelope to respond & transform to the environment.

With a strong understanding of the construction process and a tried and tested ability to be flexible in timing and deliverables, buck&simple are capable of adjusting the necessary workflows and details in order to be acutely responsive to the project-specific requirements.

Some of buckandsimple’s most prominent projects include:

• casa crisp, Mona Vale, Australia
• ainslie cottage, Canberra, Australia
• permanent weekender, Wagstaffe, Australia
• the whyte house, Manly, Australia
• little birch, Little Bay, Australia

The following statistics helped buckandsimple achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

21. B.E Architecture

© B.E Architecture

B.E Architecture was founded in 1997 by Jonathon Boucher and Broderick Ely. The firm reflects their personal notions of team collaboration and design, which considers the environment. The result is a practice that provides full architectural design, master planning, interior design and one-off furniture pieces, the end result for clients being a complete, all-encompassing package. The B.E Architecture team is young, dynamic, and multicultural, with a range of personal interests and specialties.

Some of B.E Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Ross Street, Melbourne, Australia
• 23 Fawkner Street, South Yarra, Australia
• Blake Street, Shoreham, Australia
• 57 Tivoli Road, South Yarra, Australia
• Walsh Street, South Yarra, Australia

The following statistics helped B.E Architecture achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

20. Albert Mo Architects

© Albert Mo Architects

AMoA focuses on designing residential houses. We are renowned for creating exceptional residential homes, always centered around the user experience. An avid believer that a home is a haven that caters to the individual and their wellbeing, we strive to reflect this in our practice.

We wanted to translate the idea of a home into our designs and create spaces that are not just functional but nurturing and supportive of the activities within them.

Some of Albert Mo Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Stockroom Cottage, Fitzroy, Australia
• Fitzroy Loft, Fitzroy, Australia
• Moving House, Kew, Australia
• Elm & Willow House, South Yarra, Australia
• E589

The following statistics helped Albert Mo Architects achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

19. Tzannes

© Tzannes

Tzannes is an Australian studio for architecture, urban and integrated design based in Sydney. The practice’s creative thinking and innovative, sustainable and enduring architecture has established our reputation as a leader in the field.

Our design is about specific responses to every client and every project, not about preconceived ideas, style or approach. We consider each brief an opportunity to apply architectural skill, creativity and innovation to solve our client’s design problems, but also to delight and to inspire.

Tzannes’ distinction is our ability to work across all scales and project types. The breadth of our skills and experience, the profile of our talent and technology enable us to service significant projects with the efficiency and confidence of a large practice.

Some of Tzannes’ most prominent projects include:

• Opera Residences, Sydney, Australia
• Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas, Sydney, Australia
• Darling Square North, Haymarket, Australia
• Dangrove, Sydney, Australia
• The Republic Hotel and Rooftop Bar, Sydney, Australia

The following statistics helped Tzannes achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

18. BKK Architects

© BKK Architects

The studio merges large-scale practice capabilities and experience with the adaptability and client focus of a smaller practice.

Some of BKK Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Cirqua Apartments, Melbourne, Australia
• Geelong Ring Road Rest Areas, Victoria, Australia
• Beached House, Victoria, Australia
• Doll’s House, Northcote, Australia
• Holiday House, Victoria, Australia

The following statistics helped BKK Architects achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

17. Kerstin Thompson Architects

© Kerstin Thompson Architects

Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) was established in 1994. The work of the practice encompasses architecture, interiors, landscape and urban design. The practice focus is on architecture as a civic endeavor; buildings that forge connections with their surroundings and the people who inhabit them.

Some of Kerstin Thompson Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Bundanon Art Museum + Bridge, Illaroo, Australia
• Eva and Marc Besen Centre, Healesville, Australia
• Queen & Collins, Melbourne, Australia
• Sacred Heart Abbotsford Convent, Abbotsford, Australia
• Seaberg, Melbourne, Australia

The following statistics helped Kerstin Thompson Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

16. Carr

© Carr

Carr is an Australian architecture and interior design studio with a timeless approach that fosters connection.

With five decades of design practice, our award-winning expertise in residential, commercial, workplace and hospitality is guided by an innate understanding of space, form, light and materiality.

An integrated perspective ensures every detail is thoughtfully considered, coalescing inDoll’sthat forges new ground while remaining true to our enduring philosophy and vision.

Some of Carr’s most prominent projects include:

• Courtyard House Melbourne
• Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club, South Yarra, Australia
• South Yarra Residence
• Willow Creek Vineyard’s Cellar Door and Bistro, Victoria, Australia
• Cube House, Melbourne, Australia

The following statistics helped Carr achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

15. Shaun Lockyer Architects

© Shaun Lockyer Architects

Shaun Lockyer Architects (SLa) was formed in 2010 to focus on modernist architecture that connects people and place. Inherent within each project is a desire to craft memorable, sustainable and efficient design solutions that add value to the inhabitants’ lives. SLa engages in varying types of projects, including residential, institutional, commercial and interior design. Working with private and public clients who value a collaborative and transparent design process, each SLa commission employs a versatility and passion that transcends scale and budget. The firm is led by Shaun Lockyer, AIA, who presents over 15 years of international design experience, including nine years as Director and Partner at Arkhefield in Brisbane.

Some of the most prominent projects include:

• Browne Street House, Australia
• Mooloomba Road, Brisbane, Australia
• Mountford Road
• Adsett Street House, Taringa, Australia
• Lockyer House, Bardon, Australia

The following statistics helped Shaun Lockyer Architects achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in AuCarr’sa:

14. Steffen Welsch Architects

© Steffen Welsch Architects

Our experience shows that sustainable design solutions only work when they provide comfort and are sensible. We are proud that our buildings achieve high energy ratings and have been showcased as positive examples of sustainable projects. In our work, we find a balance between cost-efficient, environmentally sustainable designs and implementing innovative systems and products.

Some of Steffen Welsch Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Life Cycle, Coburg, Australia
• This House Never Ends, Melbourne, Australia
• Beach Slice, Shoreham, Australia
• Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
• Cloud Street, Northcote, Australia

The following statistics helped Steffen Welsch Architects achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

13. CHROFI

© CHROFI

CHROFI was founded in 2000 as Choi Ropiha following the win in the international competition for the redesign of the TKTS booth in Times Square, New York.

The project is widely acclaimed for the way in which the design provided public and private benefits while simultaneously strengthening the essential character of Times Square, and it has been this ability to find solutions that work at multiple levels that now characterizes the way in which the practice of CHROFI approaches its projects.

The practice sees design as a tool to extract both commercial and qualitative value; public and private benefits, function and form; experience and meaning. We are highly bespoke in our approach and expand from the specific requirements of each project and the client’s desires.

Some of CHROFI’s most prominent projects include:

• Lune de Sang Sheds, Byron Bay, Australia
• Ian Potter National Conservatory
• Lune de Sang Pavilion, Byron Bay, Australia
• Courtyard House, Mungo Brush, Australia
• Maitland Riverlink, Maitland, Australia

The following statistics helped CHROFI achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

12. Hassell

© Hassell

Hassell is a leading international design practice with studios in Asia, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Our purpose is to design the world’s best places – places people love. We do this by combining strategic insight with creative design to unlock the social, cultural and economic value of places. We collaborate with the best minds in research, industry and design worldwide, and we’re committed to making a positive impact on communities and our environment.

Some of Hassell’s most prominent projects include:

• Ice cubes, Xinxiang, China
• Re-Emerge Pavilion, London, United Kingdom
• Shanghai WLA Artificial Intelligence Lab Gardens, Shanghai, China
• New Museum for Western Australia, Perth, Australia
• PTTEP Headquarters, Bangkok, Thailand

The following statistics helped Hassell achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

11. BOURNE + BLUE ARCHITECTURE

© BOURNE + BLUE ARCHITECTURE

Bourne Blue Architecture was established full-time in Newcastle in July 1996. The practice is design-based and small, so that all projects have substantial director involvement and a project architect who takes the project from beginning to end. The Practice has completed work from Canberra to Port Macquarie, including Sydney, Newcastle, Pokolbin, Wollombi and Pacific Palms. Our work has been published locally, nationally and internationally. The office is 100% solar powered with a rooftop 12kW photovoltaic array. Excess power is generated daily and is sold back to the grid. Both office cars are electric. 6,000 liters of water storage tanks collect rainwater for toilet flushing and garden use.

Some of BOURNE + BLUE ARCHITECTURE’s most prominent projects include:

• Redhead Alterations, Newcastle, Australia
• Diamond Beach Residence, Diamond Beach, Australia
• Cameron Centre – HVGS, Ashtonfield, Australia
• Cooks Hill Residence, Newcastle, Australia
• Blueys Beach House 4, Blueys Beach, Australia

The following statistics helped BOURNE + BLUE ARCHITECTURE achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

10. Splinter Society Architecture

© Splinter Society Architecture

Led by Asha Nicholas and Chris Stanley, Splinter Society is a Melbourne-based architecture and interior design studio committed to crafting custom human environments distinguished by diverse experiences. With an emphasis on design process, we work to create distinctly tactile projects, drawing on layered influences. Every project is grounded in solid principles of functionality and environmental sustainability. As an office, we enjoy exploring new ideas as a collaborative process with clients, consultants and craftspeople.

We work closely with our clients to extract key elements for personal enjoyment in residential projects and fundamental brand ideas, adding value to spaces for commercial businesses. Our projects include residential, multi -residential, hospitality, workplace design, health and education.

Some of Splinter Society Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Hawthorn Gable House, Melbourne, Australia
• Hotel House, Melbourne, Australia
• House in a Warehouse, Hawthorn East, Australia
• Three Stories North, Melbourne, Australia
• Cornerstone House, Melbourne, Australia

The following statistics helped Splinter Society Architecture achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

9. Wood Marsh

© Wood Marsh

Roger Wood and Randal Marsh have been in private practice since 1983, and their early philosophical and aesthetic ideals have been sustained to inform their architecture throughout the ensuing decades. Contextual issues of locality and region underpin their diverse body of work, which spans residential, commercial and urban architecture.

The practice is renowned for its clarity of vision and its versatility, with art galleries, wineries and private homes as deftly executed as the extensive urban infrastructure the firm has created in and around Melbourne, where it is based.

In each project, Wood Marsh’s founding principles are evident: the sculptural quality of the external forms, the play of solidity and transparency, and the materiality of the limited palettes.

Some of Wood Marsh’s most prominent projects include:

• Piccolo House, Melbourne, Australia
• RACV Cape Schanck, Cape Schanck, Australia
• Alumuna Residences, Melbourne, Australia
• Peninsula House, Mornington, Australia
• Towers Road House, Melbourne, Australia

The following statistics helped Wood Marsh achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

8. McBride Charles Ryan

© McBride Charles Ryan

At MCR, we have one passion — providing exceptional design for our clients. Our commitment to provide our clients with innovative solutions, technical excellence and personal and professional integrity has generated a steady growth in the reputation of our company over the last 16 years. MCR has successfully managed projects with budgets of up to $20M, combining complex architectural form with the finest construction technique and the most demanding programs. We have experience in many areas, having undertaken and realised work in all sectors, and this has been recognised by a variety of awards. In 2005, we were awarded the highest Victorian award, the Victorian Architecture Medal.

Some of McBride Charles Ryan’s most prominent projects include:

• PEGS Gymnasium, Keilor East, Australia
• The Yardmaster’s Building
• Dallas Brooks Community Primary School, Dallas, Australia
• The Infinity Centre, Keilor East, Australia
• North Melbourne Public Housing Renewal Program, Melbourne, Australia

The following statistics helped McBride Charles Ryan achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

7. CplusC Architects + Builders

© CplusC Architects + Builders

CplusC are Architects and Builders. We are a Sydney-based practice that offers a unique architectural proposition and specialised service – we are architects who design and build our clients’ projects.

We believe in great architectural ideas, efficient construction systems, holistic sustainable project development and exceptional value for service. Whether you are seeking a full service from concept to completion, architectural services to get your project through council, contract administration services of another Builder or simply some professional advice on a property you are thinking of buying, you will benefit from the unique expertise of Architects who are also Builders. Our ambitions extend beyond the design of buildings and the ongoing development of architectural theories.

Some of CplusC Architects + Builders’ most prominent projects include:

• Totoro House, Russell Lea, Australia
• Balmy Palmy, Sydney, Australia
• Welcome To The Jungle House, Darlington, Australia
• ZZ Top House, Sydney, Australia
• Tennyson Point Residence, Sydney, Australia

The following statistics helped CplusC Architects + Builders achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

6. Koichi Takada Architects

© Scott Burrows Photographer

Koichi Takada Architects is a design group that creates organically inspired places so the world can reconnect with a more natural, intuitive and conscious future. Founded in 2008, Koichi Takada Architects is based in Sydney with offices in Doha and Tokyo. The firm is currently working across residential, hotels, restaurants, commercial, and cultural projects in Australia and across the Middle East, Asia, North America and South America.

Principal Koichi Takada is based in Sydney, after living in cities of high urbanisation, including Tokyo, New York and London. His experience in those metropolises, where he studied at the School of Architecture at City University of New York and the Architectural Association in London, led him to pledge to create a greener future through design.

How should we live today? It is a complicated question, but our answer is simple.

Some of Koichi Takada Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Arc, Sydney, Australia
• Norfolk, Burleigh Heads, Australia
• Upper House, South Brisbane, Australia
• National Museum of Qatar Gift Shops, Qatar
• Sky Trees, Los Angeles, California

The following statistics helped KOICHI TAKADA ARCHITECTS achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

5. Woods Bagot

© Woods Bagot

Woods Bagot Global Studio continually expands and challenges the expectations of multi-disciplinary architectural practice in a shifting, fast-moving digital era. Its portfolio is worldwide in scope, diverse in scale and discipline. It encompasses some of the highest-profile projects currently underway in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East.

The firm’s work is defined by its clarity of narrative and by the extensive use of state-of-the-art analytics as a platform for design. Its 16 studios, located in major cities around the globe, consistently inspire the firm’s work with a rigorous vocabulary that references urban and regional context, ecological and social sustainability, and innovation.

Some of Woods Bagot’s most prominent projects include:

• Central Station, Sydney, Australia
• SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1, San Francisco, California
• Short Lane, Sydney, Australia
• Central Park North, Manhattan, New York
• BRC Century Business Plaza Regeneration, Chengdu, China

The following statistics helped Woods Bagot achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

4. Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects

© Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects

Iredale Pedersen Hook is a progressive architecture practice with studios in Perth and Melbourne and a rapidly expanding diverse body of work throughout Australia. From the wine region of Victoria’s Yarra Valley, to the desert of the North Kimberly region, through suburban Perth and the rural edge of Melbourne to remote Christmas Island, the projects are as individual and eclectic as the landscape they occupy. Each piece of architecture seeks to embody a unique design response of innovation and delight. The works can be gathered in relation to their geographical location, demonstrating an embrace of their context, and closer examination reveals a collection of thematic concerns that evolve and develop.

Some of Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Pingelly Recreation and Cultural Centre, Pingelly, Australia
• Walumba Elders Centre, Warmun, Australia
• Fitzroy Crossing Renal Hostel, Fitzroy Crossing, Australia
• EPIC- Empowering People in Community, Karratha, Australia
• Highgate Primary School New Teaching Spaces, Perth, Australia

The following statistics helped Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

3. Austin Maynard Architects

© Austin Maynard Architects

Austin Maynard Architects create resilient, highly sustainable, beautiful, robust and long-lasting architecture. Architecture designed to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.

Launched in 2002, now with projects all over Australia, and offices in both Melbourne and Hobart, Austin Maynard Architects has the skill, resources and tenacity to undertake a wide variety of complex projects. Happiness, fun, friends, family, ethics, sustainability and reward for effort are the pillars of Austin Maynard Architects. Widely renowned for their boundless creative energy, Austin Maynard Architects’ designs are at once well-conceived, playful and edgy.

Austin Maynard Architects have gained international recognition (including Best Architecture Studio, Dezeen and Building of the Year, ArchDaily) and are recipients of the prestigious Canberra Medallion.

Some of Austin Maynard Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• St Andrews Beach House, Victoria, Australia
• Nebula Portable Arts Space, Melbourne, Australia
• Clarke, Melbourne, Australia
• Moor Street, Fitzroy, Australia
• Terrace House, Brunswick, Australia

The following statistics helped Austin Maynard Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

2. Cumulus Studio

© Cumulus Studio

Established in 2011, we are an Australian architecture and interior design studio with offices in Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney.

With a team of 40+ dedicated architects, designers, and operations team, our studio works as a single entity, using our collective resources to form, critique, and test new ideas, to understand the design’s context, and explore overlooked perspectives that result in the construction of respectful and inclusive spaces.

Our designs are based on collaboration and conversations, both within the practice and outside of it. We believe that good ideas can come from anywhere — our clients, community and any member of our team. By being open to discussions and different perspectives, our team, clients, and stakeholders can express themselves and explore a design’s possibilities from the very start.

Some of Cumulus Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre, Tasmania, Australia
• Featured image (at top): Dove Lake Viewing Shelter, Cradle Mountain, Australia
• DDevil’sCorner, Apslawn, Australia
• Callington Mill Distillery, Oatlands, Australia
• Stoney Rise Cellar Door, Gravelly Beach, Australia

The following statistics helped Cumulus Studio achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

1. ASPECT Studios

© ASPECT Studios

ASPECT Studios is an international design practice, built from a global team of landscape architects, urban designers, architects, wayfinding specialists, strategists and graphic designers.

We approach each project by examining the social, cultural, economic, historical and ecological context that underpins it.

Our people are dexterous, creative, technically adept and serious about designing places that benefit people and the natural world. This focus has seen us create some of the most memorable public realm and natural spaces in Australia and abroad.

We are defined by an energised and creative approach, tempered by over 25 years’ experience in delivering and curating significant projects. Over that time, we have established studios in Adelaide, Brisbane, Dubai, Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City, London, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Shanghai.

Some of ASPECT Studios’ most prominent projects include:

• The Chamber Church, Qingdao, China
• 1 Elizabeth, Sydney, Australia
• Hongkong Land’s Yorkville – The Ring, Chongqing, China
• Sydney Fish Market, Sydney, Australia
• Huamu Lot 10 – The Summit, Shanghai, China

The following statistics helped ASPECT Studios achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Australia:

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for several AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on several factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well-written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High-quality, in-focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and is shared with 170,000 subscribers.

We’re constantly looking for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

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Another Architizer collection about arches? Groundbreaking.

But in defense of the arch, it is one of those elements that never really disappears. From ancient infrastructure to contemporary museums, they keep resurfacing because they work; structurally, spatially, symbolically. Some of their many roles include carrying weight, marking thresholds, framing views, and signaling gathering. And those are all roles that stand the test of time.

So yes, it’s another arc(h)ticle. But the projects gathered here show how the arch shifts alongside changing design priorities, responding to new environmental demands and taking on different roles as architecture continues to evolve.

Passive House

By Mareines Arquitetura, São Paulo, Brazil

Designed during the pandemic, Passive House reflects a desire to live with fewer layers between daily life and the land. The project starts with a simple move: a triangular-walled garden inspired by cloisters. Three built arms hold this open space in place, creating a protected center that sets the tone for the rest of the house.

The arches show up in the sweeping brick roof. Its pronounced curve gives the house a grounded presence, almost as if it rose from the soil already shaped that way. Beyond its sculptural quality, the vaulted roof collects rainwater and channels it toward the pool. Inside, the arc softens transitions across the open plan, guiding light and air while keeping walls to a minimum.

Sun Tower

By OPEN Architecture, Yantai, China

At first glance, Sun Tower looks like a cone facing the sea. In section, it reveals its true character: one vast arch cut through the mass and tilted toward the horizon. Designed by OPEN Architecture, the project turns this singular gesture into structure, space, and symbol at once.

The arch forms a cavernous void that holds the outdoor theater and frames the ocean beyond. Galleries, a library, and public routes occupy the thickened edges of this curve, moving along its inner surface. At the summit, the open-air Phenomena Space draws sunlight through a circular opening, marking the passing hours. In a fast-growing industrial zone, the tower acts like a contemporary lighthouse, using one monumental arch to root cultural life in the rhythms of nature.

The ET-302 Memorial

By Alebel Desta Consulting Architects and Engineers, Gimbichu, Ethiopia

Popular Choice Winner, Religious Buildings & Memorials, 13th Architizer A+Awards

ET-302 Memorial Park transforms a site of tragedy into a carefully structured landscape of remembrance. The project follows the final six minutes and forty-four seconds of the flight, guiding visitors along a primary path toward the exact crash location.

The central monument rises as four inclined concrete forms, their geometry reading almost like fractured arches emerging from the earth. Each structure represents a continent touched by the loss, descending in height as if marking a final trajectory. The arched voids carved into these masses create sheltered spaces for reflection, echoing Ethiopia’s rock-hewn heritage while framing sky and landscape. Here, the arch is not decorative. It acts as a spatial threshold between absence and presence, shaping a collective space for grief, memory, and healing.

Plaza Mirador

By Fernanda Canales, Naco, Mexico

Plaza Mirador turns a stretch of highway edge into a civic threshold for Naco. What was once a space for cars is recast as a raised public ground with a covered market, a forum, and a lookout tower that signals arrival. The project slows traffic and gives the town a defined center, right beside the baseball field.

The arch is the project’s organizing device. Barrel vaults span the market hall, creating deep shade and a clear rhythm along the street. A tall arched frame marks the tower, drawing people upward through a spiral stair toward views of the Sierra de San José and across the border to Bisbee. From above, the arch becomes a viewing instrument, reframing a divided landscape as one continuous horizon.

Hengqin Culture and Art Complex

By Yunchao Xu Atelier Apeiron, Xiangzhou, Zhuhai, China

Jury Winner, Gallery & Exhibition Spaces, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Wedged between residential towers and an open park, the Hengqin Culture and Art Complex rethinks what a large civic building can be. Rather than packing nine programs into a dense object, the project carves out a vast public void at ground level. Three monumental arch “caves” shape this space, creating a covered urban room that stays open to the city.

The arches follow inverted catenary curves, giving them a structural logic and a quiet sense of gravity. Coated in wood and bamboo, they frame views of the park by day and glow like lanterns at night. Each vaulted hall carries a different mood, from a vertical library landscape to a performance venue and a porous exhibition chamber. Above, terraces and roof gardens continue the curve, letting the arch extend into the skyline.

Cocoon, Pre-primary Extension, Bloomingdale International School

By andblack design studio, Vijayawada, India

Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Small Spaces, 13th Annual A+Awards

In a region where schools often follow a familiar box-and-corridor formula, the Cocoon extension at Bloomingdale International proposes something far more spatially curious. The pre-primary wing sits beside the existing campus, connected by a sunken courtyard that rises gently toward a building shaped like a soft green hill.

Here, the arch appears stretched and relaxed into a continuous undulating roof. Its sweeping curve forms a protective shell over fluid classrooms, eliminating the rigid geometry children are usually asked to inhabit. Inside, the exposed structure traces the arc overhead, while skylights puncture the surface and wash the interiors with shifting light. The result feels less like a building placed on the site and more like a landscape lifted to shelter early learning.

Moldova’s Hobbit Houses: A New Vision of Sustainable Retreats

By LH47 ARCH, Pănăseşti, Moldova

Half-buried in the ground with grass growing overhead, these small lakeside cabins rise like gentle bumps in the terrain rather than typical rental units.

The arch appears as a compact dome carved into the earth. Its curved profile distributes loads efficiently and reinforces the sense of being sheltered within the landscape. Thick straw bale walls finished in clay plaster follow this arc, creating interiors that feel rounded and protective. Large glazed openings cut through the curve to frame the water, balancing enclosure with openness. The result is an architecture that leans on rural knowledge while giving the arch a quiet, contemporary role.

Exeter College Cohen Quad, Oxford

By Alison Brooks Architects, Oxford, United Kingdom

At first glance, Cohen Quad feels familiar to Oxford: courtyards, stone, and cloisters. Look closer, and the geometry begins to shift. Instead of a rigid square, the plan bends into an S-shape, carving two landscaped courts and threading them together with a continuous cloistered route.

Along the stone base, a sequence of contemporary cloister arches frames the gardens and sets up a steady rhythm for daily movement. These openings reinterpret the collegiate arcade, stretching it into a spatial promenade of stairs and garden walks. Above, student rooms sit within a curved stainless steel envelope, while a sweeping roof arc creates loft spaces and marks the skyline. Here, the arch is less about nostalgia and more about continuity, carrying Oxford’s language forward without freezing it in time.

Golden Beach Hotel

By 314 architecture studio, Paros, Greece

Popular Choice Winner, Unbuilt Hospitality, 13th Architizer A+Awards

Conceived as a sculptural retreat on Paros, this proposal imagines the hotel as an extension of the island’s topography. Long white walls curve across the site like softened dunes, forming a continuous landscape rather than a collection of separate volumes.

Arched openings are carved into these sweeping forms, framing sea views and drawing daylight into guest rooms and shared spaces. The arches read as voids shaped by wind and time, giving depth to the façades and casting pronounced shadows under the Cycladic sun. The design looks to the simplicity of local ruins and circular geometries, reinterpreting them through a more fluid, contemporary lens. Terraces and openings are positioned to capture sunrise and sunset, suggesting a stay defined as much by light and horizon as by enclosure.

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The post Not Another Arc(h)ticle! 9 Projects That Put the Arch Back in Contemporary Architecture appeared first on Journal.

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work by uploading projects to Architizer and sign up for our inspirational newsletters.

Once upon a time, gothic castles, luxury palaces and woodland cottages dominated the animated skylines. Villains resided in dark, heavily guarded fortresses, while heroes often inhabited charming lodges, embedded in magic and hope. But what if these characters wished to dwell within our own contemporary world? What type of architecture would replace Peter Pan’s treehouse or the Evil Queen’s castle?

Below are seven built projects rethought as the homes of the silver screen’s most beloved characters. Because behind every iconic character arc, there is an even greater floor plan design.

Bumpers Oast

By ACME, Kent, England, United Kingdom

If Snow White were to trade her cottage for a contemporary retreat, Bumpers Oast would be her storybook reimagined in brick and timber. Located amidst apple orchards and oast houses, the residence is designed as a 21st century interpretation of the formal language of Kentish architecture.

Five tower-like structures are built slightly apart from each other, creating an array of private, in-between spaces. The house features a central, triple-height living space, while the exterior reinterprets the traditional façade materials (brick and clay-shingled roof tiles), creating a more contemporary and heavily insulated rainscreen façade.

Darak Darak

By THE SYSTEM LAB, Seoul, South Korea

What if the Evil Queen commissioned a residence today? What would it look like? Darak Darak is a contemporary home, reminiscent of gothic architecture, made of concrete, steel and glass – the perfect home for a queen who prefers intimidation over invitation. The spaces partially overlap, creating playful, vertical circulation routes throughout the building. In contrast, the structure’s main façade is fully open, while the remaining volume is draped by a dark roof punctured with small, irregular apertures, subtly allowing light to enter the interior.

PAN-tretopphytter (PAN treetop-cabins)

By sivilarkitekt espen surnevik as Pan Hytter, Åsnes, Innlandet, Norway

Jury Winner, Architecture +Metal, 11th Architizer A+Awards

PAN-tretopphytter (pun not intended) feels like the only address Peter Pan would ever agree to inhabit. Customized to fit the specific topography, a series of steel legs lifts a triangular-shaped cabin high above the forest floor. The interior layout follows a simple, open-plan logic that includes the basic living amenities and is made mainly out of pine wood. Finally, the exterior skin is comprised of black oxidized zinc and black steel for proper insulation.

The Periphery

By Locus.studio, Boulder, Utah

Embedded within the desert terrain, the house’s austere linear geometry evokes a solitary contemporary temple — the perfect retreat for Hercules after finally completing his twelve labours. The residence is elevated above slickrock and wetlands at 6,300 feet, exploring the threshold between habitation and exposure.

Strategic material selection, as well as the level of craft required to complete the project, showcases a thoughtful response to the immediate context, climate and cinematic scenery. Specifically, oak, steel, and concrete form the project’s primary palette, while detailed millwork and exquisite carpentry elevate the house to an object of “handmade modernism.”

Shell House / The language of the forest

By Tono Mirai architects, Japan

Jury Winner, Private House (S <1000 sq ft), 7th Architizer A+Awards

Gently embedded within its landscape, Shell House captures the ecological sensitivity befitting Pocahontas — discreet enough that even someone like John Smith might miss it entirely. The small earth house is made of local wood, clay and traditional techniques that aim to achieve a high environmental performance.

The organic volume is supported by seven exposed wooden beams, while the interior walls are finished with rammed earth and local wood species. Designed with passive heating in mind, the building’s roof and exterior cladding work in tandem to regulate temperature, optimizing solar gain and minimizing heat loss.

Vault House

By Johnston Marklee, Oxnard, California

With its sculptural curves and proximity to the Pacific, Vault House feels like a terrestrial evolution of the underwater world Ariel left behind. The design challenges of the traditional single-view typology beach house, creating an assembly of stacked and unidirectional vaulted rooms within a simple rectilinear volume, extending the oceanfront view.

The rooms are distinguished via an array of material finishes and volumes, each one assigned to a different interior function. Furthermore, custom-made elements turn the house into a dynamic “entity,” often acting as a shutter throughout the day and filtering the surrounding landscape, light and immediate views.

CASA MYM

By Numero 26 Studio, Murcia, Spain

Organized around light, shadow, and inward-facing courtyards, CASA MYM unfolds like an architectural playground for a character who made an art form out of navigating tight corners and hidden passages — Aladdin. Drawing from the culture of Spanish traditional houses, typically found in orchards, the building is designed through a contemporary code that values spontaneity, versatile materiality and local identity.

The house is divided into three separate squares, each one reserved for a different spatial activity. The positioning of each square creates a series of nooks and thresholds, establishing a playful transition throughout the space. Finally, the material palette is colourful and local, made of ceramic tiles, reeds and wood, imbuing the residence with a high level of tactile richness.

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Featured Image: Bumpers Oast by ACME, Kent, England, United Kingdom

The post Once Upon a Floor Plan: 7 Buildings Cast as Iconic Animated Character’s Homes appeared first on Journal.

Modernism is often associated with the International Style. However, some of the best examples are those that re-interpret existing architectural traditions through the language of contemporary building materials and technologies. Mexican architecture is exemplary in this regard. Throughout the 20th century, architects found ample inspiration in the country’s architecturally fertile history. Indeed, Mexico’s countless pre-Hispanic and colonial heritages combine to form the largest concentration of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Americas. In the decades following the Mexican Revolution of 1917, federal funding for housing, education and healthcare programs fueled a creative culture of design and construction.

Today, the country continues to innovate, with socio-political agendas pushing the envelope in volume, materiality and environmental footprint. While Luis Barragán’s name continues to loom large on the scene, Frida Escobedo and Tatiana Bilbao are also making ways by changing the urban landscape into a contemporary and socially responsible space. Mexico’s architectural palimpsest has equally intrigued contemporary designers to revive the vernacular building traditions of its indigenous ancestors.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Mexico based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2026)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2026)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2026)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Mexico architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Mexico:

33. vgz arquitectura

© vgz arquitectura

Vgzarquitectura was founded by Veronica Gonzalez-Zavalain 2003. Since then, the firm has received over 70 commissions, ranging from apartments, clubs, restaurants and wellness ventures to single family homes. Providing detail-oriented design, consulting and construction services, their design focuses on a thorough analysis of the site, integration of sustainable technology and a connection with its surroundings.

A small firm of full time 10 architects, vgz arquitectura’s trademark is the use of natural light as a main design instrument, the integration of interior and exterior spaces, and the use of locally sourced materials and craftsmanship, supporting Mexican design and high quality popular art. All their projects integrate interior design and landscape as a fundamental part of the process.

Some of vgz arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• Piedra Sal, Mexico City, Mexico
• CC48, Huixquilucan de Degollado, Mexico
• Parnaso, Mexico City, Mexico
• Miralto | Nivel 40
• Casa P29, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped vgz arquitectura achieve 33rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

32. ICONICO

© ICONICO

Based in Mexico City and directed by founder architect Moritz Melchert, Iconico is a contemporary architectural studio devoted to innovative design solutions. Staffed by talented, highly qualified specialists from around the world, Iconico brings consummate professional commitment to the architectural design process.

Our clients include both governmental and private institutions; we design major civic, residential, office, industrial and urban projects in Mexico and abroad. Our approach to design is strongly content-driven, always based on analyses of the urban, social and cultural domains and how they interact.

Exploiting our key professional strengths in the areas of project management and architectural design, Iconico’s field of endeavor includes everything from initial project design through construction supervision and delivery. We take our name from the term icon, which has come to signify a streamlined graphic representation of an object or idea that can be swiftly and easily grasped by the mind.

Some of ICONICO’s most prominent projects include:

• Trevox Apartments, Naucalpan, Mexico
• Moncayo Club House, Mexico
• Hirschvogel, San Juan del Río, Mexico
• International Business Center, Yerevan, Armenia
• Palo Alto Tower, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped ICONICO achieve 32nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

31. Blending Dots Arquitectos + Rogelio Castillo

© Blending Dots Arquitectos + Rogelio Castillo

Blending Dots is a recognized brand in the world of contemporary architecture and interior design. With years of experience in the industry, our company has established itself as a leader in the design and construction of modern and functional spaces.

At Blending Dots, we strive to combine creativity and innovation with functionality and efficiency. We understand that each project is unique and therefore we work collaboratively with our clients to understand their needs and wants, and create customized solutions that exceed their expectations.

Some of Blending Dots Arquitectos + Rogelio Castillo’s most prominent projects include:

• Casa Estrato, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• Casa AR , Jalisco, Mexico
• Hotel Alcala , Zapopan, Mexico
• Casa YH02, Jalisco, Mexico
• Hotel Fulton

The following statistics helped Blending Dots Arquitectos + Rogelio Castillo achieve 31st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

30. CCA | Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica, Bernardo Quinzaños

© CCA | Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica, Bernardo Quinzaños

Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica (CCA) is a Mexico City – based studio established in 2008 by Bernardo Quinzaños Oria (Mexico City, 1984), who graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from the Universidad Iberoamericana in 2007.

The studio operates as an independent platform dedicated to researching, conceptualising, and developing architectural and urban projects focused on making a positive impact on their immediate surroundings and on society more broadly. As an interdisciplinary practice, CCA has been able to capitalize on the knowledge, talent, and creativity of each of its team members to generate ideas that exploit each project’s full potential through an inclusive and collaborative working method.

Bernardo Quinzaños began his career in the visual arts and has participated in numerous architecture and art exhibitions both in Mexico and abroad.

Some of CCA | Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica, Bernardo Quinzaños’ most prominent projects include:

• Complex El Campestre Recreational Park & Community Development Center, Jalpa de Méndez, Mexico
• Masterplan & Sports Complex La Paz, La Paz, Mexico
• Orchid Pavilion, Puerto Escondido, Mexico
• Community Development Center, Jalpa de Méndez, Mexico
• Oaxaca 88, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped CCA | Centro de Colaboración Arquitectónica, Bernardo Quinzaños achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

29. FARQ Arquitectos

© FARQ Arquitectos

Integral design studio based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. We seek to merge the everyday use of materials with the new state-of-the-art technology. Design, simplicity and style are our goals.

Some of FARQ Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Casa J11, Zapopan, Mexico
• La Bendita Eventos, Zapopan, México
• Casa Lago, Jalisco, Mexico
• Arrayan House, Zapopan, Mexico
• Casa Hacienda, Zapopan, México

The following statistics helped FARQ Arquitectos achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

28. dmp arquitectura

© dmp arquitectura

A multidisciplinary team that works under a common idea: create comprehensive architecture through practical and functional solutions.

Throughout 30 years, we have designed, built and developed more than 250 projects in different areas of the Mexican and international industry. We take care of providing personalized services to all our clients in each project, which is our main differentiator.

Some of dmp arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• house CD, Mexico
• xomali house, CDMX, Mexico
• Casa Fuentes, Ciudad Juárez, México
• Parque del Conde , Mexico City, Mexico
• I 24, Ciudad de México, México

The following statistics helped dmp arquitectura achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

27. ARQMOV WORKSHOP

We are an architectural practice; our professional activity encompasses architecture, interior design and so-called ‘turnkey projects’, which allow clients to enjoy their new home immediately after completion. We act as a planner, in that we organise aspects of the investment scheme such as finding the ideal site, planning for common areas, designing retail and living spaces, as well as carrying out market studies and finding the right investors. We also undertake furniture design and manufacture. For us, the most important aspect of the project is to resolve each of the client’s requirements on a one-by-one basis, in such a way that each design is tailored to a particular client.

We are a dynamic, ambitious practice with 18 years’ experience in various kinds of developments, including housing complexes, luxury apartments, commercial buildings, office spaces, leisure venues and hotels in Mexico, the US, India, and other countries.

Some of ARQMOV WORKSHOP’s most prominent projects include:

• KIRAL APARTMENTS
• Cube House
• ColiRoma CientoVeinteOcho, Villa de Cos, México
• JUST BE, Mexico
• Hegel Apartment, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped ARQMOV WORKSHOP achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

26. CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA

© CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA

CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA is a young enterprise that, since 1998, has grown as one of the most successful real estate developers in Mexico, known for its exceptional quality and service. The architects José Sánchez and Moisés Ison, founders and directors of CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA, continue creating and developing amazing projects. The focus of the company is the fusion of financial planning, architectural design, construction and Real Estate within a complete strategy that allows for taking the best advantage of available resources. At the same time, they seek excellence in construction management and design, as well as providing the deserved service to each valued customer.

Some of CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA’s most prominent projects include:

• Nima Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
• House La Punta
• House Reforma
• Aromas, Mexico City, Mexico
• Cacahuamilpa 11, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped CENTRAL DE ARQUITECTURA achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

25. Gerardo Ars Arquitectura

© Gerardo Ars Arquitectura

Gerardo Ars Arquitectura is an architecture firm based in Mexico with projects centered around residential architecture.

Some of Gerardo Ars Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• NEST HOUSE, Alvarado, Mexico
• Three House, Heroica Veracruz, Mexico
• Libertad 196, Boca del Río, Mexico
• Coral House, Boca del Río, Mexico

The following statistics helped Gerardo Ars Arquitectura achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

24. Dionne Arquitectos

© Dionne Arquitectos

We are an architecture and interior design firm located in the city of Puebla, with projects in Mexico and Texas. Formed by architects and professionals with a passion for architecture and design, we believe that communication and collaboration at all levels are basic elements in the search for better results. The taste for what we do and attention to detail identify us. We believe that good architecture touches the heart. We believe in design and seek to create works that inspire the senses. We seek to go beyond the architectural object to achieve vibrancy with architecture and commit ourselves socially and environmentally to our surroundings.

Some of Dionne Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Casa 8A, Puebla, Mexico
• Casa ATT, Puebla, Mexico
• Hacienda San Antonio, Cholula, Mexico
• Flats del Parque, Puebla, Mexico
• El Fresno, Atlixco, Mexico

The following statistics helped Dionne Arquitectos achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

23. GOMA Taller de Arquitectura

© GOMA Taller de Arquitectura

GOMA Taller de Arquitectura is a firm with more than 10 years of experience and continuous innovation in the design and execution of architectural and construction projects. We develop ideas and concepts aligned with the vision of our clients, and conduct them powered by the inspiration of our leaders, plus the creativity and passion of each one of our collaborators.

Some of GOMA Taller de Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• Hotel Hércules, Santiago de Querétaro, México
• CasaTejocote, Santiago de Querétaro, México
• Urdido, Santiago de Querétaro, México
• Hotel Hércules, Santiago de Querétaro, México
• Almacén Hércules, Santiago de Querétaro, México

The following statistics helped GOMA Taller de Arquitectura achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

22. ASP Arquitectura Sergio Portillo

© Ivan Reyes Almaraz

We are an architecture firm located in Mexico City that was founded in 2014 by Sergio Portillo Alarcón, whose background includes directing and coordinating a firm and a contracting company for 10 years. His work has been published in Mexico and abroad.

We focus on generating value through the contemporary practice of architecture and urbanism. Our approaches are sensitive to the context and the environment, and combine high-tech materials with regional products.

We are truly committed to architecture and how people experience it. This is why we develop proposals that are relevant to the site and its environment that take the specific circumstances of each case into consideration.

Some of ASP Arquitectura Sergio Portillo’s most prominent projects include:

• Casa Mika, Mexico City, Mexico
• Vineyard “El Pedregal”, Mexico City, Mexico
• Cumbres House, Mexico
• Villa Jardín, Mexico

The following statistics helped ASP Arquitectura Sergio Portillo achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

21. Ezequiel Farca Studio

© Ezequiel Farca Studio

Ezequiel Farca is a design studio focused on creating holistic spaces through an intricate approach to each part of a whole. The studio, which specializes in product design, interior design, and architecture, was first established in 1995.

The experience in the design of a wide range of scales and typologies allows for a comprehensive approach to each project we take on. From yacht design to small and large hospitality and residential spaces, the studio simultaneously explores all scales and functions to ensure users will enjoy a coherent, integrated and effortlessly inhabitable spatial experience.

Drawing inspiration from our Mexican heritage, the studio collaborates with traditional artisans to create a palette of natural materials that is at once timeless and universal.

Some of Ezequiel Farca Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Chileno House, San José del Cabo, México
• Magnolia House, Mexico City, Mexico
• IMA House, San José del Cabo, Mexico
• GDL 3 House, Zapopan, Mexico
• Vallarta House, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

The following statistics helped Ezequiel Farca Studio achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

20. Taller ADG

© Taller ADG

Taller ADG was established as a workshop by its founder, Alonso de Garay. He regards his work as an open-ended learning process, with the same dedication and passion that must be devoted to art, seeking for sensibleness in each project. Taller ADG values each stage of the creative process, which begins with research, considering issues of urbanism, sustainability, landscape, interior design and graphic identity, working with technology for construction in a single virtual model (BIM); through to post-occupation analysis and documentation. Taller ADG is mainly dedicated to architectural projects with social impact and has experience in different typologies and scales. The interventions in architectural reuse of buildings with artistic and heritage value stand out.

Some of Taller ADG’s most prominent projects include:

• Diablos Rojos Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• Izar Houses, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• Stone House, Monterrey, Mexico
• Zacatecas, Mexico City, Mexico
• Desierto de los Leones House, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped Taller ADG achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

19. GLR ARQUITECTOS / GIlberto L. Rodríguez

© GLR ARQUITECTOS / GIlberto L. Rodríguez

Holding a degree from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and a Master of Architecture and Urban Design from Harvard University, Gilberto L. Rodríguez has lectured at several universities in Mexico and has given design workshops at both the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and the Universidad de Monterrey.

His first project, the Elizondo House, won a mention of honor at the National Biennial of Mexican Architecture in 1994. Throughout his career, he has been recognized with over 20 National Design Awards, rewarding their commitment to improve the quality of the architecture of their city and their country.

His firm, GLR arquitectos, has developed a wide portfolio that includes residential projects as well as important mixed-use developments, being in charge of both the architecture and the interior design.

Some of GLR ARQUITECTOS / GIlberto L. Rodríguez’s most prominent projects include:

• Domus Aurea by GLR Arquitectos + Estudio Alberto Campo Baeza, Monterrey, Mexico
• Magma Towers, Monterrey, Mexico
• BC House, Monterrey, Mexico
• Casa ER, Monterrey, Mexico
• MT House, Monterrey, Mexico

The following statistics helped GLR ARQUITECTOS / GIlberto L. Rodríguez achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

18. TEN Arquitectos

© TEN Arquitectos

With 34 years since its foundation by Enrique Norten and more than 80 built works, TEN Arquitectos has a portfolio that covers different kinds of projects such as cultural, residential, hotels and infrastructure. With offices in México City, New York and Miami, the design work is always made with a global perspective and an international sensibility.

This binational approach has attracted projects from different places in the world, including the Guggenheim Museum of Guadalajara, the New York Public Library, the National Theater School of México City and the Rutgers Business School in New Jersey.

A great sense of community from his native México is implicit in all Enrique Norten’s works.

Some of TEN Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Hotel Americano, Manhattan, New York,
• Mercedes House, Manhattan, New York,
• National Laboratory of Genomics (LANGEBIO), Irapuato, Mexico
• MUNPIC, León de los Aldama, México
• 580 Carroll Street, Brooklyn, New York

The following statistics helped TEN Arquitectos achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

17. Broissin Architects

© Broissin Architects

Different areas of our society evolve constantly – location, conviction, values and habits. Traditions start to disappear, and daily life vanishes. Every moment is unique and ephemeral for our memories, but it is not for the Web. Now, goals are short-term – our thoughts wander. We have to start from the basics and with new goals; remain optimized, produce, reduce, recycle, and re-utilize.

Our work is evidence of everyday circumstances. There are no protocols for design. There are neither processes nor methodologies to follow. There are no recipes. Every project is the result of reflection, analysis, and daily life.

We look for equilibrium, the customer, the architect, and the architecture within the same thought, within a communion of ideas.

Some of Broissin Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Green Hills Kindergarten, Ciudad López Mateos, México
• Centro Cultural Roberto Cantoral, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico
• Chantli Kuaulakoyokan, Mexico City, Mexico
• IREKUA ANATANI House, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• Archdays Pavilion Egaligilo, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped Broissin Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

16. ROTH ARCHITECTURE

© ROTH ARCHITECTURE

Created by Roth Azulik, Roth Architecture is rooted in the unique combination of three fundamental pillars: nature, ancestry and art.

Some of ROTH ARCHITECTURE’s most prominent projects include:

• Sfer ik Museion Uh May, Francisco Uh May, Mexico
• Residence Uh May, Quintana Roo, Mexico
• Zak Ik Tulum, Tulum, Mexico

The following statistics helped ROTH ARCHITECTURE achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

15. HW Studio

© Cesar Bejar

HW STUDIO Architects, based in Morelia, Mexico, is an architectural firm founded on the principle of uniting creative design talent. The studio focuses on crafting spaces that offer personalized experiences for every client.

Comprised of an interdisciplinary team from various countries, HW STUDIO pursues a shared goal: creating architecture where serenity, technique, and beauty converge. Their work aims to transmit harmony, peace, and timelessness through spaces that are elegant yet discreet, defined by precise materiality and the seamless assembly of forms.

Some of HW Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Enso House II, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• The hill in front of the glen, Morelia, Mexico
• MP House, Morelia, Mexico
• Shi House, Morelia, Mexico
• JA House, Morelia, Mexico

The following statistics helped HW Studio achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

14. Cherem Arquitectos

© Cherem Arquitectos

In 2003, architect Abraham Cherem founded Cherem Arquitectos, and in 2013, he associated with architect Jose Antonio Aguilar. Its diverse body of work includes cultural, residential, commercial and hospitality projects, among others. Cherem Arquitectos’ work combines a selection of local materials with the most convenient technology available for each project, shaping a proposal that dialogues with its immediate environment.

Aware of what they design has a direct impact on the planet, each project represents a challenge not only for today but for the future, the detailed selection of materials and the respect for them.

Some of Cherem Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Guesthouse Casa Candelaria, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• Casa Candelaria, Mexico
• Tebila, Mexico City, Mexico
• House P, Mexico
• Templo, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped Cherem Arquitectos achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

13. EDAA | Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura

© EDAA | Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura

EDAA, or Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura (Strategies for the Development of Architecture), is a Mexico City-based architecture office whose practice is focused on the production of contemporary architecture through diverse disciplines: architectural and graphic design, illustration, construction, commercial strategies and financial design.

It was founded as an independent practice by Luis Arturo García after several years of working in different architecture, landscape and urban design practices in Mexico and Canada.

EDAA’s real estate development branch, GARBA, operates in areas of development, sales and marketing.

Some of EDAA | Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• Casa Meztitla, Tepoztlán, Mexico
• At the Table with Rapitae, Mexico City, Mexico
• Marble, wood, paint. Rice by Edaa + Yupica, Mexico City, Mexico
• Yacatas 475, Ciudad de México, México
• Taxco 25: Townhouses

The following statistics helped EDAA | Estrategias para el Desarrollo de Arquitectura achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

12. Michan Architecture

© Michan Architecture

Michan Architecture is a studio based in Mexico City, founded in 2010. The practice operates as a laboratory of architecture, exploring new possibilities within the discipline. We see architecture as a flirtation towards the built environment; a question towards the norm, a speculation of what the future can be.

The studio has been awarded by the Architectural League of New York with The League Prize for Young Architects + Designers 2020. In 2019, they were recipients of the Design Vanguard award from Architectural Record Magazine, which honors 10 emerging practices from around the world. “Those are demonstrating inventive approaches to shaping the built environment.” DL1310 Apartment Building, designed in collaboration with Young & Ayata, received the 2019 Progressive Architecture Award from Architect Magazine.

Some of Michan Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Social Housing Z53, Azcapotzalco, Mexico
• Chapultepec 500, Mexico City, Mexico
• DL1310 Apartments, Mexico City, Mexico
• TL2816, Mexico City, Mexico
• OKU, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped Michan Architecture achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

11. Elías Rizo Arquitectos

© Elías Rizo Arquitectos

Everything is summed up in one simple idea: create beautiful spaces that improve our clients’ everyday lives. It is about fulfilling the client’s needs with commitment to honesty, service, and quality. Architecture not only gives us eternity and shelter, but it also embraces us; it is a contained space that holds the course of our lives. It is always there to teach us, but above all gives us fantasies. We believe we are a driving force for our culture and context, having an unavoidable impact on our project’s surroundings, which entails great responsibility.

Some of Elías Rizo Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Casa RO, Guadalajara, Mexico
• Casa La Punta, Punta de Mita, Mexico
• Casa Lomas, Guadalajara, Mexico
• Casa BE, Zapopan, Mexico
• Punto Surf, Zapopan, Mexico

The following statistics helped Elías Rizo Arquitectos achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

10. Cafeína Design

© Leonardo Neve Design Group

Cafeína is a comprehensive architecture firm that focuses on creating and transforming authentic and inclusive spaces through a multidisciplinary, human, innovative and positive approach to projects.

We are currently developing mixed-use, educational, commercial and residential projects in Latin America and the USA, with offices in Mexico and New York.

Some of Cafeína Design’s most prominent projects include:

• Barrenechea House Extension, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
• Casa Cohuatichan, Cuetzalan, Mexico
• Piedra, Puebla, Mexico
• Constitución 8, Puebla, Mexico
• Saint Peter House, Cholula, Mexico

The following statistics helped Cafeína Design achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

9. COTAPAREDES Arquitectos

© COTAPAREDES Arquitectos

The idea of ​​Architecture means creating small worlds, public or private, places that can be related to what exists, or can be isolated and belong to a private universe. They must contain the aspirations of the clients and the searches of the architect. We seek to create clean and useful architecture, with Mexican features, geometric forms, sometimes heavy and other times light.

Some of COTAPAREDES Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Salón L’Occoco, Guadalajara, Mexico
• The Cave, Zapopan, Mexico
• Olguín House, Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, Mexico
• V House, Guadalajara, Mexico
• X Chair, Guadalajara, Mexico

The following statistics helped COTAPAREDES Arquitectos achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

8. Garza Maya Arquitectos

© Garza Maya Arquitectos

Garza Maya Arquitectos is a design and construction workshop based in San Pedro Garza García, México.

Some of Garza Maya Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Pedregal House, Chihuahua, Mexico
• Cima House, Chihuahua, Mexico
• Libertadores House, Chihuahua, México
• CIMA HOUSE, Chihuahua, Mexico
• Mitre House, Chihuahua, Mexico

The following statistics helped Garza Maya Arquitectos achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

7. Veinte Diezz Arquitectos

© Jasson Rodriguez / @diafragmas

We founded Veinte Diezz in Mérida (2020) as a horizontal workshop where project decisions are made among all the voices of the studio. Since then, we have developed private houses, heritage remodeling, residential complexes and hospitality projects in Mexico, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Europe. Our common thread is clear: we design spaces that feel the place and last in memory.

We believe that architecture is measured by the footprint it leaves on people and the territory, not by the firm that supports it. That’s why we cultivate three principles: respect for what exists, precision in the idea, and beware of the trade.

Some of Veinte Diezz Arquitectos’ most prominent projects include:

• Casa Lohr, Mérida, Mexico
• Vistalcielo, Merida, Mexico
• Portal 62, Merida, Mexico
• Casa Aljibe, Merida, Mexico

The following statistics helped Veinte Diezz Arquitectos achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

6. AIDIA STUDIO

© AIDIA STUDIO

AIDIA Studio is an award-winning architecture and design studio with offices in London and Mexico City. Founded in 2018 by Rolando Rodríguez-Leal and Natalia Wrzask, the studio is driven by a commitment to creating impactful, sustainable designs that thoughtfully respond to their cultural and environmental contexts.

AIDIA’s approach is rooted in innovation and adaptability, embracing advanced methodologies such as biophilic principles, computational design and AI.

Some of AIDIA STUDIO’s most prominent projects include:

• Tulum Train Station, Tulum, Mexico
• Centro DIF Comitancillo, Oaxaca , Mexico
• The Rub’ al Khali OCULUS
• Mercado Nicolás Bravo, Nicolás Bravo, Mexico
• Deportivo Zanatepec, Oaxaca, Mexico

The following statistics helped AIDIA STUDIO achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

5. Dellekamp

© Dellekamp

Dellekamp Arquitectos is dedicated to the development and supervision of architectural projects regardless of scale or program type, with a rigorous research methodology. We aim to find unique solutions to the specific conditions of each project in order to maximize its intended budget, image, use, context, and spirit. The coordination and collaboration with various disciplines, such as engineering, graphic design, industrial design, environmental engineering, and landscape architecture makes up a great part of our activities, adding value to our team of specialists focused on the accomplishment of integral solutions.

Simultaneously, Dellekamp Arquitectos is involved in ongoing architectural research that fosters a laboratory of ideas that can feed our activities. This way, we are constantly a part of the academic and teaching realms, as well as research studies, lectures, publications, biennales and exhibitions.

Some of Dellekamp’s most prominent projects include:

• Cabo House, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
• CB 29, Ciudad de México, Mexico
• Santuario Señor de Tula, Jojutla, Morelos, Mexico
• Casas Mestre / House of Stairs, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• IESEC University, Saltillo, Mexico

The following statistics helped Dellekamp achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

4. grupoarquitectura

© grupoarquitectura

Grupo Arquitectura is a company led by Daniel Álvarez, with more than forty years of experience in the fields of architecture and construction. Countless projects of all kinds have been developed, including both single-family and multi-family residences, office buildings, commercial buildings, hospitals, interior design, urban planning and landscaping. We have multiple recognitions and awards in Mexico and internationally.

We have always worked with a multi-disciplinary team and always very closely with our clients, understanding perfectly the needs and claims of each project.

Some of grupoarquitectura’s most prominent projects include:

• Four Houses Pilares, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• Dalias House, Mexico City, Mexico
• Hidalga House, Mexico City, Mexico
• Casa Vista al Lago, Mexico City, Mexico
• Park Santa Fe, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped grupoarquitectura achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

3. Archetonic

© Archetonic

In our work, we consistently apply the same fundamental, governing principle: we must improve our projects’ surroundings, and we can achieve this with a single project.

We give utmost importance to everyone who lives in, passes through or observes our work. Our job is to offer high-quality spaces for everyone and to insert projects optimally within their respective contexts.

Our design work focuses on reality in every sense: we seek to ensure environmental self-sustainability and to offer the best, most profitable and affordable products.

Some of Archetonic’s most prominent projects include:

• AMANI, Puebla, Mexico
• 100 Years of Jewish Immigration Through Veracruz Port in Mexico: Parallel Lives, Veracruz, Mexico
• QUINTAS, Cuernavaca, Mexico
• ONNE
• Mild GH, Mexico City, Mexico

The following statistics helped Archetonic achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

2. PPAA

© PPAA

Our architecture emerges through understanding that our creative process is an open one, a medium, and a message. It is a process that is constantly put to the test by the multiple relations that are in its surroundings.

We like to think that the way we understand architecture implies that work cannot be done without considering both communal and personal intentions. Therefore, our conception of architecture is based on an understanding of the body and the relationship everyone establishes with their surroundings, creating an architecture of ideas and not forms.

Some of PPAA’s most prominent projects include:

• Copas, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• La Quinta, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
• Octavia, Mexico
• Carrizal , Mexico
• Casa Campanario, Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico

The following statistics helped PPAA achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

1. Sordo Madaleno

© Sordo Madaleno

Sordo Madaleno is an interdisciplinary architecture, urban and interior design firm with a global vision and 85 years of experience that is committed to clients around the world. The practice is dedicated to excellence in architectural design with a sustainable approach to social development. Leadership flows through three generations of professionals who have developed and calibrated the vision of an evolving urban laboratory to create new experiences locally, regionally, and globally. The practice is based in Mexico City with a newly established studio in London led by Fernando Sordo Madaleno.

Some of Sordo Madaleno’s most prominent projects include:

• Ling Ling, Mexico City, Mexico
• Solaz Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico
• Academia Atlas, Zapopan, Mexico
• Valle San Nicolás – Clubhouse, Valle de Bravo, Mexico
• Akumal Monterrey, San Pedro Garza García, Mexico

The following statistics helped Sordo Madaleno achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Mexico:

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

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