Global Icons, Local Soul: Highlights from the 2025 A+Awards Shortlist

By THECORE Editorial Team

The Wave of Sustainable Design - Presented by INTERCERAMIC

Michigan Lake House by Desai Chia Architecture Photo credit: Paul Warchol

As the design world looks ahead to what’s next, the 2025 Architizer A+Awards shortlist offers a window into the future - one where sustainability, local identity, and boundary-pushing innovation converge across continents. With over 4,000 entries from 80+ countries, this year’s finalists are a powerful reflection of how architecture is evolving in response to global challenges while remaining deeply rooted in place.

From adaptive reuse to infrastructure with artistic purpose, the shortlist spans commercial interiors, residential masterpieces, cultural landmarks, and sustainable breakthroughs all resonating with THECORE’s ongoing editorial explorations into materiality, hospitality, and luxury design with conscience.

Dialogue with Nature—Commune STORE by Atelier Global Photo credit: ZHIYI

A Shift Toward Context, Sustainability, and Community

The 2025 shortlist reveals a distinct shift: design is no longer just about form—it’s about function in context.

Across categories, we see architects embracing:

• Contextual design that honors geography, climate, and culture

• Circular thinking and material innovation

• Restoration and reuse as creative rather than restrictive

• Community-oriented spaces that feel global in ambition and local in spirit

Dongmingshan Senyu Hotel by GLA Design Photo credit: Xi Chen

This aligns with the values we explore in our upcoming editions -from Gourmet Spaces in kitchens to Tranquil Escapes in bathrooms, and most importantly, our living narrative:

The Wave of Sustainable Design - Presented by INTERCERAMIC .

Carmichael Residences by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) Photo credit: Ekansh Goel | Studio Recall

Shortlisted Projects That Caught THECORE’s Eye

Academia Atlas - Sordo Madaleno (Zapopan, Mexico)

A bold academic and cultural complex that redefines how learning interacts with landscape. With soft curves, sun-filtered interiors, and a powerful civic identity, this is a strong voice from Latin America on the shortlist.

Photo credit: Koji Fujii / TOREAL

Library in the Earth - Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP (Kisarazu, Japan)

Buried beneath the terrain, this poetic retreat celebrates reading as a sensory act. Clay walls, earthen forms, and natural light make this project a stunning fusion of architecture and introspection.

Photo credit: Cobe

Paper Island - COBE (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Once an industrial hub, now a vibrant cultural waterfront, this project invites people back to the city’s edges with flowing forms and public-centered design. A case study in successful adaptive reuse.

Photo credit: Karl Rogers

Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Plant - SALT Architects (Cape Town, South Africa)

A water infrastructure facility turned sculptural intervention. Using local materials and expressive geometry, it sets a new benchmark for beauty in essential civic projects.

Photo credit: Greg Holmes

Perth Museum - Mecanoo (UK)

A refined mix of past and future, this museum respects Scotland’s historical fabric while introducing layered, light-filled new volumes that encourage discovery and cultural dialogue

Widbey Puzzle Prefab by Wittman Estes

Photo credit: Andrew Pogue

CA College of the Arts Expansion - Studio Gang (San Francisco, USA)

Blurring indoor and outdoor environments, this project fosters creativity and flexibility, centered around collaboration and sustainability.

Photo credit: Jin Weiqi

Duling Educational and Cultural Centre - Project Mingde (Duling, China)

Blending Chinese architectural heritage with modern programming, this educational facility opens its courtyards to the public, making learning a civic act.

La Pedrera by Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martinez

Photo credit: Amy Bello

Apple The Exchange TRX - Foster + Partners (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

More than a store, this is a cultural space—floating, transparent, and connected to its city. Apple continues to collaborate with starchitects to craft tech temples with civic resonance.

MGA | Michael Green Architecture Photo credit: Bruce Damonte

These projects aren’t just beautiful-they’re meaningful.

They reflect the values championed in our 2025 editorial agenda and throughout

The Wave of Sustainable Design - Presented by INTERCERAMIC.

Launched during Milan Design Week, this initiative explores how sustainability, innovation, and luxury coexist across architecture, surfaces, and design. The A+Awards shortlist mirrors that mission: from water-conscious infrastructure in South Africa to earth-sheltered libraries in Japan, this year’s finalists are united by their commitment to a more responsible built environment.

Join the Conversation

Voting for the 2025 A+Awards is now open. Join over 300,000 global voices in recognizing the architecture that’s shaping our world-and stay with THECORE as we continue to uncover what’s next.

Explore more through The Wave of Sustainable Design - Presented by Interceramic, our ongoing editorial journey into responsible luxury and global innovation.

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