Architizer: A+ Awards 2015

This book celebrates the world’s best architecture, but don’t take my word for it. Every building in this book won a 2015 Architizer A+ Award. These winners were chosen by an international jury of over 300 experts, and endorsed by over 200,000 public votes online. Architecture is everywhere—nearly everyone in the world lives in a building and spends their time surrounded by architecture. The average American spends 90% of their time indoors. That is why we decided that architecture doesn’t need another award program stuck in the echo chamber where architects tell other architects which architects they like. The industry needs to break out and re-engage with the public that actually uses our buildings! Instead of celebrating a single honoree or making architecture into something rarefied and arcane, the A+Awards celebrate the diversity of the world’s architecture. The entrants, from over 100 countries, run the gamut of architectural typology and form, ranging from the tallest towers to the tiniest apartments and everything in between. From a sinuous elevated bike path to a “human-sized birdhouse,” the winners represent the full spectrum of architectural endeavor: There is a next-generation prefab construction method, a pop-up tower “grown” from mushrooms, conscientious renovations in China, and even a radical revitalization of the NYC waterfront. Taken together, these 100 projects represent a snapshot of the very best architecture in 2015. Whether you find inspiration in the images here or you seek out these buildings and spaces in person - or you have the good fortune to encounter them in your daily life - we hope that these projects change the way you look at the world around you. — Marc Kushner, Architizer