Buildings of 2011 : Architecture of the Year

Major Buildings from 2011

Major Buildings completed in 2011

Busan Cinema Centre, South Korea - News
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

photo © Woochang Choi Korea
This austrian practice has always shocked and surprised, this is one of their major works so far.

Museo Soumaya, Mexico - new photos
FREE | Fernando Romero EnterprisE

photograph : Adam Wiseman
Breathtakingly bold, challenging in terms of scale and relationship to people and the city around.

Sarpi Border Checkpoint, Georgia
J. MAYER H. Architects

photograph : Jesko Malkolm Johnsson-Zahn
This german practice has risen rapidly in the last few years, rather like the danish studio BIG, and continues to create original designs, mostly connected by a futuristic curvilinear style.

Ring Around a Tree, Japan
Tezuka Architects

photograph : Katsuhisa Kida
For the last few decades Japan has arguably been the most innovative country in the world architecturally, with a wide range of practices consistently creating genuinely innovative buildings. This poetic design continues the dialogue from their earlier 'Roof House'.

Martin Luther Kirche Hainburg, Austria
COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

photo © Duccio Malagamba
Another confident and unusual design by this austrian studio, fluid form on a small site.

Universiade in Shenzhen, China
von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp)

photo © Christan Gahl
Intriguing pair of buildings by major german practice with expertise in massive scale projects, such as their 2010 World Cup stadiums

Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
BenthemCrouwel Architects

photo from architects
Difficult to comprehend this getting through planning, but this massive 'bathtub' design is structurally complete so sneaks into the 2011 selection, compared to their earlier Anne Frank House Museum this represents a wild change of direction for this dutch studio.

Media-ICT, Barcelona, Spain
Cloud 9

photograph from architect
World Building of the Year 2011 as voted at WAF in November - interesting form, programme and materials.

Nebuta-no-ie Warasse, Aomori City, Japan
molo + d/dt Arch + Frank la Rivière Architects

photo : Shigeo Ogawa
What a facade, the sort of fluiditiy and form you might find in an installation but fantastic to find an architect that could push this concept to completion.

Decameron, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
studio mk27, marcio kogan + mariana simas

picture : Pedro Vannucchi
This Brazilian design studio has unleashed a superb series of buildings, mostly luxury houses using a strong paletter of concrete, stone and wood. This is a little different, using maritime transport containers and big splashes of colour.

House in Yamanashi, Japan
Takeshi Hosaka architects

photograph : Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Pertners Inc.
Again, Japanese innovation, a humble house divided into 4 1/2 'segments' with each whole segment being lit by a strip of rooflight, refreshing.

Living Foz, Porto, Portugal
dEMM arquitectura

photograph : Fernando Guerra of FG + SG - Fotografia de Arquitectura
Gorgeous crystalline rhythmic facades, boldly sculptural and reduced to pure form.

Guangzhou Opera House, China
Zaha Hadid Architects

photograph : Virgile Simon Bertrand
Arguably the building of the year in terms of architectural dexterity, Zaha Hadid's most important design to date, the twin-boulder design contain 1,800-seat and 400-seat spaces, with shimmering, fluid interiors.

New York by Gehry
New York City skyscraper

photo : Gehry Photos
Frank Gehry is often cited as the world's most famous architect, or its best architect, he's won the Pritzker Prize and even appeared in The Simpsons, and since his Blibao Guggenheim he has occupied the world of starchitects. Much of his recent work has involved public buildings such as art galleries and museums, so it is interesting to see him tackle the skyscraper programme. This 76 storey tower grabbed the headlines in early 2011 with its rippling facade. Gehry continues to innovate, and this captivating design shows an ability to keep reinventing his ouevre.

Key Buildings completed in 2011

Jeongok Prehistory Museum, Korea X-TU photo from architect	Novancia business school, Paris, France Architecture-Studio photograph : Georges Fessy
Porta Fira Hotel, Barcelona, Spain Toyo Ito photo from FCC	Cité de l’Océan et du Surf, Biarritz, France Steven Holl + Solange Fabiao image © Iwan Baan
Metropol Parasol, Seville, Spain J. MAYER H. Architects photo : Gonzalo Navarro	Cais das Artes Project, Brazil Paulo Mendes da Rocha + Metro Arquitetos picture : Metro Arquitetos
ArtScience Museum, Singapore Safdie Architects photo : Timothy Hursley	Torre Diagonal Zero Zero, Barcelona EMBA - Enric Massip-Bosch photo : EMBA
The Orange Cube, Lyon, France Jakob + Macfarlane photo : Nicolas Borel	Natural History Museum of Utah, USA Ennead Architects, LLP with GSBS photograph © Jeff Goldberg/Esto
Treehugger Pavilion, Germany FH Trier and one fine day image : Roland Borgmann, Münster	Harpa, Reykjavik, Iceland - new photos Henning Larsen Architects + Olafur Eliasson picture Courtesy of Harpa © Hörður Sveinsson
Centro Niemeyer, Avilés, Spain Oscar Niemeyer architect photo : Ángel Navarrete	Sunset Chapel, Acapulco, Mexico Bunker Arquitectura picture : Esteban Suárez
City of Culture of Galicia, Spain Eisenman Architects photo : Pasajes Espanoles	Luxembourg Apartment Building Metaform architecture photograph : steve troes fotodesign
Fragile Shelter, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan Hidemi Nishida photo : Anna Nagai	Evelyn Grace Academy Winner Zaha Hadid Architects picture : Luke Hayes
Hotel nhow Berlin, Germany nps tchoban voss photo : Roland Halbe	Yucca Crater, Mojave Desert, CA, USA Ball Nogues Studio, Architects picture : Courtesy Ball-Nogues Studio
Actelion Business Center Building, Switz. Herzog & de Meuron photo from ABC	Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, Tokyo Tange Associates Architects photo : Koji Horiuchi
EDF archives centre, Bure, France LAN Architecture - photos added photograph © Julien Lanoo	New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion, NYC, USA Ben van Berkel / UNStudio image : UNStudio
London Olympics Aquatics Centre, UK Zaha Hadid Architects photograph © Hufton + Crow	Hotel Lone, Rovinj, Croatia 3LHD architects photo : 3LHD
Tori-Tori Restaurant, Mexico City Rojkind Arquitectos photograph : Paul Rivera © rojkind arquitectos	London 2012 Velodrome, England Hopkins Architects photo from fd
La Fabrique, Nantes, France Tetrarc architectes photo : Stéphane Chalmeau	Shanghai Oriental Sports Center, China gmp von Gerkan, Marg and Partners photograph from architect
M.N.ROY Club, Mexico City Chic By Accident photograph : Ramiro Chaves	Museum ABC, Madrid, Spain Aranguren & Gallegos Arquitectos photo : Jesus Granada
Felix Nussbaum Haus Extension, Germany Studio Daniel Libeskind picture from architect	House in Moriyama, Nagoya, south Japan Suppose design office architects photograph : Toshiyuki Yano
CTTI Offices, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain ACXT Architects photo : Eugeni Pons	Ruta del Peregrino Designs, Mexico various architects image : Iwan Baan
Congress Center Hangzhou, China Peter Ruge Architekten photo : Jan Siefke	Law Courts in Gouveia, Portugal Barbosa & Guimaraes photo : FG + SG - Fotografia de Arquitectura
House in Otake, Hiroshima, Japan Suppose design office, architects photograph : Toshiyuki Yano	Museum of Liverpool, England 3XN Architects photo © Philip Handforth
House Wright, Durban, South Africa Sw(art) picture from architects	Riverside Museum, Glasgow, Scotland Zaha Hadid Architects photograph © Tom Manley Photography
Little one-room house with a curve, Japan studio velocity, architects photograph from architect	RATP Formation Center, Paris, France Stephane Maupin Architectes image : Cécile Septet
Placebo Pharmacy, Athens, Greece Klab Architecture / K. Labrinopoulos photograph : P. Kokkinias	Carlos Ramos Pavilion, Porto, Portugal Álvaro Siza Vieira photo : Nelson Garrido
Nanjing Museum of Art & Architecture, China Steven Holl Architects picture : Shu He	House in Saijo, Shikoku, Japan Suppose design office, architects photo : Toshiyuki Yano
Roomroom, Tokyo, Japan Takeshi Hosaka Architects photograph : Koji Fujii / Nacasa&Pertners Inc.	Moon Bay Park, Jinhua, China RTA-Office picture from RTA-Office
La Ville Intelligente, Paris, France Jakob+MacFarlane © Jakob+MacFarlane - Nicolas Borel photographer	Casa dos Ipês, São Paulo, SP, Brazil studio mk27 – marcio kogan + lair reis photograph : Reinaldo Cóser
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel Preston Scott Cohen photo © Amit Geron Courtesy Tel Aviv Museum of Art	Florida Beach House, Western Australia Iredale Pedersen Hook Architects photo © Peter Bennetts
Sainsbury Laboratory Building, England Stanton Williams photograph © Hufton+Crow	Bitexco Financial Tower, Vietnam AREP Architects image : AREP Architects
ThyssenKrupp Quarter, Essen, Germany JSWD Architects / Chaix & Morel et Associés photo from architects	Salvador Dali Museum Florida, USA HOK Architects image : Moris Moreno
Gallery House, Vale dos Cristais, Brazil MACh Arquitetos photo : Fabio del Rey	Josephine Baker group of schools, Paris D. Coulon et Associes photograph : Eugeni Pons
Las Arenas Barcelona, Spain Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners picture : Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners	National Automobile Museum Turin, Italy Cino Zucchi Architetti photo : Cino Zucchi
The Crystal, Copenhagen, Denmark Schmidt Hammer Lassen picture : Adam Mørk	Pod Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Studio Nicoletti Associati photo © H. Lim Ho
Arc En Ciel Bordeaux, France Agence Bernard Bühler photo from Agence Bernard Bühler
Unbuilt Designs from 2011
Vejle Harbour development, Denmark Studio Olafur Eliasson + others image © Olafur Eliasson	Wadi Rum Lodges, Jordan Oppenheim Architecture + Design image from architect
Cathedral Fold, Strasbourg, France Axis Mundi Design picture from Axis Mundi Design	Dalian International Conference Center, Chn. COOP HIMMELB(L)AU image © COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
The Broad Art Foundation, Los Angeles, USA Diller Scofidio + Renfro image from architects	The Leadenhall Building, London Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners image : Cityscape
Bishan Central, Singapore Safdie Architects image from CapitaLand	Angkasa Raya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ole Scheeren image © Buro-OS
Bogotá International Convention Center Saucier + Perrotte architectes image from Saucier + Perrotte architectes	Cultural Complex Longgang District, China Mecanoo architecten image : Doug and Wolf
The Cube in Beirut, Lebanon Orange Architects render from architects	NAMOC, Beijing, China UNStudio picture : Mir
Glasgow School of Art Extension, Scotland Steven Holl Architects picture : Steven Holl Architects	Albania Parliament Tirana, Albania COOP HIMMELB(L)AU picture © COOP HIMMELB(L)AU
Civic Sports Center, Shenyang, China EMERGENT Tom Wiscombe image from architects	Z15 Tower - tallest building in Beijing, China TFP Farrells, BIAD, ARUP and MVA picture from architect
Galaxy Soho Beijing, China Zaha Hadid Architects image from architects	Cubus Building, Hong Kong Woods Bagot image from architect
Key Buildings to be completed in 2012/13
Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany Herzog and de Meuron © José Campos josecamposmoreira(at)gmail.com	Sliced Porosity, Chengdu, China Steven Holl Architects photo from architects
The Shard, London : exclusive photos Renzo Piano Building Workshop photo © Nick Weall	London Olympic Stadium, UK Populous with Peter Cook image from ODA
Library of Birmingham, England Mecanoo image courtesy BCC	Kingdom Tower, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture image © Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Best Buildings of the Decade

Foreign Office Architects

photo : Saturo Mashima

Spacelab Cook-Fournier

photo from RIAS - no larger image

SANAA

photo © 2008 Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA

Office for Metropolitan Architecture

photo : Philippe Ruault

UNStudio

photo : Christian Richters

Herzog & de Meuron

image © Adrian Welch

Office for Metropolitan Architecture

photo Armin Linke

Saucier + Perotte

photograpph : Marc Cramer