Public Building
Architecture and design of buildings serving public functions, from cultural centers to hospitals and civic institutions.
Spa in Town: A Rotated Square and Four Arcs Turn an Icelandic Hot Spring Into a Civic Plaza
Cheryl Han's Editor's Choice entry for Thermal Blue cuts curved pools into a square frame, giving a compact site the presence of a town landmark.
The Home: A Red Glass Cone Turns a Quiet Concrete Block into a Living Room for Students Abroad
A community center for international students that keeps its gray face to the river and saves its warmth for a red, tree-filled atrium at the back.
Overseas Oasis: Amsterdam Gables Gathered Around a Glass-Roofed Commons for International Students
A community center in Amsterdam that rings one sunlit atrium with gabled volumes, then opens its facade so newcomers can walk straight in.
Office Canopy of Architecture Retrofits a Tiled Shaoxing Block into an Open-Source Community Commune
In Shangyu's old city centre, a 4,416 m² renovation stacks a library, canteen, shops and kiosks into one porous public building.
Studio Weave Builds a Maida Hill Public Toilet from Reclaimed City of London Office Granite
In North Paddington, a 17 m² toilet pavilion turns salvaged Broadgate office cladding into load-bearing stone walls built to be taken apart again.
Assemble Converts a Pair of 1930s Dairy Warehouses in Dagenham into a Church and Community Centre
On East London's Becontree Estate, a no-demolition retrofit gathers a church and a scattered charity under restored trusses and lime-plastered brick.
studio hinge Wraps Concrete Columns in Timber to Grow a Reading Forest Inside Mumbai's Cricket Club of India
A third-floor library in South Mumbai's 1930s Art Deco Cricket Club of India, where concrete columns become timber trees above 1.2-metre shelves.
Imgang Architekten Stacks a Fire Station and a Village Hall under One Timber Gable in Mötz, Tyrol
In Mötz, Austria, a compact klimaaktiv Gold building pairs concrete engine bays with fir-lined halls for dancers, clubs and village gatherings.
atelier gram Hangs a Glazed Public Stair on Přerov's 1969 Town Hall and Turns It Toward the Square
In Přerov, Czechia, a tight-budget retrofit keeps a 1969 modernist frame and adds a diagonal stair linking the square to a rooftop café.
Snøhetta Lays a Grass-Covered Roof over the Badlands for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
In Medora, North Dakota, a single sloping green roof, rammed earth walls and mass timber fold Roosevelt's library into the butte it sits on.
Overseas Oasis: A Sloped Green Roof That Lets the Park Climb Onto a Community Center
An Amsterdam community center pairs a walkable lawn roof with mesh-clad mobile rooms where students from abroad can meet local residents.
RE/CREATION: Hexagonal Modules That Give Refugee Children Space to Play and Learn
A modular system of hexagonal pavilions clusters recreation, education, and nature into adaptable networks for refugee camp settings.
