Switzerland, 10 October 2025 — The BLT Built Design Awards 2025 have recognised a new cohort of designs that push architecture and construction forward. Hosted by the 3C Group, the awards celebrate excellence across architecture, interiors, landscapes and construction products. This year’s programme drew entries from 68 countries and received almost 900 projects, illustrating the event’s global reach and the diversity of its participants.
At the centre of the honours is the Architectural Design of the Year, which went to Zaha Hadid Architects for the King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The station is part of the world’s longest driverless transit system and serves as a critical interchange. Its three-dimensional lattice encases platforms across four levels, optimising pedestrian circulation. Perforated concrete panels reinterpret traditional regional screens to reduce solar gain, and high-efficiency cooling and passive design strategies helped the building achieve LEED Gold certification.
The Interior Design of the Year accolade went to Aatma Manthan Museum, designed by Sanjay Puri Architects. Located within a 270‑foot‑high statue in Nathdwara, Rajasthan, the museum encourages self‑reflection. Its designers overcame an irregular floor plan and multiple structural elements by orchestrating a sequential flow through 18,000 ft² of galleries, using a neutral palette that enhances audio-visual experiences and guides visitors through the soul (aatma), mind (mana), and body (tann).
In the landscape category, LANDPROCESS earned Landscape Architecture of the Year for its regenerative redesign of the Thailand Government Complex in Bangkok. Led by Kotchakorn Voraakhom, the project reclaimed 18.5 acres of impermeable surface to create green plazas, vertical gardens, and rainwater systems. Solar panels now supply more than half of the complex’s energy needs, and the use of recycled materials reinforces its focus on resilience, while open public spaces strengthen the connection between the government and its citizens.
The Construction Product Design of the Year title was awarded to VINE, a collaboration between the University of Ulsan and Studio Kwan. This innovative façade system draws inspiration from climbing plants: curved, multi-angled photovoltaic modules, produced using large-scale robotic 3D printing, form a skin that both generates energy and visually expresses organic growth. The modules nearly double the summer efficiency of conventional panels and can be replaced individually.
While the top trophies recognise global practices, the BLT Awards also celebrate the next generation. Unfold Form, a lightweight, curved-crease formwork system developed at ETH Zurich, with a lead designer Lotte Scheder-Bieschin, earned the Emerging Architect of the Year title for dramatically reducing the use of concrete and steel. In the Emerging Interior Design category, Symphony – Museum of South African Languages, by Lisa Van Staden of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, impressed the jurors with its timber and rammed-earth construction, which represents the diversity and rhythm of voices and languages. Harvest Circuit, designed by Ho Sin Chang at Chung Yuan Christian University, envisioned a night market-inspired tower that integrates vertical farming, hydroponics, and rainwater recycling into a dense urban fabric. These student projects show how fresh ideas are reimagining sustainable construction, public engagement, and food production.
After announcing the winners, co-founder Astrid Hébert spoke about the caliber of participants and internationally recognized firms represented this year. “When I look at the submissions this year, I can’t help but feel proud and humbled. We received more entries than ever before, and the calibre of work, from internationally recognised firms to emerging talents, has been extraordinary. Seeing so many familiar names and new voices join us shows how our community continues to grow. I’m truly looking forward to bringing everyone together at the ceremony next month to celebrate the creativity and hard work that went into these projects.”
King Abdullah Financial District Metro Station
The winners’ list extends far beyond these titles. Zaha Hadid Architects, for example, also took honours for the Shenzhen Science & Technology Museum (cultural category) and the Capital International Exhibition & Convention Centre (mixed‑use building). Sanjay Puri Architects added a residential win with NINE × NINE. The Dutch partnership of Benthem Crouwel Architects & West 8 secured the Bridges and Public Infrastructure award for Brno Main Station. Other notable winners covered several continents.
Beijing Do Union Architecture Design Ltd. earned a cultural win for the Beijing 751 Library. TAHR Arquitectura from Mexico was honoured for Ananas Spa Cotton Bay in the healthcare and wellness facilities category; Korea’s On Architects Inc. impressed with Wall·Line·Garden and Canada’s Akb Architects won with Sagamore North Cottage; Aristides Dallas Architects of Greece received recognition for the residential project TERRA FRACTA; the German studio TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten GmbH was honoured for Dockyard and for the SAB office building in Berlin; the Austrian firm Baumschlager Eberle Architekten won for Maison de l’Innovation; Taiwan’s JJP Architects and Planners took commercial honours with the KANTO PPC Taoyuan Headquarters; Sheppard & Rout Architects of New Zealand were recognised for the Punangairi Visitor Centre; Paul Murdoch Architects from the United States won in the cultural category for The New Museum of Architecture and Design; and China’s Big Valley Architectural Design Co., Ltd. was awarded for the Zhou Gong Mountain International Conference Center in Ya’an, Sichuan. These results show the variety of distinguished practices celebrating excellence across sectors such as cultural, commercial, residential, healthcare and industrial projects, and underscore how the BLT Awards attract both established studios and innovative new voices.
Founded to honour exemplary contributions to the built environment, the BLT Built Design Awards rely on a diverse jury of architects, designers, developers, academics, and media representatives who rigorously evaluate submissions. Among them were Eduardo Salgado Mordt, Partner at LACAL Architektur GmbH; Samantha Lassoudry, Founder and Chief Designer of Lassoudry Architects; Andreas Rupf, Head of ETH RAUM and Founder of SPEKTRUM GmbH; Mona Vijaykumar, Associate Urban Designer at Perkins&Will; Muhammad Habsah, Director of U+A, part of the 10N Collective; Serhii Makhno, Founder of MAKHNO Studio; Juliet Kavishe, Executive Board Member of the Pan Afrikan Design Institute; Stanislas Helou, Founder of Thinking Luxury; Sonsoles Vela Navarro, Founding Partner of studioVRA and Associate Director of Architecture at Tulane University; and Rudi Stouffs, Dean’s Chair Associate Professor and Assistant Dean (Research) at the College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore.
Ananas Spa Cotton Bay @ Raum Visual, Javier Rabadan, Flow, Studio Gronda
Winners gain international visibility on the BLT website, appear in the annual Book of Design and receive the distinctive BLT trophy. The 2025 honourees will be celebrated at a gala ceremony this November in Basel, Switzerland, where the international design community will come together to applaud their achievements. The event will not only recognise the winning projects but also serve as a gathering of industry leaders, a chance to exchange ideas, and an opportunity to showcase how design continues to shape our future. For a complete list of winners, visit the BLT Awards website at bltawards.com.
ESCA @Ibrahim Özbunar I 645studio