“The idea behind the Architecture Hunter Awards (AHA) is to give voice not only to established practices, but also to emerging ones—shining a light on new names and perspectives that deserve visibility,” Amanda Ferber, international media platform Architecture Hunter’s Editor-in-Chief, tells STIR. Embodying the aforesaid vision to foster meaningful connections in the global architectural landscape, the second edition of AHA recently announced winners across 28 categories. Divided into nine main groups, including Architecture, Architectural Representation, Product Design, Interior Design, Social Architecture, Student Projects, Unbuilt & Concept, Urban Design, and Firms, the architecture awards recognise works that create a lasting social, cultural and environmental impact. “For us, it’s not just about the vision reflected in the awarded projects themselves, but also about the diversity of people, the range of practice scales and the geographic spread of architecture represented,” Ferber adds. Presented by SKR, along with sponsors Roca and Dellanno and supported by Marmomac Brazil and CentroRochas, AHA 2025—as part of its commitment to promoting social equality—ensured that 100 per cent of the entry fees from the Social Architecture category goes to Construíde, a Brazilian NGO dedicated to providing housing for vulnerable families.

An international panel of esteemed architects, designers and thinkers with diverse expertise—including Amit Gupta, Editor-in-Chief of STIR, Deborah Berke of New York-based practice TenBerke, Juan Ignacio Aranguren of Zaha Hadid Architects and Maria Porro of Salone del Mobile.Milano—selected the winners, ensuring distinct cultural perspectives. “Above all, the jury values originality and the ability of each project to respond to its local context. Respecting local realities and contexts is essential,” says Ferber. She believes that every project creates an impact to some extent—but what matters is asking what kind of impact it is. Whether it is through technology-driven solutions or reclaiming vernacular knowledge and resource-conscious practices, she underlines the need for recognising such initiatives and the way they engage with the urgencies of these times, championing the global architectural dialogue on sustainability.

In the Architecture section, Ibira Work by Brazilian architecture practice FGMF took home the prize for the Commercial & Offices category. ”We believe that the Ibira Work project proposes a new model for corporate buildings that combines well-being, sustainability and a sense of belonging, standing against the typical glass-tower-with-central-core model common in São Paulo. By rethinking this conventional typology, the project introduces innovative strategies that prioritise human experience, integrate nature and encourage a healthier and more social work environment,” the Brazilian architects tell STIR. Responding to the tropical climate, the project blurs the boundaries between the outdoors and indoors, facilitating a built environment that reflects a new workplace design that has emerged from the post-pandemic office landscape. “We always aim to keep the spirit of curiosity and exploration that defines FGMF’s work across all scales and programmes. We are currently working on projects of various scales, including some building types we’ve never explored before. We believe that recognitions like the Architecture Hunter Award are part of the path toward these goals, motivating us to keep evolving and never settle,” the practice says.

Brazil-based practice Hana Eto Gall Landscape wins the Garden Landscape category for its Casa Pupunha project, while Japanese architecture practice SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICE takes home the Hotels & Resorts award for NOT A HOTEL MINAKAMI TOJI. AGE360 by Brazilian practices ARCHITECTS OFFICE & Triptyque Architecture wins the category of High Rise Buildings, Haryana-based Charged Voids wins the Institutional Facilities award for its Chandigarh University D-6 design and Studio Apaaar is recognised in the Mixed-use Buildings category for its Museum of Humanity in Pune, India. While Belgium-based Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects wins the Houses category with the project Residence SAB, Milan, Paris and Brescia-based ARW Associates win the Renovations category with Testi 223.

The Architectural Representation group comprises Photographs, Renders and Videos categories. While architectural photographer György Palkó wins in the Photographs category with his representation of the Grand Ring Expo Osaka, Bulgaria-based Hristo Rizov takes home the Renders award for FabricA - the Multipurpose Temporary Cloth Pavilion. Sohaib Ilyas from India wins the Videos category with House of Memories, a film that captures the everyday lived experiences in a home in Valsad, Gujarat, including daily rituals and family dynamics, showcasing the way shared spaces shape social connections. “Designed through place and not at a distance, rather than showcasing grand spaces, the film emphasises how a home’s layout, courtyards and greenery enable connections between generations, between indoors and outdoors and between private space and communal life. This aligns with social impact by highlighting how architecture and interiors influence community well-being, belonging and continuity of culture,” Ilyas tells STIR.

The Unbuilt & Concepts group comprised six award categories. Rio-Africa Cultural Center by Estúdio Módulo de Arquitetura won in the Commercial, Offices & Institutional category, while Allard Oscar Freire by Studio Arthur Casas won in High Rise Buildings. Horizon House by Onus Architecture Studio took home the prize in the Houses category, Studio JVW’s Fynbos Residence won in the Interior Design category and ALFAMA 2.0 // RE-habilitation / RE-vitalization / RE-structuration // by Aranguren & Gallegos Architects won in the Urban Design & Masterplans category.

Further, Breezes of Tenerife by NŌ Architects won in the Hotels & Resorts category. “Breezes of Tenerife, guided by the idea ‘between lava and horizon’, innovates by interpreting the territory rather than imposing form. Social impact is expressed through cultural rootedness, local employment, universal accessibility and a working group with the community and authorities to secure social license. We commit to clear targets to reduce consumption and to maximise the use of local materials, ensuring traceability and life-cycle performance. Thus, the project aligns innovation with care for place, turning experience into common value,” NŌ Architects tell STIR. Advancing a paradigm shift in hospitality, it contributes to the natural landscape and not just consumes resources from it, prioritising simple maintenance, long life cycles, local supply chains and low-tech luxury. “Together, an ethic of care, sensory intelligence and resource governance outline a realistic path to regenerative hospitality and a way to reorient the future of the sector and the tourist city,” the architects add.

The Product Design group comprises the Bathroom & Wellness category, won by Cité Arquitetura’s Avesso, and the Furniture Design category, which is won by the J39.5 project by AtMa Inc.; Estúdio Ninho’s Kiri Table Lamp wins the Lighting Design category, while Mucuri Cobogó by TCC Whitestone takes home an award for the Small Object Design category. The Interior Design group consists of the Residential category, won by Studio Julliana Camargo’s Riviera House and the Commercial, Offices & Hospitality category, won by Estudiobola. While Brumadinho Memorial by Gustavo Penna Arquitetos Associados wins the Social Architecture category, Regenerative Machines for Marine Food Production by Sebastián Carvajal, Universidad del Desarrollo, takes home the prize for the Student Projects category. Additionally, Alluvial Decoder (City of Raleigh Storm Memorial) by A Gang of Three won the Urban Design & Masterplans category. Mexican architecture practice HW Studio was awarded Best New Architecture Firm, while Indian architecture practice Spasm Design Architects won Firm of the Year.

From materiality to community-driven initiatives, the innovative designs foregrounded culture, nature and creativity. “The Awards are still very young and that gives us the privilege of building them hand-in-hand with the community we serve. Looking forward, we want to expand both in categories and in reach—highlighting practices that often remain under the radar: emerging studios, voices from the Global South, interdisciplinary approaches and socially engaged projects. We also see the Awards becoming more of a platform than just a prize—creating opportunities for dialogue, exchange and visibility across regions,” Ferber concludes. For Architecture Hunter, AHA is not only about celebrating the winners but also about nurturing a globally diverse vision of architecture that flourishes with an equally diverse group of creative thinkers.