These annual rankings were last updated on August 22nd, 2024. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking.

Iran is the second largest country in the Middle East. It is vastly characterized by its diverse cultural heritage and history and distinct landscape topology. After becoming an independent country in 1979, Iranian architects had to find ways to preserve this vivid historical fabric while also satisfying society’s growing needs. The country also holds a strategic geographical position and valuable natural resources, which, unfortunately, has led to many geopolitical and economic challenges. In this context, architecture played a definitive role, especially under the umbrella of cultural and environmental sustainability.

Responding to the vastly changing urban and natural landscapes as well as the water scarcity and desertification, Iranian architects have prioritized topographically as well as socially impactful architectural designs that aid local communities. Currently, their designs are a blend of tradition and modernity that has introduced a new, contemporary layer to Iranian architecture, while operating at the highest levels of sustainable design.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Iran based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2024)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2024)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Iran architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Iran:

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30. ArmaniArchitects

?rmani ?rchitects is an innovative multidisciplinary collaborative practice founded by Amir Armani Asl and Kiana Ghader that focuses on architecture, interior design, landscape design, custom fabrication, parametric design and design objects.

Some of ArmaniArchitects’s most prominent projects include:

• INFILOOLION Pavilion, Tehran Province, Iran
• Sandy Darak Pavilion, Chabahar, Iran
• London Energy Pavilion 2016, London, United Kingdom
• Iceland Thermal Springs Guest House/ Vogafjós Green Heritage, Iceland
• China Wine Cultural Center, China

The following statistics helped ArmaniArchitects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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29. Boozhgan Architectural Studio

Boozhgan Architectural Studio was established in 2007 and is based in Tehran. Their work revolves around residential architecture.

Some of Boozhgan Architectural Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Asef Office Building, Tehran, Iran
• Haiat- e – Elahie Residential Building, Tehran, Iran
• Renovation Of a House, Zanj?n, Iran
• NEGAH OFFICE BUILDING, Tehr?n, Iran
• Baranoosh Residential Building , Tehr?n, Iran

The following statistics helped Boozhgan Architectural Studio achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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28. FEASTUDIO

The office of “Fundamental Architectural Experience” [FEASTUDIO] was founded by Arash Nasiri and Ensieh Khamse in 2006. The office has tried so far to achieve a consistent, coherent language in their work based on their progressive experiences and the relations between the ideas and the work, a distinctive language by which to avoid architectural production being merely in the line of exigency and to push boundaries in order to let creativity and active, multilateral strategies in.

Some of FEASTUDIO’s most prominent projects include:

• The noor e mobin primary school, Iran
• Noor-e-Mobin Sports Hall, Semnan, Iran

The following statistics helped FEASTUDIO achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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27. Cedrus Studio

Cedrus is a Tehran-based, research-driven design and construction studio founded by Mohammad Mehdi Saeedi in 2017. The studio supported by a passionate team of skilled architects, landscape architects and interior designers. The studio’s projects range from single-family villas to residential, commercial and mixed-use large-scale complexes.

Some of Cedrus Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Peyvand Residential Building, Tehran, Iran
• Cedrus Residential Building, Tehran, Iran
• Villa 174, Babolsar, Iran
• Elite Cafe, Tehran, Iran
• Shariat Villa, Karaj, Iran

The following statistics helped Cedrus Studio achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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26. KOUROSH RAFIEY Architectural Design Studio(KRDS)

Kourosh Rafiey Architectural Design Studio is a full architectural and engineering services firm practicing on the study to producing work of lasting value. Kourosh Rafiey founded KRDS in 2006 motivated to design quality. Before that he was design director of Asar Consultant Engineers’ Co. since 1997 and practice as an independent designer. He had many works constructed & currently under construction; some of which have received national and international recognition. Examples of his works are published either online or in international magazines such as AD. The scope of work concerns the adjustment of all stages of design and technical expertise to oversee construction.

Some of KOUROSH RAFIEY Architectural Design Studio(KRDS)’s most prominent projects include:

• Sohanak Swimming Pool, Tehran, Iran
• Vault on vault, Royan, Iran
• The National Pantheon of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan

The following statistics helped KOUROSH RAFIEY Architectural Design Studio(KRDS) achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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25. TDC office

Sara Kalantary and Reza Sayadian are practicing architects who founded TDC Office in 2002. What differentiates them is the answers they give to the world around them, and a humble view, yet critical is easily traced in their works. Such view can be observed in numerous projects where unique solutions are rendered compared to typical methods of design and construction.

Respect for human being and habitat, and a constant search for finding appropriate ideas, are based on the fact that creating a world full of unique recommendations can alter people’s deduction towards possible phenomena.

For them, architecture is a dynamic phenomenon. They look at it as part of the city so that it can create memories. Dynamic presence of human in the city and home, as well as the flow of life in them are the most invaluable part of creating a space which insinuate that architecture is the way to embrace the world.

Sarah and Reza’s works, with their unique approach and ideas, have managed to win several international as well as national awards. Students as well as university professors have also taken notice of their work, both inside and outside the country. Such occurrences have resulted in their works being published in many authentic books and magazines all around the world.

Some of TDC office’s most prominent projects include:

• Saba Apartment, Tehran, Iran
• Plus Machine, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped TDC office achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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24. ReNa Design

Founded in 2012, ReNa Design is a young architectural group active in design, architecture and research. The office is primarily concerned with issues of functionality and context. This approach is easily seen through the firm’s projects, ranging in different categories and types. ReNa Design pays a great amount of attention and care to materials and construction technology which are in turn applied to completely innovative and non-conventional conditions. Since its inception, ReNa Design has won many national awards and competitions in fields of architecture, design and interior design.

Some of ReNa Design’s most prominent projects include:

• Afsharian’s House, Kermanshah, Iran
• Zafar Dental Office, Tehran, Iran
• Diyar Media Studio, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped ReNa Design achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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23. Arsh4d Studio

Arsh4d Studio has been founded by Alireza Sherafati & Pantea Eslami in 2012 to provide full range of architectural services to both the public and private sectors. Alireza Sherafati & Pantea Eslami were previously the founding partner of the ARSH DESIGN STUDIO. In the work of Arsh4d, environmentally conscious design has become an integral consideration in the formulation of architectural ideas and in the spatial experience embodied in each completed project.

Some of Arsh4d Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Stacked Garden Villas, Namakabrud, Iran
• Candy Shop, Tehran, Iran
• Villa Residential, Tehran, Iran
• UP VILLA, Abali, Iran
• ARG Shopping Mall, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped Arsh4d Studio achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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22. ayeneh office

Architects of the Ayeneh Office believe that architecture like a mirror should reflect the context or the surrounding environment in the general sense. Context in this regard refers to the setting that a project begins to happen. Architecture welcomes the good way of living in a place and accepts its goodness. In other words, architecture, in one sense, acts as mirror to reflect the life of its context, and broadly speaking, it even reflects many features of the context (such as technology, crafting skills, economics, politics, crafting duration, and culture). The approach and design method in the Ayeneh office is to delve into the heart of both the subject and the place in order to reflect or increase their desirability. We try to excavate the project subject – which is the life that is going to flow in it –as well as its location to find the initial concepts shaping the design, and then epitomize it in our architecture.

Some of ayeneh office’s most prominent projects include:

• House of Niches, Najafabad, Iran
• Andarzgoo Residential Building, Tehran, Iran
• Bahar House, Najafabad, Iran

The following statistics helped ayeneh office achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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21. Alidoost & Partners

Founded and directed by Shahab Alidoost and Sona Eftekharazam, Alidoost and Partners is a multidisciplinary office that focuses on architecture and design, from large scale planning to furniture. Rich with multiple expertises, our office is fuelled by talented designers and experienced architects that jointly develop projects from early sketches to on-site supervision. All of which, regardless of scale, outlines an approach that is affirmatively social in its outcome, enthusiastic in its ambition and professional in its process. At the core of our architecture is the ability to take a fresh look at design issues through experienced eyes. Our approach aims at turning intense research and analysis of practical and theoretical matters into the driving forces of design. By continuously developing rigorous methods of analysis and execution, Alidoost & Partners is able to combine innovative thinking and efficient production.

We work with corporate, government and private clients in numerous countries to realize major civic, hotel, residential, office, commercial and educational developments. We carefully limit the commissions we take on to help ensure a high degree of professional attention and overall project quality. Alidoost &Partners envisions itself as a proactive partner for its client, rather than a consultant. The office has a wide portfolio of international work and the attitude of involving external consultants to improve the design intelligence of a given project team. The use of complementing teams ensures that a project will never suffer from being neither too conventional nor too naive.

Some of Alidoost & Partners’s most prominent projects include:

• GOLIRAN Flower Shop, Rasht, Iran
• 3×2, Tehran, Iran
• MIKA-911, Tehran, Iran
• “NILOOFAR” Residential Building, Tehran, Iran
• Facade Renovation of ALVAND Office Building, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped Alidoost & Partners achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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20. HABIBEH MADJDABADI Architecture Studio

HABIBEH MADJDABADI, born in 1977, is an Iranian architect, author, designer, and speaker. In 2002 she graduated by a Master’s degree in architecture from Azad University of Tehran and started her professional career in 2003 by establishing her design studio in Tehran right after winning first prize in the design competition of restoring a historical building (belonging to Zand dynasty) in Iran. Since then she has received several awards and recognitions, among which are: shortlisted for Aga Khan Award 2016 and Tamayouz Women in Architecture and Construction Award 2019, winner of Chicago Award 2014, Worldwide Brick Award 2014, and MEMAR Award 2014.

Some of HABIBEH MADJDABADI Architecture Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Genetic Mutation II (Villa CHAR BAGH ), Karaj, Iran
• VALIASR Square, Tehran Province, Iran
• Mahtabi House, Golpayegan, Iran
• 40 Knots House, Tehran, Iran
• Mellat Bank Pilot Façade, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped HABIBEH MADJDABADI Architecture Studio achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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19. BRACKET DESIGN STUDIO

Bracket Design Studio is a full-service design firm founded in 2006 by Shervin Hosseini. We offer services in urban design, interior space planning, furniture design and architecture from micro to macro scale. Our highly collaborative staff comes from wide-ranging theoretical and practical backgrounds, including designing, scripting, planning and construction of public and private projects. Offering innovative insights, materials and technology into our projects, we strongly consider the available possibilities of the site and the needs of clients in order to find the best solutions by constantly revising and redefining the projects. Each project, for us, entails its own singular approach which is essentially developed out of experience and intuition.

Some of BRACKET DESIGN STUDIO’s most prominent projects include:

• Baghjanat , Isfahan, Iran
• Vila 131, Isfahan, Iran
• House No.47 , Isfahan, Iran
• Vienna Liquid Garden, Vienna, Austria
• Adl Complex , Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped BRACKET DESIGN STUDIO achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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18. KanLan [Kamran Heirati, Tallan Khosravizadeh]

Kamran Heirati Architects was established to enhance the architecture and human experience by incorporating Iran’s authentic culture into its designs and respond to today’s community challenges. Established in 2001, this office has produced award-winning architectural and interior design projects across Iran and other countries.

Some of KanLan [Kamran Heirati, Tallan Khosravizadeh]’s most prominent projects include:

• Villa Shali-Kar, Mazandaran Province, Iran
• Villa-Safadasht, Malard Road, Karaj, Iran
• Villa Hayat-Khaneh, Mazandaran Province, Iran
• Villa Daryakenar, Mazandaran Province, Iran

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17. BonnArq Architects

Behzad Atabaki has founded “Behzad Atabaki Studio” in 1999 and also co-founded “BonnArq Architects” in 2014 which both are recognized for their works in art, architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture. Winning the first prize in the competition, together with Parshia Qaregozloo, he has been the co-curator of the Iran Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale 2016. In 2019 he has won “ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR” at Middle East Architect Awards.

Believing in the multidisciplinary approach to architecture and urbanism, Behzad Atabaki has earned three master’s degrees in three interrelated fields of “architecture” in 1998, “urban design” in 2002, and “landscape architecture” in 2006. From 2010, he has been teaching “architecture design” regularly at University.

Some of BonnArq Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Niayesh Office Building, Tehran, Iran
• Park residential, Tehran, Iran
• Villa Didaar, Nowshahr, Iran
• Aftab Office Building, Tehran, Iran
• ChaharGah House, Mosha, Iran

The following statistics helped BonnArq Architects achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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16. KA architecture studio (Mohammad Khavarian studio)

Mohammad Khavarian has a team of seventy plus Iranian architects and designers working together worldwide. Through its intensely involved and focused practice, Mohammad Khavarian applies critical thinking to a process that extends beyond the boundaries of architectural production to realize specific and unexpected solutions. It seeks to engage people and cultures, technologies and materials, psychologies and experiences, and recognizes architecture as a connective and fundamentally social construct. Architecture is imagined as a matrix of hybrid narratives from which to construct future realities — conceptual, spatial and experiential — and a rigorous search for new potentials to realize specific unexpected solutions inhabited by the lives of people and cities.

Some of KA architecture studio (Mohammad Khavarian studio)’s most prominent projects include:

• Jahad Metro Plaza, Tehran, Iran
• Yast Khaneh, Yazd, Iran
• IMPI Office building, Tehran, Iran
• Variant house, Tehran, Iran
• Dehnou school, Jiroft, Iran

The following statistics helped KA architecture studio (Mohammad Khavarian studio) achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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15. 35-51 ARCHITECTURE Office

35-51ARCHITECTURE Office is an award-winning architecture and landscape design firm. Our team of skilled specialists brings expertise in merging artistry with functionality, ensuring every project stands out for its unique vision. Our approach tries to reflect a harmonious balance between international design standards and a deep understanding of the specific needs and cultural nuances of the local environment.

Some of 35-51 ARCHITECTURE Office’s most prominent projects include:

• Dasht-e-chehel villa, Mosha, Iran
• Shafagh Tomb, Iran
• vanoosh villa, Iran

The following statistics helped 35-51 ARCHITECTURE Office achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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14. RYRA Studio

RYRA Design and construction studio was founded in 2000 with a goal of creating unique spaces by using new aspects of contemporary architecture. It seeks to develop designs that encompass in an expressive way the spatial needs, the spirit of the location and the constructive solution of the project. Artistic view is a key factor in RYRA design approach.

The work of RYRA in these years resulted in a collection of varied types in different fields of architecture which have been widely published and exhibited; this firm won several prizes in the most prestigious competitions held in Iran and abroad for its innovative designs.
Vali-Asr building of this studio has been selected as the best office building of the year in World Architecture Festival in 2010.

Some of RYRA Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Rowzan residence, Tehran, Iran
• SIPAN residential building, Tehran, Iran
• Vali-Asr Commercial-Office Building
• Barin Ski Resort, Shemshak, Iran
• Cheshm Azin, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped RYRA Studio achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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13. Rvad Studio

RVAD Architecture Studio is co-founded in Tehran, Iran in 2020 by two young Iranian architects, Ms. Hannaneh Misaghi and Mr. Hasan Dehghanpour. The studio’s design ideals are focused on extending the relationship between architecture and humanity with consideration of history and culture so as to produce designs appropriate for each site and in service of both the society and its citizens. RVAD Studio aims to present architectural solutions focused on the needs of future generations and their potential in view of each project’s benefit to present a new perspective on social relationships. The design projects range from single-family houses to residential, commercial and mixed-use large-scale complexes, to urban master plans.

Some of Rvad Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Tagh Behesht, Mashhad, Iran
• Vianeh, Abyaneh, Iran
• Chaharbad ( ???? ??? ), Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The following statistics helped Rvad Studio achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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12. Davood Boroojeni Office

As a technically competent architecture firm with over 15 years of professional experience, we have been involved in different stages of architectural projects including the conception of preliminary design ideas, schematic design and design development, as well as producing submittal packages, visual presentations, construction documents, layouts and details through close dialogue with clients, producers, and other engineers. We believe that our communication skills, public relations, and problem-solving experience, combined with our background in related software, and our ability to research, schedule, and coordinate design in various stages of the project, has made us a firm to depend on, and a key team member.

Some of Davood Boroojeni Office’s most prominent projects include:

• Kia Lab, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
• Shamim Polymer Factory, Karaj, Iran
• Qarahziya House | Ranjdoost, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
• Museum of Life, Urmia, Iran
• Villa Gilbam, Rasht, Iran

The following statistics helped Davood Boroojeni Office achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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11. Admun Studio

Considering contemporary lifestyle requirements while having future in mind, We believe in Diagrammatic approaches toward tradition rather than formal repetition.

Some of Admun Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Cloaked in Bricks, Tehran, Iran
• Aperture, Bumehen, Iran
• Chooji restaurant, Tehran, Iran
• Tiraje Cinema, Tehran, Iran
• Laico Showroom, Tehran, Iran

The following statistics helped Admun Studio achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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10. Marizad Architects

Marizad Architects bases its design process on the understanding of systems and relationships that are derived from the project criteria, translating these systems into computational parameters from which the design is developed. The practice is not only involved in large-scale architectural projects but product design and academia as well. However, all activities are based on a process of experimentation, discovery and implementation which encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and a bottom-up approach to design.

Some of Marizad Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Hamedan Chamber of Commerce, Hamedan, Iran
• Farmanieh Residential Tower
• The Alley House, Qom, Iran
• Qazvin Glass Co. headquarters
• Lodge on the Lake

The following statistics helped Marizad Architects achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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9. AshariArchitects

Ashari Architects and Associates began its professional activities in the field of research, design and architectural education in 2005. The group approaches architectural practice with an experiential perspective in various domains. AshariArchitects designed and executed various projects in architecture, interior architecture, and landscape architecture, encompassing diverse functions such as residential, commercial, administrative, educational, cultural, industrial, and tourist projects, both on small and large scales. Product design and art installations are among the group’s secondary activities.

With the aim of creating projects that resonate with their time and context, the group strives to commit itself to maintaining the cycle of social, economic, and environmental sustainability, as well as improving the quality of life for users.

Some of AshariArchitects’s most prominent projects include:

• Sadra Library, Shiraz, Iran
• TRIANGLE CAFE, Shiraz, Iran
• THE PAUSE, Shiraz, Iran
• Life Bridge, Shiraz, Iran
• Urban Bridge, Isfahan, Iran

The following statistics helped AshariArchitects achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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8. CAAT Studio

Mahdi Kamboozia established CAAT Studio in 2015. The CAAT Studio activity can be construction engineering in the context, to the closer the distance from the idea of the design to the construction. The opinion that future architecture is not only about the advancement of design and construct technology but also in proposing ideas tailored to the new conditions in social relations. This look has evolved over the years to deal with different projects and the growth and development of the studio. We are looking forward to confronting the projects with design problems and come up with a solution. Each assignment defines a different story which shows there are varying answers to each task.

Some of CAAT Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Private Jewelry Retail office #04, Tehran, Iran
• Kamyaran City School, Kamyaran, Iran
• Forgotten spaces / Anthropology Open Air Museum / under the Mirdamad Bridge, Tehran, Iran
• Isfahan H to V House, Isfahan, Iran
• Kahrizak Residential #01, Kahrizak, Iran

The following statistics helped CAAT Studio achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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7. New Wave Architecture(Lida Almassian / Shahin Heidari)

New Wave Architecture Founded in 2006 is a 150 person innovative architecture design firm in Tehran, Iran.It has been nationally and internationally honored with architecture‘s prestigious awards ,publications ,competitions and citation for design excellence with extensive experience in the campus and educational faculties, specialized hospitals and health care facilities.Other projects include retail design, residential work and recreational facilities. Over 120 projects has been designed, accomplished or due to be completed. New Wave architecture seeks for global language of architecture to approach an innovative and challenging contemporary movement.It explores the new ways of emerging ideas, demanding and distinctive spaces regarding the aesthetic aspects, humanity and global communication.

Some of New Wave Architecture (Lida Almassian / Shahin Heidari)’s most prominent projects include:

• Polour Rock Gym, Polour, Iran
• Turbosealtech New incubator and Office building, Tehran, Iran
• Meygoun Residential Complex, Meygun, Iran
• Three Views / A House, Mosha, Iran
• University of Semnan Auditorium and Library, Semnan, Iran

The following statistics helped New Wave Architecture(Lida Almassian / Shahin Heidari) achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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6. Farshad MehdiZadeh Design | FMZD

Farshad Mehdizadeh was born in Isfahan, Iran. He completed his bachelor’s and initial master’s degree at the Azad University of Isfahan, where he graduated in 2008. Farshad started his professional career as an architect in Fluid Motion Studio in Tehran. Later he worked with Lab Architecture Studio in Melbourne, Australia. Farshad has designed award winning personal projects as well, namely his Abadan residential building which won first prize in the national Me’mar awards of Iran and high recognition in the Middle East awards.

Farshad acquired a second master’s degree at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, in Barcelona Spain, after which he returned to Iran and established his own firm, Tehran Architecture Studio. Farshad is also active in the academic field, starting in 2007 as an assistant professor and continuing his academic work as a guest lecturer as well as through international workshops and collaboration with architects, instructors and architecture institutes around the world. He is now teaching in Melbourne University faculty of architecture. Farshad focuses his research on geographically context-based architecture and the impact of geography on architecture in general.

Some of Farshad MehdiZadeh Design | FMZD’s most prominent projects include:

• TERMEH Office – Retail Building, Hamadan, Iran
• Farmanieh Residential Tower
• Sangan Hotel, Sangan, Iran
• Tehran Eye, Tehran, Iran
• Sabzevar Arc House, Sabzevar, Iran

The following statistics helped Farshad MehdiZadeh Design | FMZD achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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5. Next Office

Next Office, based in Tehran, aims to provide a contemporary alternative to traditional Iranian architecture, responding to the climate conditions, economic, socio political and cultural context of each project. The practice’s work ranges from single-family houses to residential, commercial and mixed-use large-scale complexes, to urban master plans. Over the past decade, the practice has won several Memar Awards, a prestigious national award for architecture in Iran held annually, making it one of the top prize-winning practices in the country.

Some of Next Office’s most prominent projects include:

• Guyim Vault House
• Beheshti Gold Gallery (Bijou Shop in Tehran Grand Bazaar), Tehran, Iran
• Neighbours, Iran
• Sharifi-ha House, Tehran, Iran
• Safadasht Dual, Iran

The following statistics helped Next Office achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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4. Mado Architects

MADO STUDIO was founded by Maziar Dolatabadi on 1998 in Tehran, in the beginning it was working under the title AXIS when it changed its name to MADO on 2017. During these years MADO has designed and executed over 300 projects with different usages around the world, with the purpose of designing and creating new and distinguished architectural spaces. In these years of nonstop activities, we have created numerous imaginative ideas with executable solutions for our projects. With these ideas and solutions, we have continuously managed to utilize spaces in the best way possible while minimizing our clients’ cost and implementation time.

Some of Mado Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Bagh Chai Villa, Iran
• Senegal School, Senegal
• THE AGENCY METAVERSE
• Left-Right(Pink Lake), Chah Bahar, Iran
• alanya vertical villas, Alanya, Turkey

The following statistics helped Mado Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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3. ZAV Architects

ZAV Architects design the extended process of architectural object production. ZAV designs the process with the aim of rediscovering at hand and forgotten resources. Using the help of the locally available workforce, the reimagined process transforms the initial resources into adaptable spaces.

Whatever the outcome, which might be unsolicited, we embrace it as designers. We think of this as adopted aesthetics.
When looking at the history of the region where we come from, this culture is rather common, or at least used to be. For instance, in villages people take an ordinary raw material such as wool, color it with plant residues like pomegranate skin or dyer’s madder, and using creative designs and crafts, they turn the raw material into the invaluable object that is the carpet. Carpet is used for many things, including sitting, eating, sleeping, hosting, guests and studying.

Some of ZAV Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Presence in Hormuz 2 (Majara Residence), Iran
• Presence in Hormuz (Rong Cultural Center), Iran
• Habitat For Orphan Girls, Khansar, Iran
• Type-less Building (Center for Handy Skills), Iran
• Dr.Beski Science Foundation, Iran

The following statistics helped ZAV Architects achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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2. Hooba Design Group

Born in 1978, Hooman Balazadeh is the founder and executive director of HOOBA Design Group. Gaining his Master of Architecture in 2003, Balazadeh started working at Shirdel & Partners, where he was a design member for two years, active on several projects.

Balazadeh established HOOBA Design in 2007 with the aim of developing projects in harmony with the cultural and geographical characteristics of the site so that each project forms a new platform for research and investigation.

This office has focused on various topics such as light, color, relation between architecture and the city, building materials, development of spatial diagrams in the Persian Architecture, etc.

Some of Hooba Design group’s most prominent projects include:

• Hitra Office & Commercial Building, Tehran, Iran
• Espriss Café, Tehran, Iran
• Ozgol Residential Apartment, Tehran, Iran
• Valiahdi Office Building, Karaj, Iran
• Aptus Factory Showroom, Karaj, Iran
• Top image: Hashtgerd Green Village, Karaj, Iran 

The following statistics helped Hooba Design group achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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1. Kalbod Design Studio

Kalbod Design Studio is one of the subsets of Kalbod Construction Group, which works in the field of execution and design, was established by Mohammad Rahimizadeh in 2016. During his years of activity, he has designed various projects with a variety of uses. With the aim of providing a contemporary alternative to traditional Iranian architecture, tries responding accurately to challenges of the climatic, economic, political, social and cultural conditions of each project. In addition to creativity and quality, the kalbod studio knows the needs and limitations of its projects well and designs beyond nationalities and specialized disciplines, regardless of borders.

Some of Kalbod Design Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Knowledge Bridge, Isfahan, Iran
• Digging the Light (Qanat Villa), Yazd, Iran
• Zephyr House, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Esteghlal Hotel, Bandar Bushehr, Iran
• the green growth restaurant, Iceland

The following statistics helped Kalbod Design Studio achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Iran:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

The post 30 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Iran appeared first on Journal.

These annual rankings were last updated on August 16th, 2024. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking.

Chicago is near the top of many enthusiasts’ lists or architectural pilgrimages. After being destroyed by a fire in 1871, like a phoenix, Chicago rose from its ashes, and in the process, it became an urban incubator for skyscraper design. Throughout the next several decades, architects explored the possibilities of steel frame construction and plate glass. Architects like Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies pioneered novel theories and designs, in the process devising methods for erecting taller and taller buildings with unique ways of expressing their structural prowess.

Fast forward to today, and Chicago remains an influential producer in the architectural world. More and more, the city has turned its attention to landscape architecture and the architecture of public places. This urban-oriented approach is apparent in many leading firms found in the following list.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Chicago based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2024)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2024)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Chicago architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in Chicago:

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30. OKW Architects

OKW Architects is in the business of reimagining, reinventing, and repositioning. We use our design and business acumen to improve the built environment in creative and imaginative ways.

Some of OKW Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• 15 E Oak, Chicago, Illinois
• Time Out Market, Chicago, Illinois
• Harlem Irving Plaza, Norridge, Illinois
• Eataly, Chicago, Illinois
• Hinsdale Golf Club, Clarendon Hills, Illinois

The following statistics helped OKW Architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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29. Earles Architects and Associates (EAA)

Innovating Successful Environments is what inspires us. Established in 1991, Earles Architects and Associates (EAA) is a full-service architectural design firm offering a wide range of architectural, interior design and planning services. EAA has years of experience with a variety of clients in the corporate, tenant development, healthcare, institutional, industrial and retail/hospitality sectors. Innovation is at the core of every architectural design solution we create and evident in the thousands of projects we’ve successfully delivered. We are strong proponents of the “team approach”, partnering well not only with our clients but with everyone involved; from brokers and building owners to engineers and contractors.

Some of Earles Architects and Associates (EAA)’s most prominent projects include:

• Sterling Bay , Chicago, Illinois
• Starbucks , Chicago, Illinois
• Great Dane Trucking , Chicago, Illinois
• Phusion Projects , Chicago, Illinois
• Embeya , Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Earles Architects and Associates (EAA) achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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28. Bailey Edward

Bailey Edward is a purpose-driven, forward-thinking, and award-winning architecture and engineering firm that offers creative design solutions for the way people live, work and learn. Their innovative team employs an integrated and effective design approach to respond to the needs of the public. Every project is approached with a sense of social contract, purpose and a promise to deliver clients creative and responsive solutions.

Founded in 1991, the Illinois-based firm practices throughout the Midwest with offices in Chicago, Fox River Grove and Champaign. Every project is approached with a sense of social contract, purpose and a promise to deliver clients creative and responsive solutions.

Some of Bailey Edward’s most prominent projects include:

• Department of Veterans Affairs Federal Health Care Center Community Living Courtyard, North Chicago, Illinois
• Ismaili Jamatkhana House of Worship Glenview, Glenview, Illinois
• University of Illinois at Chicago Richard J. Daley Library Corridor Oasis Renovation, Chicago, Illinois
• Illinois Army National Guard Readiness Center and Army Aviation Support Facility, Kankakee, Illinois
• The Compass Church Worship Center, Naperville, Illinois

The following statistics helped Bailey Edward achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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27. Vinci-Hamp Architects

VHA is committed to the improvement of the built environment through the preservation of historic buildings and the design of new buildings of the highest quality. Historic architecture, through its materials, detailing, scale and proportion, contributes to a rich and pleasing built environment. Such buildings should be preserved, both for their historic significance and for their adaptability to other, contemporary uses. VHA has considerable experience with historic architecture, both as a defender of Chicago’s buildings and as architect for numerous preservation and reuse projects. VHA’s new buildings demonstrate that contemporary architecture develops through straightforward expressions of function, structure and materials. Like the best buildings of the past, our new buildings emphasize dignified spaces, refined proportions and quality materials. We strive for buildings that are clearly organized, well built and relatively timeless in their forms and details.

Some of Vinci-Hamp Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Tribune Tower Conversion, Chicago, Illinois
• The Drawing Room at the Arts Club of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Vinci-Hamp Architects achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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26. GREC Architects, LLC

We are a group of architects, designers and planners who lead collaborative efforts with our team and our clients to provide creative and efficient project solutions.

Some of GREC Architects, LLC’s most prominent projects include:

• ACE Hotel Downtown LA, Los Angeles, California
• Westin Hotel at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Bacardi at the Park, Chicago, Illinois
• Energy Trading Tower, Chicago, Illinois
• Business Bay Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The following statistics helped GREC Architects, LLC achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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25. Searl Lamaster Howe Architects

Searl Lamaster Howe Architects is committed to realizing inspiring spaces for clients who value where they live, work, play and learn. Each project is approached as a unique opportunity with a distinct set of needs and aspirations. Client collaboration at each step of the design and construction process is key to the quality of the office’s work. A project’s aesthetic is complemented and shaped by a detailed study of program, context, technology, and budget. The studio shares a commitment to creativity, innovation, sustainability, detail, and materiality. The firm portfolio includes residential, commercial and institutional projects that range from master planning to renovations to restorations to new construction; it is a member of the United States Green Building Council and offers full LEED services.

Some of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Harbert Cottage, Michigan
• Pearson Residence, Chicago, Illinois
• Seneca Road House, Chicago, Illinois
• Mies Residence, Chicago, Illinois
• BIGA

The following statistics helped Searl Lamaster Howe Architects achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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24. Palmyra PLLC

PALMYRA PLLC is a woman-owned full-service architecture practice based in Chicago. The practice, like its founder, is named after the city of Palmyra in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria, a city with an independent streak and an incredibly rich multicultural history. The archaeological site of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was partially destroyed by ISIS in 2015. Even in its ruinous state, Palmyra is a palimpsest, if there ever was any. In our practice we believe that we are never creating in a vacuum and the name of our practice serves as a reminder of that.

Architecture always starts with a problem: sometimes an eminently practical one and sometimes an abstract or conceptual one.

Some of Palmyra PLLC’s most prominent projects include:

• Not All White Walls, San Francisco, California

The following statistics helped Palmyra PLLC achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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23. dSPACE Studio

We are an award-winning architecture firm dedicated to architecture, interiors, and landscape. Our work is defined by thoughtful design and innovation. Every project is tailor-made. Project types include residential and commercial, with a focus on urban dwellings, vacation homes, and unique business spaces. Projects include new construction, renovations and additions.

We approach all projects individually. Each project starts with an exploration of client needs and evolves from budget, location, and context without imposition of preconceived styles or solutions. We strive to integrate environmentally sustainable design with green technologies and materials, whenever possible. We are dedicated to client satisfaction by meeting mutually agreed upon project requirements and goals.

Some of dSPACE Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Escape Pod- 2013 AIA Award Winner, Chicago, Illinois
• Zinc House, Chicago, Illinois
• Atrium House, Chicago, Illinois
• Contemporary Office, Chicago, Illinois
• The Wave- 2014 AIA Award Winner, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped dSPACE Studio achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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22. moss design

moss is a multidisciplinary architecture and urban design studio. We provide a wide range of services and expertise throughout the project, from site selection to design, project management, construction, and completion. Our credentials include WBE certification, LEED accreditation, and Illinois, Michigan, and California licensure. Our work is diverse by design, allowing us to explore the best design solutions across various project types, including residential, commercial, hospitality, interiors, urban planning, and custom furniture.

Our approach is both collaborative and customized. We seek collaboration with owners and developers looking for more than a set of drawings but true partners in a comprehensive process. We explore work that stretches the boundaries of what an architect typically does, tapping the experience we’ve gained and generating innovative and transformative solutions.

Some of moss design’s most prominent projects include:

• Begyle Brewing Company Tasting Room, Chicago, Illinois
• 5411 Winthrop – Flats, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Vic Loft, Chicago, Illinois
• Bar Pastoral, Chicago, Illinois
• Crew Bar + Grill, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped moss design achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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21. Pappageorge Haymes Partners

Since 1981, the architecture of Pappageorge Haymes Partners (PH) has had a profound influence on attitudes toward the rebirth of our cities and the promise of urban living. Our unique approach – both passionately civic and distinctly practical – has produced a remarkable and award-winning body of work that includes nearly every product and building type, from single-family homes to high-rises, expansive mixed-use developments, far-sighted neighborhood plans, and the creative adaptive re-use of structures across the United States. Well known for the collaborative, client-oriented approach and insightful skill we bring to every project, PH is widely recognized as an important leader in its field.

Some of Pappageorge Haymes Partners’s most prominent projects include:

• K2 Apartments, Chicago, Illinois
• ARC at Old Colony, Chicago, Illinois
• Christopher House Charter School, Chicago, Illinois
• 600 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois
• Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Pappageorge Haymes Partners achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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20. Krueck Sexton Partners

Krueck Sexton Partners is a Chicago-based, nationally recognized architecture practice comprised of design professions dedicated to the realization of buildings that are reflective of our diverse clients. We work in close collaboration with industry-leading engineers and consultants, reinforcing an interdisciplinary and research-based studio culture. We have achieved a consistent design portfolio of the highest quality for over thirty years. Client participation is encouraged throughout a journey of discovery, when ideas and opportunities that best support the project goals begin to crystallize. This allows for the development of unique and specific solutions.

Some of Krueck Sexton Partners’ most prominent projects include:

• CME Center, Chicago, Illinois
• 1100 First Street, Washington, DC
• Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning & Leadership, Chicago, Illinois
• University of Chicago — Edward H. Levi Hall Portal, Chicago, Illinois
• ddd

The following statistics helped Krueck Sexton Partners achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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19. bKL Architecture

bKL Architecture’s open studio environment encourages a spirited exchange of ideas. Our culturally diverse team brings together a broad range of skills, experiences and backgrounds to create a vibrant atmosphere and design process. At the center of our process is a focus on in-depth analysis, intensive experimentation and collaboration. Our team designs projects that only enrich sites and cities around the world in which we build.

Some of bKL Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• The St. Regis Chicago (Vista Tower), Chicago, Illinois
• GEMS World Academy-Chicago, Lower School, Chicago, Illinois
• Whitney Young Library Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Coast at Lakeshore East, Chicago, Illinois
• Wolf Point West, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped bKL Architecture achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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18. Cordogan Clark & Associates

We create great environments. We are a full service architecture, planning, and engineering firm with deep experience in academic, civic, and residential architecture. Our portfolio includes many innovative, first of their kind projects. We have extensive experience in the design and technical development of building systems and the management of complex projects. We maintain a special focus on architecture that supports and benefits community.

Some of Cordogan Clark & Associates’s most prominent projects include:

• 41st and 43rd Street Pedestrian Bridges Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Fay-Cooper Cole Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
• Herget Middle School, Aurora, Illinois
• Ningbo Industrial Design and Creative Center, Ningbo, China
• Corporate Headquarters and Resort Hotel Zhuhai, China, Zhuhai, China

The following statistics helped Cordogan Clark & Associates achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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17. FGP atelier

Chicago-based global architecture firm FGP Atelier is changing the paradigm of what constitutes great architecture and building. Helmed by award-winning, Mexican-born architect Francisco Gonzalez Pulido (FGP), FGP Atelier was founded in September of 2017 following Gonzalez Pulido’s departure as partner and president of JAHN.

Some of FGP atelier’s most prominent projects include:

• Diablos Rojos Stadium, Mexico City, Mexico
• Orchid Educational Pavilion, Oaxaca, Mexico
• LOT 41, Shanghai, China
• Facet, Shenzhen, China
• Starring by Ted Gibson, Los Angeles, California

The following statistics helped FGP atelier achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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16. Latent Design

Latent Design is a Chicago based full service architecture firm and strategic design consultancy working at the intersection of design and community development to create social, economic and environmental impact beyond the building. We use design as a tool to make the invisible forces impacting a project at local and global levels; policy, culture, climate, economy, visible through architecture. We offer innovative design solutions to those in resource and budget limited environments through a participatory approach that leverages local assets to directly generate project opportunities. Our collaborations range from small-scale tactical interventions, new construction community buildings, adaptive reuse, neighborhood master plans and design speculations.

Latent Design is a registered Benefit Corporation in the State of Illinois and is required by law to create and demonstrate positive social impact to the community through our work.

Some of Latent Design’s most prominent projects include:

• Boombox Micro Retail, Chicago, Illinois
• Electrolux Meander Kitchen
• Demoiselle 2 Femme HOPE Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Chicago Women’s Health Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Jackson Flat, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Latent Design achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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15. Goettsch Partners

Goettsch Partners (GP) is an architecture firm with a global perspective. Based in Chicago, with additional offices in Denver and Shanghai, we share a singular approach to design that combines seasoned experience with a passion for exploration and innovation. Our completed and active projects span five continents and represent a diverse range of types and sizes.

Some of Goettsch Partners’s most prominent projects include:

• Lincoln Park Zoo Pepper Family Wildlife Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Mennica Legacy Tower, Warsaw, Poland
• 110 North Wacker , Chicago, Illinois
• Alcove, Nashville, Tennesse
• Abu Dhabi Global Market Square, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

The following statistics helped Goettsch Partners achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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14. Partners By Design

As we mark our 30th year in business in 2023, Partners by Design continues to design and deliver powerful, one-of-a-kind spaces for our clients. Through our integrated approach, innovative solutions, and diversified suite of services (Interiors, Architecture, Spark Environmental Branding, and VIZfire Architectural Visualization), all under one roof, we continue to be an industry leader through our innovation, technology integration, and thought leadership on the direction and formation of new space typologies.

Our client-centric process driven by research and grounded in data, gives us a deep understanding of human behavior and what our clients face every day. Utilizing this behavioral understanding directly correlates to successful placemaking design and delivery.

Some of Partners By Design’s most prominent projects include:

• Mead Johnson Nutrition, Chicago, Illinois
• Color Factory, Chicago, Illinois
• Vizient, United States
• CCC Intelligent Solutions, Chicago, Illinois
• JBG Smith, Bethesda, Maryland

The following statistics helped Partners By Design achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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13. SCB

SCB is an architecture, planning, interior and urban design firm. Founded in Chicago in 1931, SCB provides design services from four locations across the US. SCB is at the forefront of dense urban living, innovative workplaces, inspiring learning environments, resilient infrastructure, and vibrant communities. Through the collective impact of nearly a century of work, the firm has made an indelible mark on the contemporary landscape.

Some of SCB’s most prominent projects include:

• Academic and Residential Complex at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Vital Proteins, Chicago, Illinois
• Tribune Tower Conversion, Chicago, Illinois
• 55 Ninth, San Francisco, California
• Institute for Environmental Sustainability, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped SCB achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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12. JAHN

JAHN is a unique architectural firm conceived to meet the challenges posed by the new millennium. Under the leadership of Helmut Jahn the firm has grown and evolved steadily from the original practice founded in 1937 by Charles F. Murphy, Sr. out of a tradition started with Daniel H. Burnham. The firm has carried the name Murphy/Jahn from 1979 to 2012 and is now known simply as JAHN. We believe our commitment to this balance is fundamental to the successful translation from architectural concept into built reality. We are committed to creating forward reaching buildings, which will endure the test of time and become a source of pride in the minds of owners, users, communities, and ourselves.

Some of JAHN’s most prominent projects include:

• Leatop Plaza, Zhejiang, China
• Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, Chicago, Illinois
• Joe and Rika Mansueto Library at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Highlight Towers, München, Germany
• HEGAU TOWER, Singen, Germany

The following statistics helped JAHN achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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11. Jacobs Ryan Associates

Jacobs/Ryan Associates combines knowledge, conceptual thinking and attention to detail to produce enduring landscapes. The firm believes three fundamentals are important to the success of all landscape projects: design, technology and management. Each plays a critical part in making the finished landscape meet the client’s expectations.

While we are known for our designs and aim for beauty in every finished product, we also believe form should follow function. We take advantage of technological advances that will improve both the process and outcome of a project, whether the concern is aesthetic, functional, ecological or economic. We rely on time-tested approaches to many landscape solutions because what has worked well may not need changing. We manage every project closely, giving it our focused, personal attention. Every project is assigned a partner who plays an active role in the day-to-day events of the project.

Some of Jacobs Ryan Associates’ most prominent projects include:

• Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, Illinois
• Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago, Illinois
• Ford Calumet Environmental Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Searle Visitor Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois
• Palos Community Hospital Landscape, Palos Heights, Illinois

The following statistics helped Jacobs Ryan Associates achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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10. Hoerr Schaudt

At Hoerr Schaudt, we design beautiful, purposeful gardens that connect people, site, and season. Gardens elicit joy, soothe our souls, and become places where we interact with each other and the world around us. Drawing upon centuries of time-honored tradition, our work layers botanical silhouettes to shape space and create settings that artfully blend the natural and built environments be it a residence, streetscape, campus, city park, or botanical garden.

Based in Chicago, with offices in Kansas City and Los Angeles, Hoerr Schaudt continues its 30-year mission to make gardens that thrive and delight.

Some of Hoerr Schaudt’s most prominent projects include:

• CME Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Des Moines, Iowa
• The Gary Comer Youth Center, Chicago, Illinois
• Mountain Modern, Colorado
• Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

The following statistics helped Hoerr Schaudt achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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9. STLarchitects

STLarchitects is an internationally recognized architectural and design firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is dedicated to the creation of architecture of exceptional quality, consistently navigating the delicate equilibrium between pragmatic considerations and idealistic aspirations. This commitment is manifest in the deliberate integration of essential attributes inherent in exemplary architectural endeavors, including the judicious manipulation of light and space, the meticulous orchestration of proportion and volume, the imposition of order and hierarchy, and the nuanced application of color and texture.

Some of STLarchitects’s most prominent projects include:

• Gwangju Library, Gwangju, South Korea
• National Museum of Korean Literature, Seoul, South Korea
• Jinju National Museum, Jinju-si, South Korea
• Korean Museum of Urbanism and Architecture, South Korea
• Indore School Design, Indore, India

The following statistics helped STLarchitects achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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8. JGMA

JGMA is a progressive architecture and design practice committed to active community involvement and the enrichment of peoples’ lives through the attentive and dynamic organization of space and materiality. We understand that quality design has a unique ability to influence civic life and transform communities.

We proudly consider ourselves innovators in the field of architecture and are dedicated to formulating consistently unique solutions to every design opportunity. Our work is conceptually driven but exhibits the highest level of quality at every stage of design, construction, and occupancy. JGMA is led by the firm’s president, Juan Gabriel Moreno, and is supported by a talented team of experienced architectural professionals.

Some of JGMA’s most prominent projects include:

• Uno Soccer Academy, Chicago, Illinois
• Richard J. Daley College Campus, Chicago, Illinois
• Esperanza Health Centers, Chicago, Illinois
• Westfield Old Orchard Glass Cube, Skokie, Illinois
• Northeastern Illinois University – El Centro, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped JGMA achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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7. Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture is dedicated to the design of high-performance, energy-efficient and sustainable architecture on an international scale. The firm approaches each project, regardless of size or scale, with an understanding that architecture has a unique power to influence civic life. We strive to create designs that aid society, advance modern technology, sustain the environment and inspire those around us to improve our world. Our office is dedicated to the creation of new paradigms for sustainable development.

Some of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Waldorf Astoria Beijing, Beijing, China
• Al Wasl Plaza, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Steppenwolf Theatre Campus Expansion, Chicago, Illinois
• Federation of Korean Industries, Seoul, South Korea
• Chengdu Greenland Tower, Chengdu, China

The following statistics helped Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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6. Valerio Dewalt Train

Valerio Dewalt Train is a 50 person national architectural and design practice with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; and San Francisco, California. Since 1994, the firm has based its practice on the simple idea that whatever the question, design is the answer. But we also believe that before an answer can be provided, one has to do the research to make sure the question is understood.

As designers, we take a research-based approach to the design process; it is immersive and specific. This process allows us to explore the client’s DNA, user profile, research best practices and discover early on what sustainable strategies should be integrated in the project.

Some of Valerio Dewalt Train’s most prominent projects include:

• Vue53, Chicago, Illinois
• The YouTube Lobby, San Bruno, California
• Ford Calumet Environmental Center, Chicago, Illinois
• 1098 Alta, Mountain View, California
• Gordon Parks Arts Hall – University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Valerio Dewalt Train achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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5. Ross Barney Architects

Ross Barney Architects is a Chicago-based architecture and urban design studio. Established by Carol Ross Barney, the studio occupies a unique place within the panorama of contemporary practice that is characterized by a reputation for work in the public realm. From community buildings to campus buildings for premier academic and research institutions, to groundbreaking transit stations that connect vibrant neighborhoods, Ross Barney Architects has produced distinctive structures that have become community icons.

The studio’s ideas and projects have been recognized by entities and publications from around the world. Ross Barney Architects’ work has been exhibited in Chicago, New York, Washington D.C.

Some of Ross Barney Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Chicago Riverwalk, Chicago, Illinois
• McDonald’s Global Flagship Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Florida
• McDonald’s Chicago Flagship, Chicago, Illinois
• Railyard Park, Rogers, Arkansas
• CTA Cermak-McCormick Place Station , Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Ross Barney Architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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4. Wheeler Kearns Architects

Wheeler Kearns is a collective practice of architects. We work with people who seek to enrich their lives in spaces that embody their purpose, energy and vision.

When a space we design resonates with your deepest intention, it has a lasting and powerful impact. As we work with you, we devote all our energies to understanding your core purpose, the transformation you seek, your mission. We want to see your challenge through your eyes. Doing this guides us to what we call the “emotional center,” the heart around which your entire project revolves. We return to that central idea as we craft concepts, help you make decisions, and refine our responses to those choices.

Some of Wheeler Kearns Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• North Lawndale Employment Network, Chicago, Illinois
• Clearwater Lake Retreat, Clearwater Lake, Wisconsin
• Intrinsic School, Chicago, Illinois
• The Night Ministry, Chicago, Illinois
• Art Institute of Chicago – Ryan Learning Center Renovation, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Wheeler Kearns Architects achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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3. Perkins&Will

Perkins&Will, an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm, was founded in 1935 on the belief that design has the power to transform lives. Guided by its core values — design excellence, diversity and inclusion, living design, research, resilience, social purpose, sustainability and well-being — the firm is committed to designing a better, more beautiful world. Metropolis named Perkins&Will “Firm of the Year” in 2022 for its industry leadership in advancing climate action and social justice.

With an international team of more than 2,000 professionals, the firm has over 20 studios worldwide, providing integrated services in architecture, interior design, branded environments, urban design, and landscape architecture.

Some of Perkins&Will’s most prominent projects include:

• MIT Site 4, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Billerica Memorial High School, Billerica, Massachusetts
• First Year student Village
• The Exchange at 100 Federal, Boston, Massachusetts
• University of California, San Francisco, Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building, San Francisco, California
• Featured image: The St. Regis Chicago (Vista Tower), Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Perkins&Will achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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2. Studio Gang

Founded and led by Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice headquartered in Chicago with offices in New York, San Francisco, and Paris. We work as a collective of more than 100 architects, designers, and planners, using design as a medium to connect people to each other, to their communities, and to the environment. We collaborate closely with our clients, expert consultants, and specialists from a wide range of fields to design and realize innovative projects at multiple scales: architecture, urbanism, interiors, and exhibitions.

Some of Studio Gang’s most prominent projects include:

• Writers Theatre, Glencoe, Illinois
• Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation, New York City, New York
• Solar Carve (40 Tenth Ave), New York City, New York
• Beloit College Powerhouse, Beloit, Wisconsin
• WMS Boathouse at Clark Park, Chicago, Illinois

The following statistics helped Studio Gang achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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1. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an influential collective of architects, designers, engineers and planners, responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings, and significant public spaces. From a strategic regional plan to a single piece of furniture, SOM’s designs anticipate change in the way we live, work and communicate, and have brought lasting value to communities around the world. The firm’s approach is highly collaborative, and its interdisciplinary team is engaged on a wide range of international projects, with creative studios based across the globe.

Some of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)’s most prominent projects include:

• Poly International Plaza, Beijing, China
• Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru — Terminal 2, Bengaluru, India
• P.S. 62 The Kathleen Grimm School for Leadership and Sustainability, Staten Island, New York
• JTI Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland
• Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal 2, Mumbai, India

The following statistics helped Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

The post 30 Best Architecture Firms in Chicago appeared first on Journal.

Paris is arguably one of the most romanticized cities in Europe and potentially the world. Its architectural history is rich, influenced by an array of architectural styles — from being the birthplace of Gothic structures to the renowned Belle Époque and the Art Deco movement. During the 19th century, one of the biggest urban planning programs was initiated by Napoleon III and directed by architect Georges-Eugène Haussmann: the city’s medieval neighborhoods were demolished, creating wider boulevards, new infrastructural systems as well as uniform façades aimed at dealing with Paris’s overcrowding, diseases and criminality rates.

In the 1980s, the “grands travaux” concept reimagined the city once more by introducing contemporary landmarks that have “moved” Paris to the next millennium, turning it into a hub of architectural innovation. Today, by blending historic preservation with contemporary design, famous architects like Frank Gehry and Herzog & de Meuron have added new, modern landmarks, including the futuristic Fondation Louis Vuitton and the strikingly modern Tour Triangle, that respond to the current architectural, social and environmental setting.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Paris based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2024)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2024)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Paris architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 25 best architecture firms in Paris:

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25. Architecturestudio

Architecturestudio is an international architecture, urban planning and interior design practice founded in 1973, with offices in Paris, Shanghai and Zug. It brings together, around 13 partners, a multidisciplinary team of 150 people of 25 different nationalities. Its commitment to promoting architecture is reflected in a collective work that has won numerous distinctions. Architecturestudio is founded on shared knowledge and dialogue to increase the creative potential of a collective design. This approach promotes a plural understanding of the world, which achievements for more than forty years on 5 continents allow it to respond to the major challenges of the 21st century.

Architecturestudio relies on a wide expertise of projects carried out to develop its conceptual approach, responding to specific challenges for each case study.

Some of Architecturestudio’s most prominent projects include:

• Onassis Cultural Centre, Athens, Greece
• Extension of exhibition hall, Villepinte, France
• City of Science and Techniques, Chongqing, China
• Summers office building, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• University Hospital Center in Tangier, Tangier, Morocco

The following statistics helped Architecturestudio achieve 25th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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24. Antonini Darmon Architects

We founded the agency Antonini Darmon Architects in Paris in 2006. Our creative system was born from the partnership of two complementary yet different personalities. We aim to propose an original architectural interpretation, where each project follows a path having its own identity and dynamics. Our architecture is contextual: functionality, rigor and sobriety are combined in order to transform the project into an object of beauty. We are more especially dedicated to the new architectural and urban stakes involved with sustainable development.

Some of Antonini Darmon Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Ile de Nantes – Oiseau des Iles, Nantes, France
• Voltaire Building
• Centre Technique du Livre de l’Enseignement Supérieur, Bussy-Saint-Georges, France
• Researchers residence & 33 housing, Paris, France
• 12 Housings, Houilles, France

The following statistics helped Antonini Darmon Architects achieve 24th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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23. Avenier Cornejo Architectes

Miguel Cornejo was born in Santiago, Chile and studied architecture in France (Paris Malaquais). He worked for Mathias Klotz (Santiago, Chile), Francois Roche (R & Sie (n)) and with other agencies such as XTU Paris, Jacques Ferrier & Galiano & Simon. Christelle Avenier, graduated from the School of Architecture Malaquais Paris and subsequently worked in various agencies including Deremer Architect Douglas (San Francisco, USA) & Mathias Klotz (Santiago, Chile).

After graduating with honors, they were short listed for the Robert Auzelle prize «Lumières de la Ville» and won funding from Electra (EDF) in 2000 for a project in Valparaiso, Chile. Christelle Avenier and Miguel Cornejo founded an architecture agency (SARL) together in 2008. Their approach is inventive, without preconceptions or prejudices.

Some of Avenier Cornejo Architectes’s most prominent projects include:

• Day Care Orteaux, Paris, France
• 113 RUE LEGENDRE, Paris, France
• Day-Care and Young Workers Hostel, Paris, France
• MAISON 2G, Orsay, France
• 38 Housing units, Clichy, France

The following statistics helped Avenier Cornejo Architectes achieve 23rd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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22. Chartier Dalix

ChartierDalix, architecture is envisaged as a built system combining the means to welcome life, poetry, and the commons. Whatever the purpose of the building, our main objective is to offer generous spaces, a quality of life and pleasurable places to be in. In our opinion, architecture is above all linked to the senses, to the human and to nature, it accompanies society and participates in its evolution.

We are convinced that it is important to strengthen the commons, just as in an ecosystem where everything plays a role. As in a garden, there is always something more to do for those who come.

Some of Chartier Dalix’s most prominent projects include:

• University of Law-Paris I, Modernisation of the Lourcine Barracks, Paris, France
• Day-Care and Young Workers Hostel, Paris, France
• School and student housing, Ivry-sur-Seine, France
• Secondary school, sport hall and cultural center, Lille, France
• Les Simonettes | A New Public Realm, Champigny-sur-Marne, France

The following statistics helped Chartier Dalix achieve 22nd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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21. CUT architectures

Our practice as a 4 hands design studio started in 2005 and we founded our company CUT architectures in 2008. CUT, 3 letters standing for our aim to contrast deeply with the conformist Parisian Architectural practice and the expected positions and trends. Breaking the boundaries between architecture, urbanism, interior design & art we are taking the inherent qualities of every of these fields in order to initiate inspiring hybrid projects.

We don’t make hierarchical distinctions between an art installation, a piece of furniture, a shop, a flat, a set design, a house or a building and put the same effort with the same process: we first search for the optimal plan layout and the most effective section and we then implement the material which is the key to a project for us. Through material we create, reinterpret, divert, innovate.

Stainless steel, expanded metal or wood take part of the aesthetic aspect of a building as much as they are important for their inherent properties. This close relation to the material, the building elements and building processes are the guaranty of our knowledge of construction costs and the keeping of a budget.

We have a strong knowledge in project management from our former professional careers which we used and developed for our own practice. We are working on projects for municipalities and public housing developers.

Some of CUT architectures’s most prominent projects include:

• CLEC Community Centre, Montreuil, France
• Extension to a House in Chaville
• Coutume Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
• Le Syndicat cocktail bar, Paris, France
• Coutume Cart Paris Finnish Institute , Paris, France

The following statistics helped CUT architectures achieve 21st place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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20. BFV ARCHITECTES

BFV Architectes is an architecture studio funded by Jean Bocabeille, Olivier Fassio and Jean-Brice Viaud.This acronym stands for more than 20 years of experience. It embodies both a historical continuity and a strong desire to grow together and broaden the scope of action. The idea of creating a new practice was obvious to the three men, as much as their will to keep building a consistent, efficient and meaningful kind of architecture. Bocabeille, Fassio and Viaud’s projects have been carried out either as collective journeys ([BP] Architectures, Plan01 or Fassio-Viaud Architectes) or individual adventures (Jean Bocabeille Architecte).

Some of BFV ARCHITECTES’s most prominent projects include:

• PULSE, Saint-Denis, France
• A MIXED USE PROGRAM: 132 housing units + 1 religious center + 2 retail businesses, Paris, France
• NURSERY SCHOOL, Épinay-sous-Sénart, France
• HOUSING PROJECT (& Rooftop), Pontoise, France
• MORE WITH LESS, Paris, France

The following statistics helped BFV ARCHITECTES achieve 20th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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19. Architecture Patrick Mauger

The agency contributes to the transformation of the city, designing buildings that enrich life by multiplying their possible uses. The fields of activity are highly varied, ranging from urban spaces with studies to modify the reception areas in the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie and the northern Vilette esplanade (definition study) to interior architecture and design for the new layouts of the Louvre museum restaurants and delivery of the first “monolith”, inspired by an lfood on the terraces of the Richelieu wing. Through their uses, contexts and budgets, the projects reveal a strong personality and are characterised by the emphasis on materials, such as marble powder on a honeycomb structure and Corian for the Louvre, or The Arte Povera treated wood for the CROUS centre in Mabillon.

Some of Architecture Patrick Mauger’s most prominent projects include:

• Cultural Center, Auneau, France
• Nièvre’s Departmental Archives, Nevers, France
• IGN and Météo France Geosciences centre – Saint-Mandé, Saint-Mandé, France
• Secrétan covered market, Paris, France
• Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity, Paris, France

The following statistics helped Architecture Patrick Mauger achieve 19th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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18. Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects (DGT)

DORELL.GHOTMEH.TANE / ARCHITECTS is a partnership founded in January 2006 in Paris and practicing Architecture, Urbanism and Space Design.

Some of Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects (DGT)’s most prominent projects include:

• THE BUMP, Paris, France
• LIGHT IS TIME, Milano, Italy
• NEW NATIONAL STADIUM TOKYO 2020, Shinjuku, Japan
• Estonian National Museum / “Memory Field”, Tartu, Estonia
• A HOUSE FOR OISO, Naka District, Japan

The following statistics helped Dorell.Ghotmeh.Tane / Architects (DGT) achieve 18th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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17. PCA-STREAM

The PCA-STREAM agency brings together 90 architects, urban planners, designers, and engineers, capable of responding to the complex challenges of the contemporary world. PCA is the architecture and urban planning agency, STREAM, a unique transdisciplinary research program to which more than 150 researchers from around the world contribute, and whose work is widely disseminated and applied in PCA’s large-scale projects.

Some of PCA-STREAM’s most prominent projects include:

• LABORDE, Paris, France
• 175HAUSSMANN, Paris, France
• PCA-STREAM’s CLUSTER, Paris, France
• TALLEYRAND, Paris, France
• #CLOUD.PARIS, Paris, France

The following statistics helped PCA-STREAM achieve 17th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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16. Dubuisson

Dubuisson is an architecture agency, based in Paris, Nice and Nantes. With an international and multidisciplinary team, it has around fifty employees: architects, interior des igners and engineers.The complementarity and transversality of its skills guarantee a project of high architectural quality, integrated and sustainable. Dubuisson designs and supports projects in all environments – tertiary, housing, retail, facilities – and in all dimensions of architecture: from town planning to furniture.

Some of Dubuisson’s most prominent projects include:

• Community Swimming Pool, Châteaulin, Châteaulin, France
• “New”, Asnières, Asnières-sur-Seine, France
• Deloitte University EMEA, Bailly-Romainvilliers, France
• Campus, Rocquencourt, Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France
• Sports and Leisure Center, Val Thorens, Les Belleville, France

The following statistics helped Dubuisson achieve 16th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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15. NZI Architectes

We founded the NZI ARCHITECTES agency in 2012. Our association is based on a project approach by creative, complementary and participatory experimentation. Fervent activists for environmental innovation, our work is based on the search for contextual urban insertions, paying constant attention to sustainable development. We are lucky to be able to work on atypical programs that range from participatory housing to straw construction, but also from wood construction to the recycling of offices into housing.

This journey, enriched by the diversity of solutions we experience on programs, requires us to be combative to get out of the pre-established standards. Our work is oriented towards the exploration of other and innovative techniques.

Some of NZI Architectes’s most prominent projects include:

• Transformation of an office building into a wood and straw 139 student rooms, Paris, France
• Shop to Loft Conversion, Paris, France
• Levallois Apartment, Levallois-Perret, France
• PARTICIPATORY HABITAT IN MONTREUIL, Montreuil, France
• Wood and Stone Early childhood home, Vauréal, France

The following statistics helped NZI Architectes achieve 15th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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14. GARDERA-D

GARDERA-D is a pluridisciplinary architecture agency established in Paris and Biarritz, France. The agency explores a wide scope of investigation and responds to a varied demand for projects, ranging from architecture (housing, workplaces, teaching, equipment ) to interior design and object design.

Each project is approached and studied in a specific way, according to an approach based specifically on a particular attention to usages of buildings and the search for an optimum level in the relationship between architecture and location.

Some of GARDERA-D’s most prominent projects include:

• ACBA, Agglomération Côte Basque Adour, Bayonne, France
• House R, Anglet, France
• 145 Student Housing, Bordeaux, France
• AZALA, Biarritz, France
• H+L House, Biarritz, France

The following statistics helped GARDERA-D achieve 14th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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13. PETITDIDIERPRIOUX

Cédric Petitdidier and Vincent Prioux founded Petitdidierprioux Architectes in 2004. With more than forty staff and two offices in Paris and Lyon, PPX has completed more than forty projects, with just as many currently in development and in construction. Through its work, PPX has garnered expertise in residential housing, consistently striving for social mixing and ‘pleasurable density’ in an effort to reconcile individual and collective housing, including for high-rise buildings. Each project delivers thoughtful consideration of typological variations and the notion of comfort, through particular attention to context, orientation, materials and energy use.

PPX makes understanding any new situation the starting point of its process, and approaches each project free of preconceptions, always with a fresh, yet seasoned perspective.

Some of PETITDIDIERPRIOUX’s most prominent projects include:

• TALE OF TRANSFORMATION LA FANTAISIE HOTEL, Paris, France
• 152 HOUSING UNITS, Villeurbanne, France
• 71 HOUSING UNITS IN A SOCIAL RESIDENCE, Paris, France
• SOCIAL RESIDENCE, Bordeaux, France
• ATHLETES’ VILLAGE OLYMPIC GAMES 2024, L’Île-Saint-Denis, France

The following statistics helped PETITDIDIERPRIOUX achieve 13th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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12. Mikou Design Studio

Mikou Design Studio is a place of creation and experimentation in architecture and its inter-disciplinary cross-fertilisation. We work in a continuous workshop spirit with a multidisciplinary team of architects, engineers, graphic artists, scenographers and town planners from very different cultural backgrounds. Every project is an excuse for re-questioning and redefining the meaning of a brief, a function, and an urban, social and human context, in order to invent new ways of living, places for sharing and gathering that are more sensitive and more sensual, and which stimulate feelings. Our aim is to get away from preconceptions of form and function in order to transmit more and better.

Some of Mikou Design Studio’s most prominent projects include:

• Balsanéo Aquatics Centre, Châteauroux, France
• Swimming Pool Feng Shui , Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
• Olympic Swimming Pool Tourcoing, Tourcoing, France
• House of Art and Culture, Beirut, Lebanon
• High School Jean Lurçat, Saint-Denis, France

The following statistics helped Mikou Design Studio achieve 12th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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11. STUDIO RAZAVI + PARTNERS

Our work rests on a fundamental principal: the mediation between engineering & architectural culture. It is our belief that successful designs can only materialize by fully synthesizing building technology and architectural sensitivity. Our approach to space is hence determined by a rigorous understanding of existing relationships between technique and culture, free of stylistic limitations, open to context.

Our designs cover a wide spectrum or architectural services from interiors to master planning services for clients in both the public and private sectors. Operating as one firm with two offices (Paris and New York) our portfolio of works spans from Europe to the Americas and includes residential, corporate, hospitality, civic, transportation, and mixed-use projects.

Some of STUDIO RAZAVI + PARTNERS’s most prominent projects include:

• August Debouzy, Paris, France
• Concrete Town House, New York City, New York
• Mountain House, Manigod, France
• Apartment XVII, Lyon, France
• Apartment XVI, Paris, France

The following statistics helped STUDIO RAZAVI + PARTNERS achieve 11th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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10. Nomade Architectes

Raphaël Chivot, Matthieu Laviolle and Vincent Le Garrec – open-neck shirts and no Rolexes – are self-made men. An early schoolboy encounter was important; a sail together across the Atlantic, decisive. An agency was born first from camaraderie, then friendship: Nomade… all clear on the horizon and open-mindedness at a maximum. Which means, no borders. Between Paris and Vannes (its two locations) the agency specializes in all projects. And it works everywhere. Nomade moves and grows.

Ideas swarm in the inventive minds of some thirty faithful co-workers who have taken to organizing themselves around centers of interest, from design to the worksite via research, communication and even computer science.

Some of Nomade Architectes’s most prominent projects include:

• Janine Jambu Gymnasium, Bagneux, France
• Valerie Nicolas Gymnasium, Cancale, France
• “Maison air et lumière” an Active House by Nomade, Verrières-le-Buisson, France
• Delegation of the vineyard, Clisson, France
• St Brieuc’s Elderly Establishment, Saint-Brieuc, France

The following statistics helped Nomade Architectes achieve 10th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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9. Atelier Roberta

Roberta is a creature with three heads. Three backgrounds, three skills, three landscape practices united in a single vision of the project. Roberta pays very specific attention to sites and territories. She relies on her intuition and extensive field experience to open up new avenues for further study. She likes to travel, by train or by road. Every project is new. Roberta has no preconceptions, and hates recipes. She always asks herself the question of practicality, how to bring a designed project to life, and how to make it her own. She is also sensitive to new materials and technologies, and to innovations taking place on the other side of the border.

Some of Atelier Roberta’s most prominent projects include:

• Jean Louis Étienne school, Coupvray, France
• P+R park and ride, Vertou, France
• ESIEE-IT school of engineering and digital expertise’s, Pontoise, France
• Théâtre d’eau, Fumel, France
• BAT – 170 housing units and shops, Paris, France

The following statistics helped Atelier Roberta achieve 9th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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8. Moussafir Architectes

Born on October 15, 1957 in Katanga (ex-Belgian Congo) to an architect father. Family origins in Rhodes and Salonika. First architectural memories of the family home in Elisabethville, designed by Julian Elliott in 1957 and published in Udo Kultermann’s “New Architecture in Africa”. Studied architecture and art history under Roland Schweitzer, Yves Lion and Alain Pélissier at the Ecole d’Architecture de Paris-Tolbiac and Daniel Arasse at the Université Paris I Sorbonne. DPLG in 1993, founded Moussafir Architectes the same year, after 10 years of training and practice with Christian Hauvette, Henri Gaudin, Dominique Perrault and Francis Soler. First interior design projects (Apostrophe and IGAS headquarters, administrative departments of the Conseil d’Etat), then participation in numerous cultural competitions, alone or in association.

Some of Moussafir Architectes’s most prominent projects include:

• 5 Vertbois, Paris, France
• 105 Social Dwellings + 18 SOHOs, Paris, France
• Maison Escalier
• La Luciole, Alençon, France
• PARIS 8 UNIVERSITY ARTS DEPARTMENT, Paris, France

The following statistics helped Moussafir Architectes achieve 8th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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7. Franklin Azzi Architecture

Franklin Azzi and his practice, founded in 2006, develop a transversal approach stimulated by the intertwining of different views and disciplines. In constantly working on architecture, interior architecture, design and contemporary art, he develops a way of designing and building that is applicable to all scales and typologies of space.

From urban micro-architecture such as embodied by the Eiffel Kiosque and its prefabricated structure, to towers in Dubai and Paris, via conversions of existing buildings such as the Alstom market buildings in Nantes, his interventions are based on a quest for sustainability to meet the needs of all users.

Some of Franklin Azzi Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Sasaek – Horizons, Seoul, South Korea
• EP YAYING, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
• TOKO, WEBHELP’S HEADQUARTERS, Paris, France
• Alstom Warehouses, Nantes Higher School of Fine Arts, Nantes, France
• EIFFEL KIOSK, Paris, France

The following statistics helped Franklin Azzi Architecture achieve 7th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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6. LAN Architecture

LAN Architecture was founded by Benoit Jallon and Umberto Napolitano in 2002. The agency’s name echoes the partners’ intentions directly.  LAN is precisely the acronym of Local Architecture Network and it refers to the local design network applied and developed through specific field skills, experts and authors attending on the projects.The double nationality of LAN enables to bridge different European countries. In 2004 LAN architecture work was selected by the French Culture Minister for the “Nouveaux Albums des Jeunes Architectes” for its potential and talent. In six years time, the agency has earned a reputation and won competitions both in France and abroad.

Some of LAN Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Hotel Residence in Atacama, Atacama Region, Chile
• Children’s Toy Library, Bonneuil-sur-Marne, France
• COMPANY HEADQUARTERS MARCHESINI FRANCE, Saint-Mesmes, France
• Sprengel Museum extension, Hanover, Germany
• 30 passive housing units, Paris, France
• top image: Le Grand Palais des Champs Elysées, Paris, France

The following statistics helped LAN Architecture achieve 6th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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5. Hamonic+Masson & Associés

Hamonic+Masson & Associés is Gaëlle Hamonic, Jean-Christophe Masson and, since 2014, Marie-Agnès de Bailliencourt, partner. The firm was founded in 1997, and was nominated for the Mies van der Rohe award in 2001 and awarded the Nouveaux Albums de la Jeune Architecture (Naja) in 2002.

The agency came to the attention of the general public in 2003 with the design of the Maison Métal, exhibited in the Parc de la Villette. This event placed it at the confluence of art and architecture, a flexible space that allowed for some exciting adventures and inaugurated a series of exhibitions and scenographies: co-curator of the French Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2008 as part of the French Touch collective, Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, etc.

Some of Hamonic+Masson & Associés’s most prominent projects include:

• HOME , Paris, France
• New’R, Nantes, France
• The Docks Dombasles: 25 apartments and offices Le Havre, France
• Centre des Archives Contemporaines, Fontainebleau, France
• Urban Dock, Bordeaux, France

The following statistics helped Hamonic+Masson & Associés achieve 5th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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4. h2o architectes

h2o architectes is an office of creative architectural design also specializing in the restoration of ancient monuments. It is lead by three architects: Charlotte Hubert architect dipl. DPLG and historical preservation architect, Jean-Jacques Hubert architect dipl. DPLG founder of the office and Antoine Santiard architect dipl. EPFL who joined in 2008.

Established as a firm in 2005, the leading architects have had multiple collaborations since 2000. They have executed projects and won international competitions both as independent architects as well as for other major architects (Bruno Decaris, Jakob+MacFarlane, Bernard Tschumi). h2o works on a wide scope of projects and scales including historical monuments and sites, urban planning, architecture and design.

Some of h2o architectes’s most prominent projects include:

• Chatou, Chatou, France
• The Cabin French Alps, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, France
• “Front and back” Apartment, Paris, France
• Eva’s Bed
• 20 social housing and 3 commercial spaces, Paris, France

The following statistics helped h2o architectes achieve 4th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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3. FREAKS freearchitects

freearchitects is a Paris-based architecture firm lead by three architects favouring prospection, research and experimentation through projects and building process practices from small scale art installations to large scale architecture competitions. Although nowadays their built projects are mostly located in France, FREAKS’s partners have lived and experienced a wide range of abroad working contexts such as San Francisco, Tokyo, Beijing, Berlin, Mumbai, Singapore & Istanbul.

Some of FREAKS freearchitects’s most prominent projects include:

• SAMMODE research & development center, Lamotte-Beuvron, France
• Refurbishment of the historical Strasbourg zoo’s pedagogical farm and new visitor center, Strasbourg, France
• SUR MESURE, Paris, France
• Pavillion in a garden, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
• Tribal Act Historical Tattoo and Piercing Parlor in Paris, Paris, France

The following statistics helped FREAKS freearchitects achieve 3rd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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2. Atelier Zündel Cristea

Officially established in January of 2001, today AZC includes around thirty people organized into four areas: design, research, construction, and administration of projects. Our teams are made up of young architects from all over the world, as the diversity of our own respective Swiss-American and Romanian origins has brought us to an understanding of the interest in crossing cultures and transgressing boundaries. Consequently, the efficiency and creativity of our firm are bolstered by a constant effort in observing what’s going on elsewhere, in striving to work outside our country, in taking an interest in differences.

Each of our projects are embodied by a strategy of qualitatively occupying sites, without preconceptions regarding their geographic location, their programmatic requirements, or their scale.

Some of Atelier Zündel Cristea’s most prominent projects include:

• Bouncing Bridge
• Grenelle tower
• Office building, Vevey, Switzerland
• Treasury office, Muntzenheim, France
• Medical care center, Limay, France

The following statistics helped Atelier Zündel Cristea achieve 2nd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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1. Atelier du Pont

Atelier du Pont is a multipolar agency that combines public and private projects, architecture and town planning, interiors and exteriors, and reinvents itself with each new commission and encounter, developing an individual response to each specific context. This is a creative, serious, subtle interplay using a wide variety of colours, materials and styles to create spaces that are appropriate and imaginative, both outside time and of their time, life-enhancing for their users and inspiring for their designers. Since the agency was established, it has completed a range of public facilities all over France and built a large number of housing projects for social funding agencies and private property developers.

Some of Atelier du Pont’s most prominent projects include:

• Holiday house with swimming pool, Le Cap Ferret, France
• 25 rue Michel le Comte, Paris Le Marais, Paris, France
• Offices for the Community of Municipalities, Les Herbiers, France
• Woody – Office building near Paris (France), Saint-Maurice, France
• Dominique Duvauchelle Stadium, Créteil, France

The following statistics helped Atelier du Pont achieve 1st place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Paris:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

The post 25 Best Architecture and Design Firms in Paris appeared first on Journal.

These annual rankings were last updated on July 18th, 2024. Want to see your firm on next year’s list? Continue reading for more on how you can improve your studio’s ranking.

South Korea’s architectural language has developed over centuries, undergoing many evolutions and stylistic variations — many influenced by wavering politics. From the Japanese occupation to the devastating Korean War, South Korea’s urban fabric has endured many moments of unrest. The remains from times of political strife now stand alongside the nation’s contemporary architecture.

The nation’s pre-modern architecture is heavily influenced by Buddhism and Chinese design. South Korea’s mountainous landscape is home to traditional sloped-roof dwellings, temples and palaces attributed to past dynasties. Take the Changdeokgung Palace and the Haeinsa Temple, for example. These two relics are among South Korea’s 15 World Heritage Sites.

Alongside the tradition found in South Korean architecture is an astute interest in modern architecture and technology. Following the Korean War, the divide between North and South brought forth independent architectural styles. Once the dust from the wars settled and capital increased, Korean architecture flourished. A new sensibility was found — one that rejects pragmatism and encourages experimentation and sophistication. South Korean architects began studying abroad and fusing their international perspectives with cultural tradition to breed a distinct Korean spirit. Seoul, South Korea’s capital, has become an international stage for large-scale and impressive architectural feats.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in South Korea based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2024)
• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2024)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2024)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of South Korea architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 30 best architecture firms in South Korea:

31. Joongwon Architects

Joongwon Architects was founded in 1985 and is a second-generation architectural collective. Although we create results in the present, we respect the accumulated experience of the field that has gone through countless trials and errors and repetitions from the past, and we strive to ensure that the inspirations on our shiny desks are translated into lasting meaning. Unlike inventors, for architects, a creative moment is a small moment in which we discover values in life that we hadn’t realized through continuous observation. Joongwon Architects is steadily creating healthy places in our cities based on a delicate understanding of life, and we are creating spaces that can last for a long time based on our sincere interest in architecture.

Some of Joongwon Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Lightus Retreat, South Lake Tahoe, CA, United States
• Forest Edge, Hongcheon-gun, South Korea

The following statistics helped Joongwon Architects achieve 31st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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30. 2m2 architects

2m2 architects was founded in Seoul by architect Junghee Lee. It tries to suggest new cultural and social possibility in old-fashioned, conventional existing Korean architect and aims to produce high quality final architecture so that architect, client and constructor can be satisfied.

Based on differentiated design, the company reflects details on construction accumulated in the field for several years on design and provide client.
In addition, while having interest in various fields such as design, music, image and street culture other than architecture, the company plans, designs and constructs the project through collaboration with expertise in different

Some of 2m2 architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Geoje house_Younghaeawon(????), Geoje-si, South Korea
• Boombox House, South Korea
• Apple Farm House, Pohang-si, South Korea
• Sista House, Seoul, South Korea
• Daebong-dong Commercial_skipfloor, Daegu, South Korea

The following statistics helped 2m2 architects achieve 30th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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29. UTAA

UTAA is a South Korean architecture and design firm. Its work is mainly focused around residential projects.

Some of UTAA’s most prominent projects include:

• Rest Hole in the University of Seoul, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
• Black Box, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, South Korea
• Boseong House, Boseong-gun, South Korea
• Pinocchio, Pocheon-si, South Korea
• Cinema House, Paju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped UTAA achieve 29th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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28. Z_Lab

Z_Lab is a design group to create a place and space based communication with region and reflects the individual’s desire and will. We must achieve a balance of individual aspirations and regional universality in terms of the design and regional identity. In this instance we create a new experience for staying out through space and personalized lifestyle brand.

We would like to contribute to give a new experience for many people beyond the geographic boundaries based on the place and space. So that our results can be created with a private transfer to local and sustainable value for the future to create a positive business model based on the person and region.

Some of Z_Lab’s most prominent projects include:

• Zer0place, Seosan-si, South Korea
• Creativehouse, Seoul, South Korea
• Pyeongdae Panorama, Jeju-si, South Korea
• Yuwolbyulchae, Jeju-si, South Korea
• blindwhales, Jeju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Z_Lab achieve 28th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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27. ANM

ANM is an architecture and design studio. ANM is technical and methodological, emphasizing only diversity and differentiation. In the midst of biased architectural trends, realistic and honest architectural relationships ANM works in a balanced way between the architect’s intentions and the architectural needs.

Some of ANM’s most prominent projects include:

• Monk’s Cabin (Zen Room for a Buddhist Monk), Pyeongchang-gun, South Korea
• House in Jeju, Jeju-do, South Korea
• D Church, Yeoju-gun, South Korea
• Yangpyeong House, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea
• Coffee House_Dong am, Yangpyeong-gun, South Korea

The following statistics helped ANM achieve 27th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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26. Oh jongsang

Oh jongsang is a South Korean architecture and design firm. Its work is mainly focused around religious projects.

Some of Oh jongsang’s most prominent projects include:

• YI building, South Korea
• SM church, South Korea
• Daejeon West church, South Korea
• Hanul Namoo Church, Suwon-si, South Korea
• Bujang-li house, South Korea

The following statistics helped Oh jongsang achieve 26th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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25. HyunjoonYoo Architects

Architecture is to design relationships. We seek to create harmony among people and with nature through new architectural visions.

Some of HyunjoonYoo Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• The Void, Korea
• Ssangdalri House, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• HUB, Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Mug Hakdong
• Hanok 3.0, Daejeon, South Korea

The following statistics helped HyunjoonYoo Architects achieve 25th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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24. DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE

Cities need more accessible and reconfigurable construction strategies to foster the culture of dynamic placemaking in the context of ephemeral and transitory programs in our contemporary city. Stick Snap Stack is an alternative construction system to offer such a resilient construction framework. The system utilizes the simplicity of ‘stacking’ inspired by the traditional wood joinery method. Without bonding agents, the system uses a ‘snapping’ induced interlocking system for the unique stacking mechanism.

The geometry of the centerpiece can be fabricated to shift the stacking angle, while modularized three legs of the assembled unit block interlock with other blocks to complete a rhombohedral unit cell acting as a self-supporting structural ‘module.’

Some of DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE’s most prominent projects include:

• HIGH LIVING
• STICK SNAP STACK, Seoul, South Korea
• Hotel Solitaire, Seoul, South Korea
• Unduk-Naru, Seoul, South Korea
• SLANTED MEMORIAL, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped DIOINNO ARCHITECTURE PLLC achieve 24th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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23. D.LIM Architects

D·LIM is an architectural group ledby its two principals, Yeonghwan Lim and Sunhyun Kim. Lim, a professor at Hongik University and a registered architect in Pennsylvania, is responsible for creative design. Kim holds a master’s degree in project management from Harvard University and is responsible for the execution of projects. She is a registered architect in Korea.

Some of D.LIM Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Ahn Jung-geun Memorial Hall, Seoul, South Korea
• H&M Seoul Hongdae Store, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Stardom Entertainment Office, Seoul, Korea, Republic of
• Coconut house, Seongnam-si, South Korea
• CJ Nine Bridges “The Forum”, Seogwipo-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped D.LIM Architects achieve 23rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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22. YounghanChung Architects

Younghan Chung architects, the architectural studio based on Seoul, seeks for new typology of living in the dense and uniform picture of the city and studies experimental and creative design processes through the relationship of various phenomena of the city.

Some of YounghanChung Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Floating Cubes, Cheongwon-gun, South Korea
• POROSCAPE, Seoul, South Korea
• 9X9 EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE, Yangju, South Korea
• Five Trees, Busan, South Korea
• 6X6 HOUSE

The following statistics helped YounghanChung Architects achieve 22nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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21. Lee Eunseok+KOMA

In 1995, representative architect Lee won the first prize in the international competition KOMA (Korea American Museum of Art and Cutural Center) in Los Angeles, USA, with R.Meier, M.Graves, and J.S.Kim, renowned architects, as judges, from 475 participating teams from 68 countries around the world, and presented the concept of an open platform, a common value of mankind, and a space based on the motif of a lifted traditional horizontal roof to the world. Thus, the values of ‘lifted architecture’ and ‘open space’ were incorporated into the name and are the main concepts of KOMA’s current architecture.

Some of Lee Eunseok+KOMA’s most prominent projects include:

• Saemoonan Church, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Son Yang Won Memorial Museum, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• Heavenly Gem Church, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea
• Erum Church, South Korea

The following statistics helped Lee Eunseok+KOMA achieve 21st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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20. WISE Architecture

Young Jang, AIA, received his Master of Architecture from University of California, Berkeley after received Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Hongik University in Korea. He worked at Iroje Architects and Planners, Seoul, Korea, and Rafael Vinoly Architects, and Steven Holl Architects, New York.

Sook Hee Chun, AIA, received her Master of Architecture from Princeton University after received BS in Architecture from Ewha Womans University in Korea. She worked at Iroje Architects and Planners, Seoul, Korea, and Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, New York. After Jointly establishing WISE Architecture in 2008, the two completed several small but meaningful projects focusing on materiality of everydayness in Seoul.

Some of WISE Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• BOX MOBILE GALLERY, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• ABC Building, Seoul, South Korea
• Dialogue in the Dark Bukchon, Seoul, South Korea
• Red Mirror Strips, Seoul, South Korea
• Mu;M Building, Korea

The following statistics helped WISE Architecture achieve 20th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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19. JMY architects

‘Architecturing’ has two main meanings. First, it refers to the basic posture and method of constructing in a present progressive sense rather than the resultant object of an architecture. Second, it also describes the object of design as ‘a work of organizing a space’ rather than the external form. There is no end if architecture is confronted with difficulty.

Occasionally, the numerous theories and results of architectures and cities deceive our mind and disturb the liberal thoughts of our brain. Since our knowledge and experiences are limited, an attitude of learning something new and emptying our mind everyday is required.
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Pure intellectual curiosity, positive thinking, and attitude that can stand up to the challenges we face will broaden our knowledge and deepen our thought. It is architecturing of JMY architects to enjoy learning and doing so.

Some of JMY architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Woljam-Ri House, South Korea
• [5X17] Daecheong-dong Small House, Busan, South Korea
• [Sky ground] Sinsa-dong Office Complex, Seoul, South Korea
• [Cheonggye-ri House] Where mountains, lakes and sky meet, apparatus at the boundary and gap, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
• [EARNEST CAPE] The Hill where the sky and the sea take a break, Ulsan, South Korea

The following statistics helped JMY architects achieve 19th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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18. ON Architecture INC.

We will suggest various models through investigations on the values and possibilities of local architecture. We will go beyond the junction between physical, environmental, and realistic factors towards suggesting an alternative that builds up the communicative relationships between people and between local areas. We will seek after the creation of new values by exploring social and cultural phenomena with insightful thinking. We will become a sustainable group that makes ceaseless experiments on various alternatives to create limitless values and business models based on architecture. We are mainly interested in the small relationships of architecture created by many people after gathering, and will put values on social change stemming from small things.

Some of ON Architecture INC.’s most prominent projects include:

• Y-HOUSE, Ulsan, South Korea
• Tower House, Gimhae-si, South Korea
• Min Hwi Jeong, Ulsan, South Korea
• Project Floor Area Ratio Game, Ulsan, South Korea
• Double house, Ulsan, South Korea

The following statistics helped ON Architecture INC. achieve 18th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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17. Archium

Archium is a South Korean architecture and design firm. Its work is mainly focused around commercial and residential projects.

Some of Archium’s most prominent projects include:

• Persona, Seoul, South Korea
• Bauzium Sculpture Gallery, Gangwon-do, South Korea
• Gilmosery, Seoul, South Korea
• Khmeresque, Battambang, Cambodia
• Himalesque, Jomsom, Nepal

The following statistics helped Archium achieve 17th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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16. EHLA

Architecture is nothing. However, architecture is more significant than any others like air in our life. Architecture is not a hero. Architecture is just a stage of our living. We do not want architecture to say a lot of showing language to come forward from the surroundings. As people live healthier within clean air, we want architecture to be a clean, pure and honest artifact that holds human life silently. We do not believe architecture will change the world and we do not work in order to change the world through architecture. For now, we, aoa architects, are about to construct the architecture with architecture itself without a metadiscourse beyond architecture.

Some of EHLA’s most prominent projects include:

• ?House (digeut-jip), Eumseong-gun, South Korea
• Chubby Cat House, Seoul, South Korea
• villa mangwon – stacked house, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Malefemale House, Seoul, South Korea
• villa Jeju, Seogwipo-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped EHLA achieve 16th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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15. ArchiWorkshop

We are architects, who think, create, enjoy and share everyday architecture.

Some of ArchiWorkshop’s most prominent projects include:

• White Cube Mangwoo, Seoul, South Korea
• ArchiGlam_Glamping, South Korea
• Mobile Library, Seoul, South Korea
• Glamping on the Rock, South Korea
• Red Square House, South Korea

The following statistics helped ArchiWorkshop achieve 15th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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14. Architecture Studio YEIN

Architecture Studio YEIN is an architectural practice based on South Korea. Its work is mainly focused around residential projects.

Some of Architecture Studio YEIN’s most prominent projects include:

• Sushi-Hu, Noam-dong, Gangneung-si, South Korea
• Dried Persimmon House, Gangneung-si, South Korea
• BomBom Boutique Hotel, Gangneung-si, South Korea
• Haemutje House, South Korea
• PanPanhouse in Yucheon-dong, Gangneung-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Architecture Studio YEIN achieve 14th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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13. SsD

SsD is an architecture firm that approaches design as a convergent, interdisciplinary venture. Minimum form takes maximum effect with the goal to bridge the utopian and the pragmatic. Instead of separating aspects of architecture, landscape, history, social systems, and codes into their constituent disciplines, these agendas are simultaneously explored so that each discipline symbiotically gains from the other.  In this way sustainability emerges as an integrated rather than additive result.

Some of SsD’s most prominent projects include:

• Simgok, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, South Korea
• Songpa Micro-Housing, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Oasis Place
• Sundial House, Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea
• Big Dig House, Lexington, Massachusetts

The following statistics helped SsD achieve 13th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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12. HAEAHN Architecture

HAEAHN Architecture, marking its 34th anniversary this year, has been continuously striving to design valuable urban environmental projects based on creativity and innovation since its establishment in 1990. HAEAHN has been in alliance with H Architecture, New York, USA since 2011 and established several overseas offices which have greatly contributed to its extensive growth in becoming a world standard architectural design firm. Overseas offices such as, Baghdad Branch Office, Republic of Iraq in 2014, Ho Chi Minh City Branch Office, Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 2018.

Some of HAEAHN Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• National Assembly Communication Building, Seoul, South Korea
• Hwaseong Hambaeksan Memorial Park, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Incheon Children Science Museum, South Korea
• Baseball Dream Park, Daejeon, South Korea
• National Aviation Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped HAEAHN Architecture achieve 12th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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11. OBBA

The Office for Beyond Boundaries Architecture (OBBA) was founded in 2012 by So-jung Lee and Sang-Jun Kwak, to pursue a combination of multiple choices and solutions by looking at the rapidly changing current current society and the various problems that arise in the niche of its changing from a unified perspective rather than individual perception.

Some of OBBA’s most prominent projects include:

• The Vault House, Hadong-gun, South Korea
• Beyond the Screen, Seoul, Korea
• The Floating Island, Bruges, Belgium
• The Oasis, Yongin-si, South Korea
• The Illusion, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped OBBA achieve 11th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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10. Yong Ju Lee Architecture

Yong Ju Lee, AIA is principal of Seoul-based Yong Ju Lee Architecture. He has been working for stimulating design for everyday life in multiple scales and media. His works are presented worldwide such as National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Seoul), Museum of Modern Art (New York) and Venice Biennale. He also received world-renowned awards including Korean Public Architecture Award, iF Design Award and Design Vanguard.

He earned academic degrees from Yonsei University and Columbia University. He is registered architect in Massachusetts and had been a founding partner of New York based E/B Office. He is currently assistant professor at Seoul National University of Science and Technology.

Some of Yong Ju Lee Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Myeonmok Fire Station, Seoul, South Korea
• Root Bench, Seoul, South Korea
• Hoehyeon Community, Seoul, South Korea
• Dispersion, Suwon, South Korea
• Wing Tower, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Yong Ju Lee Architecture achieve 10th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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9. L’EAU design

L’EAU Design is a group seeking after such environment as falling under comprehensive sense and attempt the relationship with architectural design. ‘Environment’ includes meanings of social and cultural conditions that influence in human lifestyle as well as ecological and build environment. L’EAU Design, since its establishment in 2000, has been pursuing a total design focused on ‘Architecture and Urbanism’ ‘Renovation and Interior Design’ ‘Environment Design’ in order to architecturally design diverse concerns amid the better ‘human environment’, which is based on their research about social and cultural background of human.

Some of L’EAU design’s most prominent projects include:

• Matryoshka, Korea
• Tropism of wild flower, Seoul, South Korea
• Song-chu Bending Band, Yangju-si, South Korea
• Jeju BAYHILL POOL & VILLA _ EGOISTIC CROPPING, Yeraehaean-ro, Seogwipo-si, South Korea
• Cosmos Intime, Gwangju, South Korea

The following statistics helped L'EAU design Co.,Ltd. achieve 9th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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8. stpmj

stpmj is an award winning design practice based in New York and Seoul. The office was founded by Seung Teak Lee and Mi Jung Lim with the agenda of “provocative realism.” It is a series of synergetic explorations that occur on the boundary between the ideal and the real. It is based on simplicity of form and detail, clarity of structure, excellence in environmental function, use of new materials, and rational management of budget. To these, the team adds ideas generated from curiosity in everyday life as they pursue a methodology for dramatically exploiting the limitations of reality. Resulting from these new perspectives, their work is nuanced yet bold and represents a reaction against architectural clichés.

Some of stpmj’s most prominent projects include:

• Invisible Barn, Truckee, California
• Shear House, Yecheon-gun, South Korea
• Stratum House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• The Surface, Gwacheon-si, South Korea
• Dissolving Arch, Jeju-do, South Korea

The following statistics helped stpmj achieve 8th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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7. JOHO Architecture

Interpreting architecture as a part of the humanities, JOHO Architectrue bases their philosophy on creating new identity and discourse in contemporary cities. In addition, architectural materials are set as a unit of ‘geo-metry’ and designs are developed through the grouping, addition and subtraction of these units. This ‘material_metry’ refers to the reinterpretation of a material’s meaning within the context of a site.

Some of JOHO Architecture’s most prominent projects include:

• Namhae Cheo-ma House
• The Curving House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Casa Geometrica, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Time Stacking House, Seoul, South Korea
• Platform-L Contemporary Art Center, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped JOHO Architecture achieve 7th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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6. BCHO Architects Associates

Founded in Seoul, Korea in 1994, BCHO Architects started as a design build office with a focus on simple structures and strong regard for nature. Since 1998 the practice focus is  architecture and furniture, however we work very closely with contractors and multiple fabrication specialists in various disciplines; including stone masons, product designers, wood workers, potters, lighting engineers, furniture and graphic designers and artists. We also have multiple professional collaborators in Montana, Massachussetts, California, Hawaii and Peru. BCHO Architects believe that buildings, furniture and art are made, not created. Each architectural project, encompassing various scales and programs, explores the phenomenon of light and space, fabrication and construction methods , recycling and reusing, and a broad sense of sustainability (social/cultural/physical) which uses our collective creative energy to reduce our buildings demand for grid energy.

Some of BCHO Architects Associates’s most prominent projects include:

• Namhae Southcape Linear Suite Hotel, Namhae-gun, South Korea
• Twin Tree Towers, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• L House
• Hanil Cement Information Center and Guesthouse, Maepo-eup, Danyang-gun, South Korea
• Camerata Music Space

The following statistics helped BCHO Architects Associates achieve 6th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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5. Suh Architects

With every project, Suh Architects is defined by the marriage of function and verve. It does not adhere to a predetermined style, and expects its architecture to outlast current trends. Buildings must not only make sense spatially and in an intangible way, but also keep the rain out, heat in, and stay within budget. The firm is well-aware that this sort of harmony is only made possible by maintaining consistent standards and fully understanding its clients’ needs.

Its founder, Eulho Suh, is directly involved in the design and execution of each project from its initial conception, through planning, construction, and completion. With every project, spatial clarity and human scale are foremost; subsequent details are held to the highest standard of execution.

Some of Suh Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• HYUNDAI SONGPA, Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS FC CLUBHOUSE, Bongdong-eup, Wanju-gun, South Korea
• GENESIS SUJI, Suji-gu, Yongin-si, South Korea
• GENESIS STUDIO, Hanam-si, South Korea
• HYUNDAI MOTORSTUDIO, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Suh Architects achieve 5th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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4. Mass Studies

Mass Studies was founded in 2003 by Minsuk Cho in Seoul, Korea, as a critical investigation of architecture in the context of mass production, intensely over-populated urban conditions, and other emergent cultural niches that define contemporary society. Amid the many frictions defining spatial conditions in the twenty-first century, namely past vs. future, local vs. global, utopia vs. reality, and individual vs. collective, Mass Studies focuses on the operative complexity of these multiple conditions instead of striving for a singular, unified perspective. For each architectural project, which exist across a wide range of scales, Mass Studies explores issues such as spatial systems/matrixes, building materials/techniques, and typological divergences to foster a vision that allows the discovery of new socio/cultural potential.

Some of Mass Studies’ most prominent projects include:

• Daum Space.1
• Southcape Owner’s Club – Clubhouse, Yeosu, Korea, Republic of
• Bundle Matrix: S-Trenue, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Missing Matrix Building: Boutique Monaco, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• Ann Demeulemeester Shop, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The following statistics helped Mass Studies achieve 4th place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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3. Moon Hoon

Moon Hoon is an architectural practice based on South Korea. Its work is mainly focused around residential projects.

Some of Moon Hoon’s most prominent projects include:

• Two Moon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Vi-sang House, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
• Busan Times, Busan, South Korea
• Simple House, Jeju-si, South Korea
• Wind House, Jeju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Moon Hoon achieve 3rd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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2. IROJE KHM Architects

IROJE KHM Architects is many kinds of award-winning architect’s office in Seoul, Korea. Kim Hyo Man, the principal of IROJE KHM Architects, is architect, concurrent professor of graduate school of architecture and editorial adviser of architectural magazine.

Some of IROJE KHM Architects’ most prominent projects include:

• Ga On Jai, Kwangmy?ng, Korea, Republic of
• HWA HUN, South Korea
• Kyeong Dok Jai, Goyang-si, South Korea
• Tetris Nursery, Dobong-gu, Seoul, South Korea
• STELLA FIORE, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped IROJE KHM Architects achieve 2nd place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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1. Studio Gaon

Studio Gaon was founded in 1998 and is represented by Lim Hyoung-nam and Roh Eun-joo. Gaon means ‘center’ in Korean. The firm carries out various urban and architectural projects. The architecture they pursue harmonizes with nature and contemplates the locality of Korea and the present nature of architecture.

The studio is particularly interested in traditional architecture featuring the locality of Korea and Seoul, where we are mainly active. From their point of view, the biggest feature of Korean architecture is the movement of space, compared to other oriental architectures such as that of Japan and China.

Some of Studio Gaon’s most prominent projects include:

• Jetavana Buddhist Temple, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon-si, South Korea
• Casa Gaia, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, South Korea
• Labyrinthos, South Korea
• Top image: The House With Four Wings, Incheon, South Korea
• House of January, House on the Demarcation, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju-si, South Korea

The following statistics helped Studio Gaon achieve 1st place in the 30 Best Architecture Firms in South Korea:

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Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

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We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

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