Exhibit A(rchitecture): The Museum Has Left the Building

The winners of the thirteenth Architizer A+Awards have been introduced! Looking forward to subsequent season? Keep updated by subscribing to our A+Awards Publication.

Within the twenty first century, museums are not passive containers of tradition; they’re energetic contributors in shaping each day life. These successful tasks from the thirteenth A+Awards current a curated number of latest museum tasks from world wide that exemplify this shift. These establishments usually are not solely areas for reflection and studying but additionally engines of city regeneration, social interplay and cultural id.

From the adaptive reuse of business relics in Beijing to the delicate restoration of historic civic buildings within the UK and Portugal, every undertaking demonstrates how structure can bridge the previous and current, the native and international, and custom and innovation. These museums embrace hybrid capabilities, combining exhibition, retail, schooling and group gathering, difficult standard typologies and increasing the function of the museum in public life.

1. Residing Cultural Infrastructure

FW JI· The Rural Reminiscence Museum

By IARA, Huangshan Metropolis, China

Jury Winner, Structure +For Good; Fashionable Alternative Winner, Structure +Localism, thirteenth Architizer A+Awards

In contrast to standard museums that enshrine artifacts behind glass, the Rural Reminiscence Museum redefines the typology as a dwelling area for each remembrance and each day ritual. Elevated above an open-air gathering space, the constructing fuses exhibition and infrastructure, providing shaded, rain-protected area for native weddings, funerals and village feasts. Drawing from the courtyard traditions of southern Anhui, the structure embraces vernacular supplies and types whereas inverting spatial hierarchies to prioritize outward-facing group engagement. Slightly than monumentalizing historical past, it cultivates shared reminiscence by intimate storytelling, remodeling the museum into a up to date ancestral corridor for a rural inhabitants in flux.

2. Historic Restoration

Perth Museum

By Mecanoo, Perth, United Kingdom

Jury Winner, Museum, thirteenth Architizer A+Awards

Mecanoo’s 2024 transformation of Perth’s former Metropolis Corridor into the Perth Museum is a superb instance of architectural restoration, preserving the architectural legacy whereas making it related in the present day. Initially in-built 1914, the Edwardian construction has been revitalized to function a contemporary exhibition and cultural heart. The design respects the constructing’s historic grandeur whereas introducing up to date spatial dynamics and accessibility. This adaptive reuse undertaking not solely preserves a civic landmark but additionally repositions it as a vibrant cultural vacation spot.

3. Embedding Tradition in Nature

The Sorol Artwork Museum

MeierPartners Architects, Gangneung-si, South Korea

Fashionable Alternative Winner, Museum, thirteenth Annual A+Awards

Situated on the Gyo-Dong 7 Public Park in Gangneung, the Sorol Artwork Museum by MeierPartners Architects affords a cultural retreat with panoramic views of the ocean and mountains. Accomplished in 2024, the museum sits atop a pure plateau. The bottom ground connects on to the general public park, enhancing accessibility and group interplay. With its modernist aesthetic and contextual sensitivity, the museum is each a landmark and a gathering area.

4. Increasing Entry to Tradition

Folger Shakespeare Library

KieranTimberlake, Washington, DC

Jury Winner, Structure +Renovation, thirteenth Architizer A+Awards

The 2024 renovation of the Folger Shakespeare Library by KieranTimberlake marks a brand new chapter for this iconic establishment. Over a decade in planning, the undertaking enhances public engagement by new galleries, a café, and collaborative analysis areas. Accessibility upgrades and modernized infrastructure make sure the library’s continued relevance. The design balances respect for the historic material with a forward-looking imaginative and prescient, increasing the library’s attain and reaffirming its function as a cultural and scholarly landmark.

5. Designing with Native Sensitivity

Vila do Bispo Museum

spaceworkers, Vila do Bispo, Portugal

In 2024, spaceworkers accomplished the Vila do Bispo Museum, a delicate intervention that honors the id of its website. The design introduces a brand new quantity that mirrors the type of adjoining constructions, creating a way of continuity whereas asserting its personal architectural presence. This addition serves because the museum’s essential entrance, mixing seamlessly with the prevailing constructing whereas marking a transparent second of transformation. The undertaking exemplifies considerate contextual design, preserving heritage whereas embracing the longer term.

6. Reimagining Industrial Heritage

Valley Strolling: X Museum

Studio NOR, Langyuan Station, China

Valley Strolling: X Museum, designed by Studio NOR in 2023, exhibits how outdated constructions could be reimagined for brand new civic functions. Situated in a repurposed Seventies red-brick manufacturing unit at Langyuan Station, the museum embraces a hybrid id: half cultural hub, half life-style venue. The adaptive reuse of the commercial construction displays a layered architectural narrative, combining historic textures with fashionable interventions. Its openness to developments and recognition challenges standard museum norms, inviting broader public engagement.

7. Expressing Identification Via Type

Yohoo Museum

Aedas, Hangzhou, China

Designed by Aedas and led by Ken Wai, the Yohoo Museum in Hangzhou’s Yuhang District is impressed by the symbolism of jade. Accomplished in 2024, the museum’s aerial type options two interlocking rings, evoking historic Chinese language jade artifacts and symbolizing the connection between Liangzhu tradition and the Grand Canal. This architectural metaphor bridges previous and current. The museum anchors the Liangzhu Yohoo Park, enhancing the district’s id as a historic and inventive hub.

8. Bridging Custom and Innovation

Tianfu Museum of Conventional Chinese language Drugs

MUDA-Architects, Sichuan, China

MUDA-Architects’ Tianfu Museum of Conventional Chinese language Drugs, accomplished in 2024, is a monumental cultural undertaking in Pengzhou, Sichuan. Located inside the Tianfu TCM Metropolis, the 139,930-square-foot (13,000-square-meter) museum celebrates the area’s wealthy medicinal heritage. Surrounded by pure and infrastructural landmarks, the museum is each an academic and experiential area. Its design displays a harmonious mix of custom and innovation, supporting China’s nationwide technique to revitalize conventional drugs.

The winners of the thirteenth Architizer A+Awards have been introduced! Looking forward to subsequent season? Keep updated by subscribing to our A+Awards Publication.