Now celebrating its 18th year, the prestigious ABB LEAF Awards returned to Germany to celebrate the outstanding projects and personalities that have made the biggest impact upon the built environment, and the international architectural community.

Highlights of the inspirational awards ceremony, held in Berlin, included MOZHAO ARCHITECTS ‘Zishe·Planting Pavilion and Planting Terrace’, Shenzhen, China receiving the honour of Overall Winner 2019. Diller Scofidio + Renfro was also honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The awards included winners of the two new categories Best Arts & Culture Building Project OPEN Architecture ‘UCCA Dune Art Museum’, Qinhuangdao, China and Best New Start Up Practice Project Nathanael Dorent + Lily Jencks ‘Ruins Studio’, Dumfries, Scotland, UK. Other winning categories included Best Future Building Under Construction Project ODA New York ‘Postkantoor’, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects receiving three honours with ‘Ford Point Revitalization’, Richmond, California, US winning Best Regenerative Impact Project, ‘Center Street Parking Garage’, Berkeley, California, US, Best Façade Design & Engineering Project and ‘Uber Advanced Technologies Group R&D Center’, San Francisco, California US, Best Refurbishment Project.

Commenting on the awards, Katrin Förster, global key account manager for architects at ABB, said:

“The most impressive aspect about this year’s awards was the diversity of entries on show from all over the world. We saw everything from the renovation of a hut on the outskirts of Scotland, to a coffee shop in Korea, a super modern hotel in Macau, an arena in Senegal, a vinegar museum in China, an exclusive shopping mall in Hamburg to a R&D centre in San Francisco. How unique to have such a brilliant array of projects for the judges to choose from! It motivates us, as technology innovators, to work closer with architects and develop solutions that truly help to create the best buildings of the future.”

The 2019 ABB LEAF Awards winners

  • Overall Winner: MOZHAO ARCHITECTS, ‘Zishe·Planting Pavilion and Planting Terrace’, Shenzhen, China
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Diller Scofidio + Renfro
  • Best Arts and Culture Building Project: OPEN Architecture, ‘UCCA Dune Art Museum’, Qinhuangdao, China
  • Best New Start Up Practice Project: Nathanael Dorent + Lily Jencks, ‘Ruins Studio’, Dumfries, Scotland, UK
  • Best Tall Building Project: Zaha Hadid Architects, ‘Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre’, Nanjing, China
  • Best Regenerative Impact Project: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, ‘Ford Point Revitalization’, Richmond, California US
  • Best Mixed Use Building Project: West-line Studio, ‘Up to the Mountain and Down to the River’, Fuxing Town, China
  • Best Residential Building Project – Single Occupancy – Sponsored by Laufen: Fujiwara Muro Architects, ‘House in Toyonaka’, Osaka, Japan
  • Best Residential Building Project – Multiple Occupancy – Sponsored by Laufen: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, ‘Manhattan Loft Gardens (The Stratford)’, London, UK
  • Best Interior Design Project: Design Studio MAOOM, ‘Coffee Nap Roasters 2nd’, Seoul, Korea
  • Best Commercial Building Project: TCHOBAN VOSS Architects, ‘Große Bleichen 19’, Hamburg, Germany
  • Best Hospitality Building Project: STUDIO QI, ‘Annso Hill’, Tengchong, China
  • Best Refurbishment Project: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, ‘Uber Advanced Technologies Group R&D Center’, San Francisco, California US
  • Best Public Building Project: Andrew Bromberg at Aedas, ‘Hong Kong West Kowloon Station’, Hong Kong
  • Best Achievement in Environmental Performance Project: LUO studio, ‘Longfu Life Experience Centre’, Puyang County, China
  • Best Future Building Under Construction Project: ODA New York, ‘Postkantoor’, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  • Best Urban Design Project: MOZHAO ARCHITECTS, ‘Zishe·Planting Pavilion and Planting Terrace’, Shenzhen, China
  • Best Façade Design and Engineering Project – Sponsored by Inox-Color: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects, ‘Center Street Parking Garage’, Berkeley, California US

We would like to thank all of our entrants this year as well as our prestigious ABB LEAF Awards Judging Panel:

  • Alan Crawford – Architect and Founder, Crawford Partnership Architects – Chairman of the ABB LEAF Awards
  • Sir Peter Cook – Founder, Archigram & Director, CRAB studio
  • Roland Bechmann – Managing Director & Partner, Werner Sobek Stuttgart
  • Anne Becker-Olins – Senior Vice President, Design & Technical Services – Luxury Brands Europe, AccorHotels
  • Werner Frosch – Director, Henning Larsen
  • Ciara Gormley – Director – Head of Design, Lodha
  • Monika Moser – Managing Director, Wilson Associates
  • Viviana Muscettola – Associate Director, Zaha Hadid Architects
  • Tateo Nakajima – Director, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Arup
  • Javier Quintana – Partner, IDOM Architecture
  • Alireza Razavi – Founder, Studio Razavi Architecture
  • Paolo Rossi – Associate Director, Pace
  • Cees Van der Spek – Public Affairs & Global Corporate Relations Director, OVG
  • Bernard Storch – Partner, PLP Architecture
  • Lucy Tilley – Associate Principle UK & Global Projects, Adjaye Associates.