The winners of the 14th Architizer A+Awards are live! Discover a global cohort of architects shaping the future of design, and subscribe to our Awards Newsletter for future program updates.
Why does “intelligent architecture” still make us imagine futuristic buildings? The “problem” starts with the definition of intelligence in design. Historically, the word implies complexity — for example, parametric structures, engineering feats or responsive technology like kinetic façades, smart sensors and so forth. These “portrayals” are not wrong, but they are also not the whole story.
At first glance, intelligence seems synonymous with problem-solving. The more complex the challenge, the more sophisticated the solution must be. Naturally, architects have been embracing this logic for decades, trying to push beyond the limits of current technologies. When turning, however, to cognitive science (for assistance), another type of intelligence is considered — one that, instead of solutions, offers a deeper understanding of not only problems but surroundings as well. Architectural intelligence, then, shifts from being smart to being wise.
Hall Street Pier by the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc., Nelson, Canada | Popular Winner, Architecture +Community, 14th Architizer A+Awards
There may be another reason why architectural intelligence has long been synonymous with innovation. For much of the twentieth century, the profession celebrated projects that introduced something new: a structural breakthrough, a novel material or an entirely new formal language. Originality became the benchmark of progress. The twenty-first century, on the other hand, asks for something a lot quieter: a more observant architect and a more curious client, who begin a project by asking “what can we learn?” instead of “what can we invent?”, ultimately treating architecture as part of a much larger web of relationships.
If intelligence begins with observation, the next question becomes: what, exactly, are architects paying attention to? The answer varies from project to project, but several recurring themes begin to emerge.
“Shuangjing Teahouse” by ZJJZ Atelier, China | Popular Winner, Architecture +Context, 14th Architizer A+Awards
Environmental attentiveness can be understood as a building’s ability to respond to, rather than override, the natural systems already at work on site. The “Shuangjing Teahouse” project is located at the head of a historic, riverside stone bridge, Shanqing Bridge (1737), that once served as a commercial social hub. The project essentially renovates a narrow, two-story building and relinks it to the site’s context.
The original walls, the roof’s form and window openings are retained wherever possible, as well as a decades-old grapevine growing against the building — all helping establish an intricate dialogue between the architecture and the river landscape: large operable windows extend the teahouse toward Shanqing Bridge, a cantilevered balcony overlooks the river, and a series of recessed eaves create an array of semi-outdoor spaces. Light also becomes a primary design driver, where two roof-integrated light wells bring daylight deep into the narrow interior, allowing visitors to experience the seasonal changes.
Hall Street Pier by the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc., Nelson, Canada | Popular Choice Winner, Architecture +Community, 14th Architizer A+Awards
Social attentiveness means designing around the ways people already connect — to each other, to a place and to its history. The Hall Street Pier project reimagines a historic pier as a flexible public space for recreation and reconnects the city with Kootenay Lake. Although programmatically, the pier serves as civic infrastructure, it also acts as a threshold between the city residents and the waterfront.
Building upon collective memory, the design draws inspiration from the Ladybird, a locally built speedboat that remains an important symbol of civic pride and is displayed at the pavilion. Local craftsmanship and traditional boat-building techniques became the cornerstones for the pier’s implementation. Yet the largest contribution it offers to the local community is its flexibility in accommodating a diverse range of activities, such as markets, concerts, ceremonies, as well as informal daily use.
Quinta de Adorigo Winery by Atelier Sérgio Rebelo, Tabuaço, Portugal | Jury Winner, Architecture +Wood, 14th Architizer A+Awards
Material attentiveness begins by asking not “what should this building look like?” but “what should this building be made of, and why?” It requires architects to design with a deep understanding of what a specific material can do, rather than simply its aesthetic quality. In the case of Quinta de Adorigo Winery, wood becomes the backbone (literally) of the project. Schist and granite — materials traditionally found throughout the Douro Valley — are used as foundational building blocks to root the building within its local context. Upon them, laminated timber frames and CLT panels make up the structure and the skin of the winery, heavily reflecting the colors of the surrounding vineyards.
The philosophy behind the specific material choice follows three key principles: strengthening the regional construction industries, contributing to the building’s passive environmental performance and lastly, selecting a material that embraces material aging — as the architect describes it, the building will improve with age, “like a good Port wine.”
Dali Transformer Factory Theatrical District by Atelier Alter Architects, Dali, China, Jury Winner, Concepts – A+ Adaptive Reuse, 14th A+ Awards
Finally, temporal attentiveness means recognizing that every building exists within a continuum of time. To put it simply, architects should acknowledge that places have a past and should be capable of supporting multiple futures. Like many adaptive reuse projects, the Dali Transformer Factory Theatrical District gives new life to an abandoned industrial site. The factory becomes a theatrical park that contains theatres, exhibition spaces, restaurants, bookstores, craft spaces and public landscapes.
Still, the architects have not only preserved and “reused” the building’s material components – such as the original steel frames and the stone walls – but have also expanded the original functions housed within the factory. The guard house became a museum and later a media restaurant; the iron workshop a craft showroom; the storage building a bookstore; and the workshop and dormitory a film archive. The building shell remains, while the interior is made and remade through movable parts and layers of industrial memory that showcase contemporary culture as well as future possibilities of use.
Exploring these projects has exposed a profound cultural shift. I believe that architects have become less interested in proving what they know than in discovering what a place already knows. An attentiveness rooted in humility that eventually allows intelligence to emerge.
The winners of the 14th Architizer A+Awards are live! Discover a global cohort of architects shaping the future of design, and subscribe to our Awards Newsletter for future program updates.
Featured Image: Dali Transformer Factory Theatrical District by Atelier Alter Architects, Dali, China, Jury Winner, Architecture +Adaptive Reuse, 14th Architizer A+Awards
