{"id":15125,"date":"2015-10-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/this-is-now\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T10:10:46","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T14:10:46","slug":"this-is-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/industry\/this-is-now\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Now: 5 New A+Award Categories That Reflect the Changing Face of Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Architizer’s A+Awards \u2014 the world\u2019s largest awards program for architecture and products \u2014 is now open for entries, and a host of new categories means the opportunity to celebrate great design on a global stage is greater than ever! Find out how to submit your project here<\/a>.<\/h4>\n

Architecture never stops changing. Our built environment must constantly adapt to address evolving social, economic, and technological contexts, and, as a result, architects are at the forefront of design innovation. Thus, in order to celebrate contemporary buildings and their creators to the maximum extent each year, Architizer\u2019s A+Awards must evolve, too. The world\u2019s largest awards program for architecture and products is constantly expanding, with new categories specifically designed to recognize the radical work designers are doing to address topical issues pertaining to our urban environment as well as the emerging opportunities afforded by extraordinary technological advancements.<\/p>\n

For 2015, a plethora of new \u201cPlus\u201d categories<\/a> have been announced that encapsulate this exciting era of change in the profession. This expansion includes inaugural awards for sectors experiencing an incredible resurgence, including prefabrication and renovations, as well as categories dedicated to emerging technologies such as 3D printing, software, and apps. Here, we highlight five of the most notable new awards and invite you to consider which of your projects best represents the changing face of design:<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Hangzhou Shop Interior by <\/i>SAKO Architects<\/i><\/a>, made from \u2018Bone\u2019 3D-printed nanomaterials, via <\/i>e-architect<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

1. Architecture +3D Printing<\/h2>\n

There was a time when 3D printing was viewed as something of a gimmick, reserved for small experiments and novel demonstrations \u2014 but no more. The technology has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, catapulting into the minds of architects exploring potential uses in modularization, robotic construction<\/a>, and the application of nanomaterials. Projects eligible for the 3D Printing award include anything from a beautifully detailed scale model to a fully inhabitable structure built using this burgeoning technology.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

Model of Shigeru Ban\u2019s housing project for Nepal<\/i><\/p>\n

2. Architecture +Humanitarianism<\/h2>\n

Architects are no strangers to humanitarian architecture, but the sector has taken on a whole new relevance in recent times. This relevance is, in part, due to the growing need for architects to design more resilient cities, as illustrated by the work of the Rebuild by Design<\/a> team in New York and Shigeru Ban\u2019s innovative shelters for post-earthquake Nepal<\/a>. The other reason for the increasing significance of this niche lies online: increased public awareness of crises due to the internet and the blossoming of crowdfunding means there is now more potential than ever for a collective response. This award will serve to recognize the most empowering public interest projects on the planet.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

My Micro NY by nARCHITECTS, Brooklyn, N.Y.<\/i><\/p>\n

3. Architecture +Prefab<\/h2>\n

By 2050, it is estimated that 70 percent of the world\u2019s population will live in cities, and that projection brings with it new challenges that architects are looking to address today. This rapid urbanization has led to a renaissance in the much-maligned art of prefabrication. Projects such as the My Micro NY<\/a> modular apartment block and the speed-building exploits of the Broad Group in China<\/a> have breathed new life into this genre, and a brand new A+Award has now been launched to discover the very best in metabolic, modular, and component-based architecture.<\/p>\n

\n\t\n\t\n<\/div>\n\n

From power plant to dance studio: the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity by BNIM<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

4. Architecture +Renovation<\/h2>\n

Another consequence of our increased densification, radical renovations and innovative examples of adaptive reuse have been on the rise throughout the past year, and now they have the chance to be celebrated on a global stage by winning this specialist A+Award, new for 2015. Any reinvention of an old space is eligible, from a tiny apartment renovation in Tokyo, Japan<\/a>, to the transformation of a towering power plant in Kansas City, Mo.<\/a><\/p>\n