With the turn of the month, public voting has officially opened for the widest reaching architecture awards ceremony in the world: the Architizer A+ Awards. Running for the 11th straight year, the annual awards are curated by Architizer, an online architecture database and search engine based out of New York City. While this year’s nominees are a competitive crop of projects from firms around the world, Canadian designers and Toronto projects have planted themselves firmly in the conversation, and are in contention for several awards. 

The A+ Awards consist of just over 100 categories, covering every type of programming, building size, material use, and nearly anything use you can think of in the architectural realm, including awards for as-yet unbuilt projects along with completed ones. Each category features a shortlist of up to five projects or firms which have been selected by a panel of judges, with the winners ultimately determined by public voting from the shortlisted nominees.

For architecture enthusiasts, reviewing the nominees and casting votes — while somewhat daunting of a task with so many categories — offers the opportunity to view a collection of world-wide projects representing a high standard of cutting edge design and building technologies. It’s also an opportunity to contextualize the state of Canadian architecture, and Toronto architecture particularly, to see how it compares to some of the leading projects around the world. For all the bad that is so often dwelled upon, there is more than enough to be amazed by. 

For those looking to support the homegrown talent or local projects competing for honours in this year’s A+ Awards, we have prepared a list of all pertinent firms and projects shortlisted; more images and descriptions of each project can be found at the links in the respective project title. Voting is open until May 12th, and can be accessed at the link here. 

Cultural Firm:

The Stratford Festival’s new Tom Patterson Theatre by Hariri Pontarini Architects, image by Ann Baggley

Public Projects Firm:

Sustainable Public Transportation Project:

  • Provencher_Roy - Vendôme multimodal hub, Montréal - new entrance pavilion and pedestrian link

Unbuilt Sustainable Non-residential Project:

Limberlost Place, mass timber building designed by Moriyama Teshima Architects, image from submission to City of Toronto

Commercial - Factories & Warehouses:

Cultural - Hall/Theatre:

Cultural - Pavilion

Beaverbrook Art Gallery Expansion, KPMB, image via Archtizer

Institutional - Libraries:

Landscape and Planning - Unbuilt Masterplan

Residential - Private House (4,000 - 6,000 ft²)

Grange House private residence, superkül, image via Archtizer

Residential - Private House (2,000 - 4,000 ft²)

Residential - Private House (6,000 ft² +)

Residential - Unbuilt Multi-unit Housing (10-storey +)

One Delisle, Studio Gang, image from submission to City of Toronto

Residential - Unbuilt Multi-Unit Housing (Less than 10-Storey)

Sports & Recreation - Gyms and Recreation Centres

Sports & Recreation - Stadiums and Arenas

Centre de glaces Intact Assurance stadium, Lemay, image via Archtizer

Transportation - Transportation Interiors:

Concepts - Architecture and Colour 

Concepts - Landscape and Architecture

Concepts - Architecture and Workspace

Maison Accuracy workplace interior, Atelier L'Abri, image via Archtizer

Hospitality - Restaurants (1,000 ft² +)

Institutional - Hospitals and Healthcare Centres

Residential - Affordable Housing

Residential - Residential Interiors (3,000 ft² +)

Flag House private residence, studio mk27, image via Archtizer

Institutional - Educational Interiors 

Residential - Residential Renovations and Additions

Best Medium Firm (16 - 40 employees)

Best Young Firm:

Camera House private residence, Leckie Studio Architecture + Design, image via Archtizer

That's all for the Canadian designers and projects nominated for awards in this years Architizer A+ Awards, don't forget to vote for your favourites by May 12th!

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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.