Revealing the 2025 Project of the Year and finalists from AN’s Best of Design Awards

“The Anthony Timberlands Center is designed to be a “Story Book of Timber.” In other words, timber is both the structural bones and the enclosing skin of the building.

The cascading roof, with its large canoe-like gutters, responds to the heavy rain of the local climate, while also referring to the wonderful tradition of Ozark Barns. The undulating roof lifts up to ensure that the upper spaces of the auditorium and the studios are visually connected to the large ground-based fabrication shop below, reinforcing the important educational relationship between imagining and making.

The request at the competition stage was that the new building be a showcase for both design and construction innovation. The timber construction achieved in this newly completed building is a combination of traditional techniques and new technologies, encouraging invention and the craft of wooden buildings.”—modus studio

“El Campestre Recreational Park & Community Development Center, part of an urban master plan for Jalpa de Méndez, strengthens public life through the renewal of sports and recreational infrastructure and the creation of cultural and educational facilities.

At the heart of the park, a pavilion with crossed arches serves as a sculptural yet functional venue for community events. It anchors the park’s sports program—baseball, soccer, and more—serving as the main point of convergence. It also provides shade and shelter in Tabasco’s tropical climate. Its stepped concrete base doubles as seating for both large gatherings and everyday use.

The adjoining Community Development Center is an educational hub promoting development opportunities for the local community with workshops, a library, and an auditorium. Built with local workers through artisanal processes, it fosters pride, identity, and a strong sense of belonging for the community.”—CCA

“At Longwood Gardens, the 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory sits atop a topographically dramatic ridge and hovers over a rectangular pool of water. The conservatory’s crystalline silhouette, doubled by its reflection in the water, formally reflects the nearby historic conservatory and amplifies the surrounding landscape’s impact. Inside, a unique garden under glass evokes the climate of the Mediterranean. The pleated and undulating glass roof reconciles the legacy of existing production greenhouses, while the frame of the building’s pleated roof, tapered perspectives, and branching columns echoes the silhouettes of trees overlooking the western edge of the campus. Hundreds of automated window vents bring fresh air into the building and flush out heat buildup, creating a living, breathing conservatory, an increase in natural ventilation, and the elimination of dependence on mechanical cooling. With its convergence of old and new, Beaux Arts and bucolic, the West Conservatory extends Longwood’s marriage of architecture and horticulture.”—Weiss/Manfredi