Nine Award-Winning US Architecture Projects from the 2026 Dezeen Awards

Deze article highlights a curated selection of standout US architecture projects drawn from past Dezeen Awards entries.

These works are intended to inspire submissions for the new Regional Showcases, which will produce Top 50 lists for three regions including the Americas.

The projects span urban parks, cultural centers, airport expansions, landscape reclamation, and innovative housing.

Each project exemplifies current design directions, sustainability strategies, and community-focused outcomes.

Regional Showcases: what America’s standout projects reveal about contemporary design

From elevated public realms to Indigenous-led collaborations, the featured projects show how architecture and engineering respond to place, performance, and people.

In the Americas, there is an emphasis on integrating landscape and infrastructure, advancing timber and off-grid strategies, and creating spaces that invite exploration and learning.

Projects that illuminate current design directions

• Overlook Walk — Field Operations (Seattle): a 1.5-acre elevated park that restores the historic connection between Pike Place Market and the waterfront while offering harbour and mountain views.
• The project reconnects the urban fabric through strategic landscape setting and pedestrian mobility.
• Tekαkαpimək Contact Station — Saunders Architecture (Maine), in collaboration with Wabanaki Nations: off-grid, timber-clad mountaintop visitor centre designed to celebrate Indigenous culture within a rugged northern setting.
• This project uses regional materials and operates in challenging terrain.
• Portland International Airport Expansion — ZGF Architects: nine-acre undulating mass-timber roof sourced within 300 miles and prefabricated on-site to keep the airport operational.
• The design shows the feasibility of large-scale timber systems in transportation hubs.
• Land Bridge & Prairie at Memorial Park — Nelson Byrd Woltz: six-lane highway transformation into enhanced parkland that adds two acres and reintroduces native species and wetlands.
• This is an example of landscape-led urban renewal and ecological integration in city contexts.
• Richard Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History — Studio Gang: cave-like atrium that fosters exploration and strengthens connections between internal spaces and the surrounding city.
• The project uses a narrative-driven approach to circulation and discovery within a cultural institution.
• Telescope House — Wendell Burnette Architects (Sedona): corten steel cladding and recycled dark wood chosen to blend with the desert landscape while respecting Dark Sky community principles.
• The project shows material honesty and sensitivity to the landscape in a nocturnal setting.
• Robert Olnick Pavilion — MQ Architecture for Magazzino Italian Art (Cold Spring, NY): partially sunken monolithic concrete gallery designed to create sundial-like light effects within a cubic exhibition space.
• This piece emphasizes light choreography and spatial compression in a gallery context.
• Google Bay View — Heatherwick Studio & BIG: tent-like roofs covered with 50,000 solar panels across a 102,000-square-metre site, generating roughly 40 percent of the campus energy needs.
• This project offers a scalable model for energy-positive campuses and large-scale solar integration.
• Maxon Studio — Olson Kundig: two-storey weathering-steel home office mounted on rails that can nestle to the house or move away as an independent structure.
• This is a demonstration of movable, integrated workspaces for modern flexible living and working patterns.

Design takeaways for regional submissions

These case studies highlight several key themes for Regional Showcases. First, contextual integration matters. Projects are shaped by climate, culture, and civic needs, from Maine’s Indigenous-led site to Seattle’s waterfront redevelopment.

Second, sustainability through materials and energy is a shared focus. Mass timber, off-grid systems, prefabrication, and on-site energy generation help reduce disruption and improve performance.

Third, landscape and cultural storytelling drive design. Projects reimagine the edges between city and nature, while honoring history and community values.

Finally, adaptive and flexible use is important. Movable offices and varied public spaces support resilience as work, leisure, and education needs change.

For designers submitting to the Americas Top 50, highlight how your project engages place and people. Show measurable sustainability outcomes, use of local materials or regional supply chains, and ongoing public value through access, education, or cultural celebration.

Include daylighting strategies, circulation plans, and maintenance considerations to demonstrate long-term viability and beauty.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Nine remarkable US architecture projects