-
Book Mountain by MVRDV : These mountainous bookshelves in Spijkenisse, Netherlands, are enclosed in a glass structure with a pyramid roof. Visitors can browse the shelves from the network of stairs and corridors that line the interior before reaching the reading room atop. -
Astley Castle by Witherford Watson Mann : This decrepit castle in rural Warwickshire received a renewal that allowed its ancient shell to host contemporary spaces, while maintaining its original exterior architecture. The design highlights a need for strong interaction between old and new design. -
Four Freedoms Park by Louis Kahn : In the late 1960s, Mayor John Lindsay announced plans to transform Roosevelt Island in New York into a vibrant recreational and residential space. Decades later, Franklin D Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park is finally completed. -
IKEA Disobedients by Andrés Jaque Arquitectos : This architectural performance, about modern architecture practices creating new methods of audience engagement, was first showcased as part of the 9+1 Ways of Being Political exhibition at MoMA PS1. -
Galaxy Soho by Zaha Hadid : This office, entertainment and retail complex in the centre of Beijing is encompasses space flowing between five volumes devoid of corners. -
La Tour Bois-le-Pretre by Druot, Lacaton and Vassal : The reconstruction of a rundown tower in Paris has created new perspectives on structural redevelopment of deteriorated post-war housing. -
Home for All by Akihisa Hirata, Sou Fujimoto, Kumiko Inui and Toyo Ito : Home for all is a proposed plan to provide housing solutions for all the people who lost their homes to the earthquake in Japan in 2011. -
Kukje Art Centre - designed by SO-IL : This building has a a stainless steel mesh blanket which fits perfectly over the single-story structure. The building syncs with Seoul's trend of urban low-rise housing, and dense alley-networks. -
Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk with Ihsan Bilgin, Cem Yucel and Gregor Sunder Plassmann : The Museum of Innocence is a book by Orhan Pamuk, based in 1950s/60s Istanbul. The designers created an actual Museum of Innocence, based on the one described in the book, of everyday life in Istanbul at this time. -
Superkilen by BIG, TOPOTEK1 and Superflex : Superklin is a kilometre-long park situated in the area of Norrebro, just north of the centre of Copenhagen. The park is the result of a competition to create a space "with a strong identity on a local and global scale". -
Metropolitan Arts Centre by Hackett Hall McKnight : This performing arts centre in Belfast is wedged between two buildings on a corner, and uses a stacking design to maximise space in a compacted space. -
MOCA by Farshid Moussavi Architects : The Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland was renovated to be 44% larger than the previous structure, and has substantially higher levels of environmental and fiscal sustainability. -
Thaiia Theatre by Gonçalo Byrne Arquitectos and Barbas Lopes Arquitectos : Lisbon's Thalia Theatre was built in the 1840s and lay in ruins for decades. The exterior of the building has been stabilised with concrete, while the interior - now used to host conferences, exhibitions and events - remains in its original condition. -
The Shard by Renzo Piano : This inner-city London construction is now the tallest building in Western Europe, and consists of offices, top-end restaurants, the Shagri-La hotel, residential apartments and the city's highest viewpoint. -
T-site - designed by Klein Dytham : The T-site project is a massive complex for one of Japan's book, music and retail leaders, Tsutaya. The rejects aim is to redefine the future of retail. -
Clapham Library by Studio Egret West : This £6.5m library in London houses not only more than 20 000 books, but it has a space for the local community's performing arts. It also holds 136 private apartments and 44 family homes within the structure. -
A Room for London by David Kohn Architects with artist Fiona Banner : This one-bedroom boat-shaped pop-up hotel in central London, above Queen Elizabeth Hall, is a space for visitors to marvel over the views of the city while escaping from the hustle and bustle.
The London Design Museum has announced its 90 nominations for Design of the Year 2013, across seven categories. Here are the 17 awe-inspiring finalists in the architecture category. From a quirky book mountain and boat-shaped single-room pop-up hotel, to the impressive Shard and futuristic Galaxy Soho, we just can’t choose a favourite!
Which design are you cheering for?
See the 12 furniture designs and 22 product designs that are finalists for Design of the Year. See all 90 finalists here or visit the exhibition in London from 20 March to 7 July.
