As the year culminates, it’s once again time for the ArchDaily team of curators to reflect on the best-performing projects of 2025 and consider what readers were most interested in. Through this diverse overview, we assess the cross-continental similarities and differences in trends and construction development. This year brought us many grand cultural and public spaces by Lina Ghotmeh, BIG, Zaha Hadid Architects, DnA, and Serie Architects, who populated events like Expo Osaka and the Venice Biennale, as well as a surprising number of museums and public or landscape works in China and the rest of the Asian continent. However, while these were sought-after projects, the leading works remained, unsurprisingly, residential projects.
More specifically, the houses that were most viewed on the ArchDaily global site were concrete houses that bore considerable injections of greenery and landscape focus. They propose layouts highlighting voids and double heights, as well as inner courtyards or large openings to the exterior. While some references did suggest traditional or vernacular elements, modernist revivals were still predominant. Material trends are much more tame, with a recurrence of raw concrete use, as wood and stone were common accent elements. Still, the more interesting thing about the works this year is the efforts brought by architects in situating and setting the projects within their surroundings, bringing special attention to landscape and how projects merged with nature.
Ultimately, this year’s top listing bears the same diversity as always, with the curatorial team striving to represent not only as many regions and local architecture as possible, but also a variety of programs that can serve as unique references to readers.
Raj Sabhagruh Discourse Hall / Serie Architects
Twin Gable House / Ryan Leidner Architecture
Jinji Lake Pavilion / BIG
Villa Uma / Case Design
Nicolas Bravo Market / AIDIA STUDIO
Anatomy of a Dhow, Bahrain Pavilion Osaka Expo 2025 / Lina Ghotmeh Architecture
Huangyan Quarry Cultural & Art Center / DnA
Ga.o House / 85 Design
Courtyard House / D’WELL
Winterfell House / Prithvi Architects
House in the Slope / 77 Studio architecture
MIGIUI / Architect-K
Thomas Sankara Mausoleum / Kere Architecture
REXKL Arts Space and Community Hub / Mentahmatter Design Sdn Bhd
Restoration and Enhancement of the Patriarchal Cathedral of Lisbon / Adalberto Dias Arquitecto lda
Wonder Cabinet / AAU ANASTAS
UH Infonavit Santa Fe Community Park / AMASA Estudio
Xiao Feng Art Museum / ZAO/Zhang Ke Architecture Office
Cashew Garden House / G+ Architects
House Between Two Rivers / Taller 3000
Captial International Exhibition and Convention Center / Zaha Hadid Architects + BIAD
Bridge House / Wallmakers
Popadich House / Davor Popadich Architects
Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum / Zaha Hadid Architects
Energia de Portugal Headquarters / ELEMENTAL
Yellow River National Museum Building and Park / gmp Architects
Guapuruvus House / Cornetta Arquitetura
Our Forest / CTAA Architects Lab
University Catholic Stadium Modernization Project / IDOM
Chicken Hero Pavilion / RAD+ar (Research Artistic Design + architecture)
11 Social Houses in Palma / Carles Enrich Studio
Lion Mountain Park / TLS Landscape Architecture
Pietro Maria Bardi MASP Building / Metro Arquitetos
House in Binh Duong / Tad.atelier
House of Overlaps / pk_iNCEPTiON
Levada House / Tsou Arquitectos
Trestle Cabin / Miller Hull Partnership
hand-in-hand house / nendo
The Under Space Revival / Aangan Collaborative LLP
Grand Green Osaka / GGN + Nikken Sekkei + Mitsubishi Jisho Design + Obayashi Corporation + Takenaka Corporation + SANAA
Osaka Expo 2025 Japan Pavilion / Nikken Sekkei
House in Sotogrande / Fran Silvestre Arquitectos
Textile Factory Office / Ho Khue Architects
Villa Dellago / JM Architecture
Sutton House / Pelletier De Fontenay
Vung Tau House / Sanuki Daisuke architects
Mocha Pune Cafe / Loop Design Studio
The Green House / Schwartz and Architecture
Hiwali School / pk_iNCEPTiON
Sewing Atelier Studio / Atelier 77 + Matéria Base
Habitat 0 Community Club / RA Design Studio
Social Housing Units 2104 / HARQUITECTES
Courtyard House / 23 Degrees Design Shift
Hidden Villa / i29 architects
MS House / Studio Saransh
Habitat Qinhuangdao Phase II / Safdie Architects
Amankay House / Di Frenna Arquitectos
Earthenware House / NAQI & Partners
Genesis International School Turkayamjal / Studio Sacred Geometry
Oeiras House / OODA
The Treehouse, Mask in the Forest / Moguang Studio
Small House on a Corner Lot / KOMINORU Design
Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum / Studio Link-Arc
Populus / Studio Gang
Flood Affected School at Kelthan Village / unTAG
House Moro / TAM – Guillermo Elgart
Canning Factory / OODA
House of Heights / Idam Design Studio
M Hotel / Ho Khue Architects
Casa Verde Gago / Bruno Dias Arquitectura
Huy Hoang Lock Factory / Baumschlager Eberle Architekten
Shell Restaurant / Pablo Luna Studio
Nogal House / Escobedo Soliz
Architect Office at the Water’s Edge / Chiangmai Life Architects
Concrete House / Atelier Garcia
Hameau du Latz Houses / MSR ARCHITECTURE
The Rainforest Residence / Choo Gim Wah Architect
House of Courtyards / Felipe Hess Arquitetos
United-in-Diversity Campus / Willis Kusuma Architects
Osari Residence / Mind Manifestation Design
Shore House / Stanley Office of Architecture
Ironbark House / Klaus Carson Studio
Baan Sao Yong Hin House / Housescape Design Lab
Aimasia Residence / A31 Architecture
Two Triangles House / dua studio
Banánka House / Pauliny Hovorka Architekti
Gruta House / Salvador Román Hernández + Adela Mortéra Villarreal
AlMusalla at the Islamic Arts Biennale / East Architecture Studio
Nativa House / FROM
Can House / PIN Architects
NINE X NINE House / Sanjay Puri Architects
The Cabin of Maze / Advanced Architecture Lab + Wiki World
FD Residence / Padovani Arquitetos
Rainbow International School / Spacefiction studio
Tianlin Park Renewal / VIASCAPE design
Ataraxia / MEM Arquitectos
Cumaru House / FGMF
Openfield House / Keshaw McArthur
Takatsuki Arts Theatre / Nikken Sekkei
Tata Consultancy Services / Somaya Sampat
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topic: Year in Review, proudly presented by GIRA.
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