Ashes & Diamonds by Bestor Architecture:

Located in Napa, this contemporary wine tasting facility produces up to 10,000 cases of wine per year while also providing hospitality spaces for guests. A pre-engineered metal clad Production Building connects through the courtyard to a wood-frame Hospitality structure finished in stucco.

Central Embassy by Amanda Levete Architects:

This 1.5 million sq ft mixed use project, designed by Amanda Levete's UK-based practice, merges a seven story luxury retail podium and a 27 story five star Park Hyatt hotel tower into one cohesive entity. The hotel and shopping mall are bound together using the notion of a continual looped form to give a more intuitive merging between plinth and tower.

Albino Ortega House by Rozana Montiel Estudio De Arquitectura:

Casa Albino Ortega in the town of Tepoztlán, south of Mexico City, is like an oyster — hermetic on the outside but with intimate and beautifully textured spaces inside the hard shell. Architect Rozana Montiel, winner of the Moira Gemmill Prize for Emerging Architecture last year, completed the project in 2017.

Wadden Sea Center by Dorte Mandrup Arkitekter:

Dorte Mandrup, who runs the eponymous Copenhagen-based studio, completed the redesigned Wadden Sea Center in February of last year. Located within Denmark's largest national park—also, a UNESCO-appointed heritage site—the original Sea Center was given an ultramodern, sculptural update rooted in local tradition.

John W. Olver Design Building by Leers Weinzapfel Associates:

The new design building brings together the previously separated departments of Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Building Technology programs. A coiling and rising band of studios, faculty offices, and classrooms surrounds a skylit center space for gatherings and presentations.

'One Bucket at a Time' by 5468796 Architecture:

This collaborative project, led by Johanna Hurme of 5468796 Architecture, was inspired by Mexico City’s hijacking issue of public parking spaces with buckets turning the bucket into building blocks for an interactive pavillion. Connecting the buckets via a grid of ropes, the installation is a malleable ‘surface’ that the public are encouraged to freely explore. The surface functions like a giant carpet, and can be rolled, pulled together or up to a point or along a line taking on different forms.

La Massana Fine Arts School by Estudio Carme Pinós:

Carme Pinós, who will be designing the 2018 MPavilion in Melbourne, runs one of Spain’s most prolific architecture firms and is known for her designs that place human experience at the center. This year, the firm completed the powerfully designed La Massana Fine Arts School in Barcelona.

Bruksgården by Petra Gipp Arkitektur:

Petra Gipp’s conversion and addition to a historic building located in Sweden, provides space for the artist’s art collection through a series of beautiful, light-filled spaces. The project demonstrates the Swedish architect’s ability to provide inspired design answers when working within tight constraints, while showcasing her artistic and sculptural expressions.

Swing River Gauche by Manuelle Gautrand Architecture:

This 170 apartment complex—designed by Manuelle Gautrand, winner of 2017 European Prize for Architecture—is comprised of 21 different volumes varying in position and height surrounding a central garden. The vertical connections between each volume are open air with wide terraces giving each apartment a more expansive entryway. The Swing housing block facades are made of metallic sheets with circular window details.

Redshank by Lisa Shell Architects and Marcus Taylor:

Hovering above a marshy landscape like a wading bird, Redshank is a Maunsell Fort-like private residence designed by Lisa Shell Architects and Marcus Taylor. The architects designed Redshank based on an idea that the home could float away if heavy flooding were to occur. The project was one of 20 homes longlisted for the 2017 RIBA House of the Year Award.

Arper’s Eimu Booth by MAIO: 

Anna Puigjaner and Maria Charneco run the emerging Spanish practice MAIO, shortlisted this year for the Women in Architecture’s Moira Gemmill Prize. Based in Barcelona, the studio takes a playful approach to design that is visible across various scales. Their recent Arper Pavilion features a translucent box interrupted by geometric forms that enhance the continuity of space.

Palace of Justice by Mecanoo + Ayesa:

After winning the competition in 2006, the new Palace of Justice in Cordoba, Spain finally came to fruition from 2014-2017. Designed by Francine Houben's Mecanoo and Ayesa, the 48,000m2 courthouse features a distinct puzzle-like design that will help strengthen the neighborhood's public identity, the team says.

Garden Museum, Phase II by Dow Jones Architects:

Biba Dow, the co-founder of Dow Jones Architects, received a nomination for the Woman Architect of the Year 2018 award for her work on redeveloping the Garden Museum in London. After Phase I was built in 2008, the firm completed Phase 2 of the project last year.

Lodge Room & Checker Hall by Design, Bitches:

Originally home to Masonic Lodge 382, the newly revitalized Theater and Performing Arts venue includes multiple bars, a restaurant, and a lounge. The Lodge Room houses live music and is located next to Checker Hall, an intimate bistro and vintage-era cocktail bar.