8 Emerging Architecture Firms That Should Be on Your Radar in 2026
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Successfully contributing to architecture is less about how long you have practiced and more about how well your ideas solve real problems. This is why a long-established figure like Tadao Ando and a contemporary voice like Jeanne Gang can stand side by side in global architectural conversations as peers.
With this understanding, the Architizer A+Awards recognizes young architecture firms that are already making bold and effective contributions to the field. Their recognition encourages more emerging studios to take the leap and begin shaping the spaces and buildings that matter. Here are eight firms, all established within the last decade, honored in the Young Firm category of the 13th Architizer A+Awards. These young architecture firms and many others are proving that strong architecture has nothing to do with age and everything to do with problem-solving.
SHISUO Design Office
Jury Winner, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
The Breeze Hall by SHISUO Design Office, Shanghai, China
Sanif and Changshan birthed Shisuo Design Office in 2023, and the two-year-old Shanghai-based practice already feels genetically engineered to use architecture as a launch point for other scales of human experience. They founded the studio to test ideas across buildings and objects, always guided by tectonics and the character of a site. In such a short time, they’ve earned quick recognition in China for culturally grounded and materially sharp work. This is likely why the Jury chose them as their winner. For a practice just two years old, the clarity and ambition of their work already sets them apart.
Future Simple Studio
Popular Choice Winner, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
Rue de la Gauchetière Loft by Future Simple Studio, Montréal, Canada
Christine Djerrahian used her experience in NYC to set up a Montreal-based architecture firm in 2018. She intended for the studio to explore human-focused design rooted in simplicity. Future Simple runs a small and deliberately tight team that takes on projects that allow Christine and her partner, Ernst, to lead in detail. They work across architecture, interiors, products, branding and even digital design.
Over the years, they have gained rapid recognition in Canada for their attention to detail. Their work often appears in international publications, and they have completed projects across North America. That consistency and care are reflected in the recognition their work has received, both in Canada and internationally.
Foley Architects
Finalist, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
Rossaveel Small Craft Harbour by Foley Architects & CAMPUS, Galway, Ireland
Foley Architects began in 2016 when Stephen Foley set out to build a small practice that could stay close to people and place. One year later, the studio earned the RIAI Future Award, a sign of how quickly their approach resonated. Stephen and his co-director, Marta Lopez, keep the team intentionally compact so every project receives direct attention. With a notable strength in public commissions, the studio’s projects are distinguished by their quiet clarity and a deep responsiveness to local conditions. By working collaboratively with other studios, Foley Architects brings together multiple perspectives while maintaining a clear and coherent architectural vision, exemplifying strength in collegiality.
COLLECTIVE
Finalist, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
83 King Lam Street by COLLECTIVE, Hong Kong
COLLECTIVE is a RIBA chartered Hong Kong-based architecture firm rooted in the spirit of collaboration. The 10-year-old practice was founded by Betty Ng and is co-directed by Chi Yan Chan and Juan Minguez. She has team members across the globe but remains strongly grounded in Asia. What makes COLLECTIVE unique is how it challenges the traditional setup of architecture offices. The practice actively rejects the single-author model, instead embracing shared critique and collective decision-making as a design strength. This approach results in work marked by consistency, clarity, and a rigor that carries across scales and contexts.
Change Studio
Finalist, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
Shunde Yunlu Wetland Pavilion by Change Studio, Foshan, China
Much like their peers, this 10-year-old landscape architecture studio has sunk its roots deep in the field. They recently celebrated their anniversary and a move to a new home, marking the start of their adolescence as a practice. Wang Yi and Chen Yurong founded Change Studio in Shanghai with the intention of using design as a transformative force. Like Pocahontas, the team focuses on calm, poetic spaces that reconnect people to nature.
Laura Killam Architecture
Special Mention, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
Home For An Artist by Laura Killam Architecture, BC, Canada
Laura Killam established LKA in 2017 after returning to BC and leaving PUBLIC Architecture & Communication. She founded the firm to focus on custom homes shaped directly by wild, remote coastal landscapes. Laura wanted a studio where architecture responds slowly and intentionally to land and experience. Her team works through close reading of the site, restrained forms, and long, steady collaboration with builders and clients. I don’t know but LKA is giving Kristoff.
arti design studio
Special Mention, Best Young Firm, 13th Architizer A+Awards
The Merlot Pods by Arti Design Studio, Bali, Indonesia
Arti design studio appears to have emerged in the late 2010s, led by Natasha Astari and Raynaldo Theodore. While the firm shares little formal information about its origins, its published work and online presence suggest a young practice interested in small spaces that support everyday life. Their Merlot Pods project in Bali reflects this direction. It turns a compact site into an inviting space for passersby using simple materials and built-in forms. Everything we know of the studio points to a team that was worthy of a special mention in this category.
21arquitectos
Special Mention, Best Young Firm
178 House by 21arquitectos, Zapopan, Mexico
Also worth a special mention is this Mexico-based architecture studio that has a clear intention to design buildings shaped by movement and daily living. Their principal architect, Adolfo Arellano Martin, leads projects that create calm and ordered spaces with simple volumes and detailing. The 178 house is one example, with its lifted structure and muted palette. Just like the others, it has a daring and commanding outlook that was achieved with very few components.
The votes for the 2025 Vision Awards have been counted! Discover this year's cohort of top architectural representations and sign up for the program newsletter for future updates.
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