Architectural Record has revealed the full slate of winners for its 2026 Record Awards, with a climate-adaptive office development in São Paulo earning the magazine's top honor, Building of the Year. The program, which spans 19 categories and 11 honorable mentions, recognizes completed and unbuilt projects worldwide, from a repurposed Soviet-era post office in Tbilisi to a waste-to-energy plant in Taiwan.
A workplace building sets the standard
The Building of the Year distinction went to Arquipeo, a São Paulo office complex designed by Brazilian firm Estúdio Gustavo Utrabo, which also won the Office & Workplace category outright. Selected by a jury that included architects and editors Florian Idenburg, Hana Kassem, Nat Oppenheimer, and Miriam Peterson, the project was singled out for its climate-responsive design approach-an increasingly central concern for commercial buildings in regions facing extreme heat and humidity. The project graces the cover of the magazine's November 2026 issue.
Adaptive reuse and global reach define this year's field
Several winners highlight the growing practice of converting existing structures rather than building anew. The Telegraph Hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia, by Neri&Hu, transforms a brutalist-era post office into a luxury hospitality venue, taking the Adaptive Reuse category. In Taiwan, KPF's TCC Daka RRC project-a waste-to-energy facility paired with a conservation center-won in Infrastructure, illustrating how industrial buildings can incorporate public and ecological functions. Other category winners include PCA-Stream's Le Source Vive, an onion-shaped chamber music venue in Évian-les-Bains, France, which won Performance Spaces, and SOM's restoration of New York's Waldorf Astoria, recognized in the Restoration category.
Individual honors round out the program
Beyond the project categories, the awards program separately recognized three individuals last month. Thomas Robinson, founder of Portland's Lever Architecture, was named 2026 Innovator; Jeffrey Huber, a principal at Brooks Scarpa Huber Architects in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, received the Rising Professional honor; and Elizabeth Diller, cofounder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, was named 2026 Architect of RECORD for her career body of work. Accepting the award, Diller reflected on her firm's 45-year history, saying the scale and geography of its projects have expanded while its core commitments-to public space, critical architecture, and interdisciplinary practice-have remained constant.
Where to see the full results
All winning projects and honorable mentions appear in the November issue of Architectural Record and will be published progressively throughout the month on the magazine's website and social media channels, offering readers detailed project photography, drawings, and design narratives for each submission.