ArchDaily Buildings of the Year Awards 2011 winners announced

ArchDaily, the most visited architecture site on the net, has announced the winning designs in its Building of the Year Awards 2011.

After more than 65,000 votes, the website's readership has decided the winners in 14 categories ranging from sports architecture to offices.

Here at Car Design News we're constantly looking for inspiration both inside the automotive world and out – we know you're on the look-out too. We don't need to explain the crossover between our discipline and the architectural sphere, so we shall leave you with some large-scale creative feed in the shape of ArchDaily's award winners:

Sports Architecture winner
Project Bilbao Arena
Architect ACXT
Location Bilbao, Spain
"The Bilbao Arena was designed as a tree, tree-pillars that brace the elements in the metal structure façade..."
Full Bilbao Arena story >>

Educational winner
Project Milstein Hall at Cornell University
Architect OMA
Location Ithaca, New York, USA
"Enclosed by floor-to-ceiling glass and a green roof with 41 skylights, Milstein Hall's 'upper plate' cantilevers almost 50 feet..."
Full Milstein Hall at Cornell University story >>

Public Facilities winner
Project Moses Bridge
Architect RO&AD Architecten
Location Halsteren, The Netherlands
"The bridge lies like a trench in the fortress and the moat, shaped to blend in with the outlines of the landscape..."
Full Moses Bridge story >>

Museums and Libraries winner
Project Museum of Ocean and Surf
Architect Steven Holl Architects in collaboration with Solange Fabiao
Location Biarritz, France
"The building form derives from the spatial concept 'under the sky"/"under the sea'..."
Full Museum of Ocean and Surf story >>

Industrial Architecture winner
Project Füleky Winery
Architect Építész Stúdió
Location Tokaj, Hungary
"The basic concept underlying the building's design was to build a new winery by making use of all valuable elements of the greatly remodeled, original stone building..."
Full Füleky Winery story >>

Hotel and Restaurant winner
Project Tori Tori Restaurant
Architect Rojkind Arqitectos and ESRAWE Studio
Location Polanco, Mexico City
"The building's organic façade and landscape were carefully designed to become an extension of the restaurant creating a strong relationship between the inside and the outside..."
Full Tori Tori Restaurant story >>

Housing winner
Project Apartment Building
Architect Metaform Architects
Location Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
"The project presents itself as a unique object characterized by the juxtaposition of simple and pure volumes..."
Full Apartment Building story >>

House winner
Project MIMA House
Architect MIMA Architects
Location Viana do Castelo
"MIMA's concept is fundamentally inspired on the traditional Japanese house, the perfect paradigm for lightness, flexibility, comfort and pleasing lines..."
Full MIMA House story >>

Refurbishment winner
Project Town hall
Architect rare
Location London, England
"Wrapped entirely by a laser cut powder coated aluminium skin, no windows or doors are externally visible, allowing it to create a striking abstract backdrop to the original structure..."
Full Town hall story >>

Cultural winner
Project Tverrfjellhytta
Architect Snøhetta
Location Hjerkinn, Dovre Municipality, Norway
"The south facing exterior wall and the interior create a protected and warm gathering place, while still preserving the visitor's view of the spectacular panorama..."
Full story on Tverrfjellhytta >>

Religious Architecture winner
Project Chapel Tree of Life
Architect Fontes Arquitectos
Location Braga, Portugal
"The aim of the project proposal is to create curiosity of those who wander there, inviting them to walk in his direction..."
Full Chapel Tree of Life story >>

Institutional Architecture winner
Project iGuzzini Illuminazione Spanish Headquarters
ArchitectMiAS Arquitectes
Location Barcelona, Spain
"iGuzzini does not seek to boast of explicit technological innovation, but it does seek to be an example of current development towards well understood sustainability in both technological and energy terms..."
Full iGuzzini Illuminazione story >>

Offices winner
Project The Crystal
Architect Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
"In terms of form and scale, the Crystal is intermediate between the city and the harbor..."
Full The Crystal story >>

Interiors winner
Project Fraunhofer Headquarters
Architect Pedra Silva Architects
Location Porto, Portugal
"Circulation is the project's backbone; all spaces appear along a distribution route located next to the glass façade..."
Full Fraunhofer Headquarters story >>

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By Rufus Thompson