2025 AIA Middle East Design Awards
These projects demonstrate how fresh perspectives and bold ideas can lead the evolution of our profession. Swipe through the images to explore their visions and join us in celebrating talent across the MENA region every year.
The submissions were assessed based on design excellence, innovation, sustainability, and their contribution to the built environment, in alignment with the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
A huge congratulations to our winners.
We extend our sincere thanks to the members of the jury
2025 Grand Jury Members
Student Graduation Project
Honoring the next generation of architects across the Middle East
We are proud to recognize this year’s award-winning student projects, each one a powerful reflection of innovation, context, and environmental sensitivity. These students demonstrated exceptional creativity and a strong command of architectural storytelling through their work.
We extend our congratulations to all the students who participated this year. Your creativity and passion for architecture represent the bright future of our profession. Let’s continue to support and empower emerging architects across the region.
American University in Dubai
Manipal Academy of Higher Education - MAHE, Dubai
MERIT AWARD
Intertwined Ecologies
Al Zorah, UAE, by Hannah Danny
A celebration of natural systems and architecture, exploring how built forms can co-exist with ecological networks to create spaces for learning and community.
HONOR AWARD
Abandoned
Al Madam, Sharjah, UAE by Faisal Osman
A thoughtful exploration of “place and memory,” reimagining an abandoned settlement as a space for cultural reflection and renewal.
Cultural & Historical Heritage Category
Honoring designs that preserve memory, revive cultural identity, and celebrate the architectural legacy of the region.
Today, we proudly present the award recipients in the Cultural and Historical Heritage category, projects that demonstrate the vital role of architecture in safeguarding history while shaping the future.
These projects serve as reminders that architecture is not only about buildings, but also about identity, continuity, and collective memory.
MERIT AWARD
Kuwait University Administration Facilities
Sabah Al Salem University
by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
A contemporary interpretation of regional identity, blending light, form, and public space to create an environment that inspires learning, dialogue, and civic engagement.
A powerful example of post-conflict resilience, this project brings life back to a site of profound historical significance, transforming destruction into restoration, and memory into hope.
Urban Design & Planning
Celebrating forward-thinking design that shapes the way communities live, connect, and grow. Today, we highlight projects that demonstrate the power of urban planning, not just as a discipline of infrastructure, but as a catalyst for wellbeing, sustainability, and regional identity.
MERIT AWARD
Miza
Abu Dhabi, UAE
by DLR Group
An urban framework for innovation and community, designed to activate knowledge corridors, public spaces, and future economies within the Gulf’s evolving urban fabric.
HONOR AWARD
Ain Jdid Masterplan and Six Senses Resort
Marrakech, Morocco
by Perkins Eastman
A powerful example of post-conflict resilience, this project brings life back to a site of profound historical significance, transforming destruction into restoration, and memory into hope.
Eric Tomich, FAIA Innovation & Sustainability Category
Celebrating boundary-pushing ideas that redefine how buildings perform, respond, and inspire. Today we spotlight a project that demonstrates how architecture can leverage technology, performance, and design intelligence to shape a more sustainable future.
MERIT AWARD
Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority
HeadquartersKuwait City, Kuwait
by Gulf Consult
Through digital integration, environmental responsiveness, and user-focused systems, this project presents a vision for the next generation of smart headquarters — blending innovation with sustainable performance.
Architecture (Unbuilt)
This year, we are proud to recognize visionary work that reimagines the future of architecture, combining local context, sustainability, and human-centered spatial innovation.
The Architecture (Unbuilt) Category celebrates ideas that are not yet built, but are already shaping the trajectory of tomorrow’s built environment.
An academic healthcare center designed to heal with architecture, integrating daylight, landscape, and wellbeing as core design principles.
HONOR AWARD
Workplace Reimagined – HUT HUB Al Khor, Qatar
by Nada Hamam from KEO
A rethinking of the workplace as a shared ecosystem, merging collaboration, learning, and nature into an adaptive architectural hub.
Architecture (Built)
We celebrate built-architecture that demonstrates excellence in form, function, and forward-thinking spatial design, projects that are already shaping the human experience in tangible ways.
This award recognizes built work that goes beyond construction, architecture that creates place, identity, and emotional connection.
A sculpted landscape of curves, light, and nature, the Ghaf Woods Experience Center redefines how architecture can immerse visitors into an ecology of calm, discovery, and biophilic interaction.
With seamless transitions between outdoor and indoor experiences, this project elevates architectural storytelling through materiality, landscape, and human movement.
Explore AIA ME Year-End Conferences
A flagship annual event, the Year-End Conference offers a platform for learning, dialogue, and networking, bringing together leading voices shaping the future of the architecture practice.
View all the Design Awards
The AIA Middle East Design Awards recognise exceptional projects that advance architectural practice and design thinking. Browse past winners whose work reflects innovation, leadership, and excellence across the region.