Nine outstanding architectural projects in the United States
Author: Team Estudio Arquitectos · Published: February 24, 2026
To spark interest in our latest features, our editors have selected a series of standout projects previously recognised in the Dezeen Awards regional showcases.
This year, all projects entered into the Dezeen Awards are also eligible to appear in our regional Top 50 lists. Enter and take part in our regional showcases. Three editor-curated Top 50 lists will recognise the best projects across three regions: Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific (APAC), and the Americas (AMER).
Do you have a project that could be featured in our Top 50: Americas list? Learn more about our regional showcases here and keep reading for standout examples of US-based projects highlighted in previous editions of the Dezeen Awards.
Overlook Walk by Field Operations
Landscape architecture studio Field Operations designed a 1.5-acre elevated park in Seattle as part of a broader initiative to restore urban waterfront connections.
Built along a route that re-establishes the historic link between Pike Place Market and the waterfront, the project allows pedestrians to enjoy expansive views of the adjacent harbour, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.
Tekαkαpimək Contact Station by Saunders Architecture
This timber-clad visitor centre, perched atop a hill in northern Maine, operates fully off-grid and celebrates the Indigenous peoples of the region.
Norwegian studio Saunders Architecture designed the cantilevered Tekαkαpimək Contact Station in collaboration with representatives of the Wabanaki Nation.
Visitors can learn about the region’s geography, as well as Wabanaki culture and traditions, while enjoying panoramic views of the surrounding forested landscape.
Portland International Airport / ZGF Architects
ZGF Architects designed the main terminal expansion at Portland International Airport in Oregon to evoke the sensation of walking through a forest.
Passengers move beneath a nine-acre undulating mass-timber roof, sourced from within a 300-mile radius of the airport. To keep the airport operational during construction, the studio prefabricated the roof in a separate area of the site.
Land Bridge and Prairie at Memorial Park by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects
This verdant land bridge outside downtown Houston, designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, impressively spans and covers a six-lane highway, hailed as “the triumph of green over grey”.
The bridge not only covers a heavily trafficked roadway, but also expands the park by two acres, providing additional community space while enabling the reintroduction of wetlands and endangered native species.
Richard Gilder Center by Studio Gang
The cavernous atrium of the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, designed by Studio Gang, was conceived to encourage exploration and broaden the museum’s intellectual impact.
The studio worked to make the building more cohesive, putting its dramatic interior volumes at the forefront, which in turn inform the exterior expression.
Telescope House by Wendell Burnette Architects
Located two hours north of Phoenix, this house sits in the desert town of Sedona, Arizona.
Local studio Wendell Burnette Architects designed the cabin to “recede into the landscape like a dark shadow” within its officially designated Dark Sky community.
By day, the stepped fire-resistant steel cladding echoes the warm red tones of the surrounding rock formations, while the interior is lined with reclaimed dark wood panels.
Robert Olnick Pavilion by MQ Architecture
Square windows and skylights allow natural light to wash over the concrete facade of this sleek monolithic museum, partially embedded into the sloping terrain of Cold Spring, New York.
Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza collaborated with Miguel Quismondo to create the pavilion for Magazzino Italian Art, dedicated to promoting Italian art and design in the United States.
The “Perfect Cube” gallery has windows at each corner, creating a sundial-like effect as daylight enters.
Google Bay View by Heatherwick Studio and BIG
Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, California, features a tent-like “dragon-scale” roof formed from inward-curving panels and integrated solar technology in Silicon Valley.
Designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio, the 102,000-square-metre building is clad with 50,000 silver solar panels, which can meet around 40% of its total energy needs.
Maxon Studio by Olson Kundig
This one-of-a-kind home office in Carnation, Washington, was designed by Olson Kundig Architects and installed on railway tracks.
Based on a “traditional caboose” design, the two-storey weathered steel studio can be “nested” into the client’s home or removed to become a standalone structure.
