TORONTO – The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has unveiled the 20 finalists for its 2026 Design Excellence Awards, which feature a diverse range of building types this year, including sustainably designed community centres, innovative housing solutions, revitalized academic and cultural facilities and transformative public spaces.
The 10 winners will be announced next month and honoured at the OAA Conference in the Waterloo Region this May, explains a release, along with three other Design Excellence awards: the Michael V. and Wanda Plachta Award, the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Design Excellence in Architecture, and the People’s Choice Award, which asks members of the public to vote for their favourite.
In April, the OAA will also announce the 2026 recipients of the biennial Best Emerging Practice, Medal of Service and Lifetime Design Achievement Award, as well as the new inductees for the Honour Roll, which posthumously acknowledges the impact of members of the profession.
The biennial awards program offers Ontario practices the opportunity to showcase the influence of architecture, promoting broader public recognition and appreciation for its positive impact.
Selected from 96 eligible submissions, the 20 finalists were judged by a jury on criteria such as creativity, context, sustainability, good design/good business and legacy. Submissions also required disclosure of Energy Use Intensity metrics, the release adds, reflecting the OAA’s dedication to advance climate action in the public’s interest and ensuring sustainable, resilient design remains a critical aspect of projects.
The finalists are as follows:
- 225 Brunswick (Toronto) by Suulin Architects Inc. (now Suulin Inc.)
- Angle of Repose (Algonquin Highlands, Ont.) by Reasonable Projects Inc.;
- Beaverton Heights Modular Transitional Housing (Beaverton, Ont.) by Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc.;
- Belfountain House (Belfountain, Ont.) by UUFIE Inc.;
- Carmen Corbasson Community Centre (Mississauga, Ont.) by Diamond Schmitt Architects;
- Hazel McCallion Central Library (Mississauga, Ont.) by RDH Architects Inc.;
- Kìwekì Point (Ottawa) by Janet Rosenberg & Studio Inc. (prime consultant and landscape architect) and Patkau Architects Inc. (architect);
- Koffler Scientific Reserve (Toronto) by Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc.;
- Landscape of Landmark Quality, University of Toronto (Toronto) by KPMB Architects | Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.;
- Niagara Falls Exchange (Niagara Falls, Ont.) by DTAH Architects Limited;
- Red Lane Housing (Toronto) by Steven Fong Architect (now Steven Fong Architecture Inc.) in collaboration with ONE:1 Designs;
- Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, University of Toronto (Toronto) by Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism (design architect) and Teeple Architects (architect of record; now Teeple Architects Canada );
- The Marianne and Edward Gibson Art Museum (Burnaby, B.C.) by Hariri Pontarini Architects (design architect) and Iredale Architecture (architect of record);
- Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Headquarters (Toronto) by Bucholz McEvoy Architects Ltd., and ZAS Architects Inc.;
- Toronto Public Library – Bridlewood Branch (Toronto) by Ken Fukushima Architecture in association with David Fujiwara Architect;
- UBC MacLeod Building Renewal (Vancouver) by Teeple Architects (design architect; now Teeple Architects Canada Inc.) and Proscenium Architecture + Interiors (architect of record);
- Ulster House (Toronto) by LGA Architectural Partners Ltd.;
- Union Station Revitalization (Toronto) by NORR Architects & Engineers Ltd. in collaboration with EVOQ Architecture (heritage architect);
- University of Windsor Law Transformation (Windsor, Ont.) by Diamond Schmitt Architects in association with Di Maio Design Associates | Architects Inc; and
- Ziibiing – Indigenous Landscape at Taddle Creek (Toronto) by Brook McIlroy Inc.
Profiles of all 20 finalists will be posted on the OAA Website later this month, published in the forthcoming OAA Awards 2026 book and shared via the association’s social media channels, the release notes.
