Do you have a project that’s continued to perform after completion? If so, the AT Test of Time Awards are for you. Start your entry today.
Entries are now open for the 2026 Architecture Today Test of Time Awards. Want to prove to clients that your projects deliver long-term value? Find out more about the awards and start your entry here.
About the awards
Purpose
We launched our awards as a direct riposte to the prevalent awards culture. We believe that the growing awareness of the importance of retrofit and an increased emphasis on long-term performance simply isn’t reflected in the industry’s myriad awards. Hence we only consider projects that have been in use for at least three years – and routinely attract projects that are decades, or even centuries, old. Instead of focusing on what’s new, what’s fresh, what’s perfect, what’s pristine, we look at what has endured, what’s flexible, what’s adaptable, what works, what performs.
What are we looking for?
We are looking for entries that demonstrate a strong track record of delivering on their environmental, functional, community and cultural ambitions. The aim is to engender the shared learning that is essential if we are to bring about the step change in performance the industry so desperately needs. We see this both as a valuable exercise in the journey towards a net-zero construction industry and a reflection of Architecture Today’s commitment to continuous learning, inter-disciplinary collaboration and peer-to-peer review.
In some ways, it’s more exciting to win an award for something that’s been there for over 20 years. It proves that it works—not just that it looked good on the day of handover”
– Glenn Howells, Howells
Read the January/February 2026 issue of Architecture Today which covers all the most recent winners from the Test of Time Awards
In this issue:
This issue is dedicated to the winning projects in Architecture Today’s Test of Time Awards. All of the buildings have been re-photographed by Timothy Soar, giving a warts-and-all account of the way they have weathered the passage of time. The photographs are accompanied by observations from the teams behind each project, giving an insight into the thinking behind the initial design, reflecting on lessons learnt, and looking at the way the buildings have performed and evolved in the years since they were built.
