2 Best Architecture Firms in Beijing

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Beijing based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture Firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each Firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture Firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

• The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2022)
• The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2022)
• The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2022)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Beijing architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 2 best architecture firms in Beijing:

2. MAD

MAD works in forward-looking environments developing futuristic architecture based on a contemporary interpretation of the eastern spirit of nature. All of MAD’s projects – from residential complexes or offices to cultural centres – desire to protect a sense of community and orientation toward nature, offering people the freedom to develop their own experience. Founded in 2004 by Ma Yansong, the office first earned worldwide attention in 2006 by winning an international competition to design a residential tower near Toronto, expected to be completed in the end of 2012.MAD has been commissioned by clients of all backgrounds, leading to an intriguing combination of diverse project designs.

Some of MAD’s most prominent projects include:

• China Wood Sculpture Museum, Haerbin, China
• Absolute Towers, Mississauga, Canada
• Beijing Conrad Hotel, Beijing, China
• Chaoyang Park Plaza, Beijing, China
• Cloud Corridor, Los Angeles, CA, United States
• Clover House, Okazaki, Japan
• East 34th
• Harbin Airport T3, Harbin, China
• Harbin Culture Island, Heilongjiang, China
• Harbin Opera House, Harbin, China
• Ordos Art and City Museum, Ordos, China
• Roca Beijing Gallery, Dongcheng, Beijing, China
• Sheraton Huazhou Hot Spring Resort, Huzhou, China
• UNIC, Paris, France
• Vertu Pavillion
• 8600 Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA, United States
• Wonderland, Beijing, China

The following statistics helped MAD achieve 2nd place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in Beijing:

---

1. Steven Holl Architects

Steven Holl Architects: Design Excellence and Green InnovationSteven Holl Architects (SHA) is a 40-person innovative architecture and urban design office working globally as one office from two locations; New York City and Beijing. Steven Holl leads the office with partners Chris McVoy, Noah Yaffe, and Roberto Bannura.

Steven Holl Architects is internationally-honored with architecture’s most prestigious awards, publications and exhibitions for excellence in design among which are two recent recognitions in the ‘10 Best Architectural Marvels’ of Time Magazine’s December 2007 issue: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, Missouri) was awarded first place, and the Linked Hybrid (Beijing, China) was voted as the third most promising project internationally for 2008.
Steven Holl Architects has realized architectural works nationally and overseas, with extensive experience in the arts (including museum, gallery, and exhibition design), campus and educational facilities, and residential work.

Some of Steven Holl Architects’s most prominent projects include:

• Daeyang Gallery and House, Seoul, South Korea
• Horizontal Skyscraper / Vanke Center, Yantian, Shenzhen, China
• Knut Hamsun Center, Hamaroy, Norway
• Linked Hybrid, 1, Xiang He Yuan Lu, Dongcheng Qu, Beijing, China
• New York University Department of Philosophy, 5, Washington Place, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
• Cité de l’Ocean et du Surf, Avenue de la Plage, Biarritz, France
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525, Oak Street, Kansas City, MO, United States
• MIT Simmons Hall
• Storefront for Art and Architecture, 97, Kenmare Street, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
• Whitney Water Purification Facility and Park, CT, United States
• Nanjing Museum of Art and Architecture, Nanjing, China
• Hangzhou Triaxial Field, Hangzhou, China
• Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, 8, Birk Centerpark, Herning, Denmark
• Sliced Porosity Block – CapitaLand Raffles City, Chengdu, China
• Sliced Porosity Block
• LM Harbor Gateway, Marmorvej, København Ø, København, Denmark
• Daeyang Gallery and House, Seoul, South Korea
• Campbell Sports Center, Broadway, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
• Hangzhou Shan-Shui, Hangzhou, China
• Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, United Kingdom
• The REACH Expansion
• Cifi Beijing, Beijing, China
• Swiss Embassy Residence in Washington D.C, Washington, DC, United States
• PRATT INSTITUTE, HIGGINS HALL INSERTION, Brooklyn, New York, NY, United States
• Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle , 94, Greenwich Avenue, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States
• Shanghai Cofco Cultural & Health Center, Shanghai, China
• Ex of In House, Rhinebeck, NY, United States
• Lewis Arts Complex, Princeton University, 185, Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ, United States
• Geneva Operational Center, Médecins Sans Frontières, Geneva, Switzerland
• Maggie’s Centre Barts, London, United Kingdom
• Ostrava Concert Hall, Ostrava, Czechia
• iCarbonX, Shenzhen, China
• Institute for Contemporary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
• Sifang Art Museum
• Abstracting Morphology, NY, United States
• Glassell School of Art
• The Glassell School of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston, TX, United States
• Visual Arts Building, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States
• Hunters Point Library
• Taiwan ChinPaoSan Necropolis, Taiwan

The following statistics helped Steven Holl Architects achieve 1st place in the 2 Best Architecture Firms in Beijing:

---

Other Architecture Firms to Consider

Several other renowned architecture Firms can be found just outside the Top 2, each of which is worth considering for their experience in delivering high quality, large-scale projects across typologies. They include: People’s Architecture Office

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “”+”” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

• Project completed within the last 3 years
• A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
• Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
• High quality, in focus photographs
• At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
• Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
• Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

---

We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your Firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.