2025 ASIA ARCHITECTURE DESIGN AWARDS (AADA) WINNERS’ NIGHT: CELEBRATING A VIBRANT ASIA IN SEOUL
The 2025 Asia Architecture Design Awards (AADA) Winners’ Night, held on July 25 at the elegant The Shilla Seoul (Korea), was a resounding success, bringing together architects, designers, and industry leaders from across Asia to celebrate the region’s most innovative and culturally resonant design achievements. Themed “Vibrant Asia”, the ceremony honored 63 winners across six disciplines, marking a triumphant milestone in Asia’s dynamic design landscape.
A distinguished panel of judges from countries meticulously selected the winners across the following disciplines: Architecture Design, Interior Design, Furniture Design, Firms in Architecture Design, Firms in Interior Design, and Firms in Furniture Manufacturing & Retailing. In addition, the Student League was introduced for the first time in the 2025 AADA to recognize and encourage emerging talent in the field. These categories collectively reflect the full spectrum of the design industry, from visionary spatial planning and aesthetic execution to craftsmanship and emerging talent, showcasing a holistic view of Asia’s creative landscape.
This year’s awards saw an unprecedented surge in participation, with a record-breaking number of submissions surpassing all previous years, underscoring the awards’ growing prestige. Several categories — including Firms in Architecture & Interior Design, Commercial Architecture & Interior Design, and Hospitality, F&B Design — were especially competitive, with many projects pushing the boundaries of multidisciplinary integration, sustainability, and storytelling.
Countries like India, Thailand and Viet Nam continued to demonstrate their longstanding creativity and influence in the region through both the number and quality of their submissions. Marking a significant milestone for the awards, 2025 also welcomed, for the first time, exemplary contributions such as “SHATE” Restaurant from Farnosova Design Studio, Kazakhstan and SEOUL ROBOT AI MUSEUM from Turkey architects. These emerging countries added fresh perspectives to the competition, reflecting the expanding diversity and influence of Asia’s creative landscape.
Standout winners included The Đòng Đòng Collection by Landco Corporation, which elevated Vietnamese furniture design into a poetic vessel of national heritage and global relevance; Synthesis Ark by CV Group of Companies, an 80-hectare urban innovation that sets a new benchmark for sustainable master planning in Southeast Asia; and Dhawa Hanoi and The Lakeside Complex by Pacific Thang Long Co., Ltd., a seamless convergence of hospitality, business, and green-certified architecture on the shores of Hanoi’s Giang Vo Lake.
The evening, hosted at the Shilla Seoul Hotel, Seoul, South Korea, was a vibrant celebration of Asia’s creative spirit. Mr Tan Quee Peng, General Director of RSP Vietnam, Chief of Judge of the Asia Awards Organization, opened the event with an inspiring address, reflecting on AADA’s journey and its role in shaping Asia’s design future. The ceremony unfolded with heartfelt moments of recognition, honoring outstanding projects and the contributions of sponsors and partners, while dynamic presentations illuminated the creativity and cultural depth of the winning designs.
As Mr. Tan emphasized in his opening speech, “Architecture and hospitality are not separate paths — they form the cultural and experiential foundation of how Asia is being seen, felt, and remembered.” This message reinforced the awards’ mission to honor not only excellence in design, but also the shared effort to define and elevate Asia’s architectural and cultural identity on the global stage.
The evening also featured the Asia Hospitality Awards (AHA), a dedicated platform honoring outstanding achievements in the hospitality and tourism sector. The AHA celebrates exceptional individuals, brands, hotels, and restaurants across Asia, recognizing their excellence and significant contributions to the industry.
The event concluded with a forward-looking announcement: the launch of the 2026 AADA under the inspiring new theme "Influential Asia," calling on designers to continue pushing creative boundaries. Significantly, the next edition of AADA will be held at the prestigious Dragon Pearl Cave (Hang Ngọc Rồng) in Quang Ninh, Vietnam – a celebrated cultural destination recently honored with the "Asia's Finest New Cultural Destination" award at the 2025 Asia Hospitality Awards (AHA).
This remarkable venue perfectly embodies the spirit of both AADA and AHA, blending cultural heritage and innovative experiences, making it an ideal setting to showcase Asia’s architectural excellence and hospitality achievements. Scheduled for July 2026, the event will cover diverse categories from sustainable urbanism to transformative public spaces, with the mission to honor architects and visionaries shaping the future of design. The 2026 AADA at Dragon Pearl Cave promises to be a landmark celebration of Asia’s profound influence on the global architectural and hospitality landscape.
Preliminary submissions are now open until 30 November 2025. For more information, visit https://aadawards.com or contact hello@aadawards.com.
