Best Architectural Products of 2021

Ring Lights and Ribbon Bench, both from the Landscape Forms Typology Collection.

The pandemic may have shut down operations worldwide in 2020 and 2021, but it didn’t deter manufacturers from developing and launching innovative materials and products—some of which were even inspired by, or revisited for, the global health crisis. An independent jury of architects and designers reviewed some 200 introductions for RECORD’s annual product competition and have selected the 58 on the pages below as some of the best.

Our gold badge denotes winners with the highest jury score.

Blue-ribbon best reflects the Record editorial staff’s picks in each category.

Select a category to view the products

Lighting

Building Envelopes

Building Systems & Flooring

Outdoor & Landscaping

Textiles

View Previous Winners

The Jury

Meryati Blackwell, AIA, ASID
Meryati Blackwell is a principal and the director of interiors at Fayetteville, Arkansas–based Marlon Blackwell Architects. She has worked on a wide range of projects, most notably for the Crystal Bridges Museum and Northwest Arkansas Free Health. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Planning from the University of Miami.

Adaeze Cadet, AIA
Having worked for 16 years in various phases of architecture, Adaeze Cadet joined the Los Angeles office of HOK as a design principal, involved on such projects as the Robertson Lane mixed-use development and EDITION hotel, both in West Hollywood. She carries a Master of Architecture degree from Prairie View A&M University.

James Cull
Design director and associate principal at Rottet Studio in New York, James Cull specializes in luxury interiors for hospitality, residential, and retail projects, a natural fit for one who started his career at high-end interior and product design firm Yabu Pushelberg. He earned a Master of Science in Interior Design from New York’s Pratt Institute.

Matt Ducharme
A principal and the west coast design leader for Woods Bagot, Matt Ducharme has both a Bachelor of Science in structural engineering from the University of Wisconsin and Master of Architecture from the University of Michigan. His notable projects include 447 Collins Street in Melbourne and the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas.

Suzanne Troiano
Suzanne Troiano is a director for the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, where she is tasked with workplace design for civic projects such as the Brooklyn district attorney’s office. Previously, she was director of interior design at Ennead Architects. She earned her Associate of Applied Science from Parsons School of Design.

Former RECORD editor Sheila Kim is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes about commercial and residential architecture, interior design, and products.

Linda Lentz is managing editor at Architectural Record, responsible for the Record Interiors issue, lighting sections, and schools. She joined RECORD in 2008. Previously, the Brooklyn native worked as a freelance writer and editor covering design, materials, and products for RECORD and such design and shelter publications, such as Interior Design, This Old House, and Consumer Reports. This followed 10 years as Articles Editor at Home Magazine. She holds an M.A. from NYU and a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute.