Callwey Best of Architecture Summit 2025

An inspiring celebration of excellence in architecture and design

This October, the Callwey Awards returned to Munich's Design Offices in the Macherei, honoring the year's finest submissions across six prestigious categories: "Most Beautiful Restaurants, Hotels & Bars," "Best Workspaces," "Houses of the Year," "Best of Interior," "Residential Buildings of the Year," and "Healing Architecture." The Best of Architecture Summit 2025 centered on innovation, excellence, and meaningful professional connections. Over 600 attendees—architects, interior designers, project developers, building consortiums, housing associations, clients, urban planners, and manufacturers—experienced a dynamic program featuring compelling panel discussions: "AI: Heralding a Revolution in Architecture" with speaker Tim Fu (architect, formerly with Zaha Hadid and founder of Studio Tim Fu, a pioneer in generative AI design), "Interior/Architecture on Autopilot? Designing in the Age of AI and Code," "Regulation vs. Progress: What's Slowing Down Construction?," and the roundtable discussion "Moral by Design? Architecture and the Ethics of Machines."

Complementing the talks, the Summit Experience featured leading manufacturers showcasing cutting-edge innovations across lighting, interiors, bathrooms, kitchens, building materials, textiles, outdoor design, and landscape planning. Artemide, Louis Poulsen, and Tom Dixon demonstrated how light shapes space and atmosphere, while Schotten&Hansen, Neuhoff Naturstein, Orac, and Kandes highlighted materiality and craftsmanship. Fischbacher 1819 presented textile excellence, THG Paris, Kludi, Vallone, and Dross & Schaffer showcased bathroom and kitchen culture, and Gerhardt Braun unveiled modular outdoor room systems. Cubic Outdoor Living reimagined outdoor spaces as designed living areas, with plants from Holland's Ebben nursery connecting the interiors to landscape. Munich glassmaker Van Treeck revealed how glass becomes an atmospheric design element through the marriage of craft and technology. A new highlight this year was the morning's "Summit Experience City"—an exclusive architectural journey through Munich's premier showrooms including the Occhio Experience Center, next125 Munich, Cosentino, Molteni&C, and Stephanie Thatenhorst, offering insider conversations with the creative leaders behind these brands about emerging trends, forward-thinking materials, and innovative design approaches. The evening concluded with the awards presentation, celebrating 50 outstanding projects and an intimate networking reception. View the summit film by Konrad Milan and Andreas Moser at www.lightandspaces.at: www.youtube.de

Houses of the Year 2025 – Award Winners

The 2025 Callwey Awards celebrate the full spectrum of contemporary residential architecture—from pastoral country estates to vibrant urban homes, from freestanding villas to thoughtful infill projects and sensitive renovations. The "Houses of the Year – Architects' Choice" award further recognized companies whose innovative products have been integral to bringing these exceptional single-family homes to life.

1st Prize: Kuntscher Tscherning Architects and Urban Planners PartGmbB impressed the jury with their timber two-family home: "This house grants residents spatial openness while maintaining distinct, uncluttered boundaries. Its flexibility for change delivers an unexpected living quality," noted Michael Schuster.

Five additional projects earned recognition: Piertzovanis Toews for their barn renovation, Wespi de Meuron Romeo Architects BSA for their Ascona residence, KO/OK Architecture BDA for their double barn in Tübingen, and Markus Jeschaunig – Agency in Biosphere for Re:House.

Newcomer of the Year

The 2025 award for emerging architectural practices goes to Gilbert Berthold for "Wohnhaus unterm Schilfdach" (Reed-Roofed Residence): "More than a house—a powerful statement for sustainable building, material integrity, and site-responsive design." – Eva Herrmann

Photography Award of the Year

The photography award was presented to Hannes Henz for his images of the Ascona residence: "Honest and poetically refined—his photographs reveal the building in its truest form while evoking a dreamlike enchantment." – Roland Merz

Houses of the Year – Architects' Choice

Special recognition was bestowed on companies for groundbreaking product innovation:

1st Prize: pur natur Holzprodukte e.K. for locally sourced Douglas fir flooring, Awards for Etex Germany Exteriors GmbH, Cedral Fassaden, Hager Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, PV-optimised wallbox witty plus, Vallox GmbH, energy-efficient ventilation unit ValloPlus 370 MV

Houses of the Year 2025 – The Book

All award winners, commendations, and honours are featured in a stunning coffee table book celebrating the competition, available now at retailers everywhere.

Complete list of all award winners at www.callwey.de

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Harmony in Every Detail

Color concepts and art installations for compelling medical practice spaces in Moabit

Living space through change

Amazing metamorphosis – from a "discreet house" to a multi-storey residential building

Sustainable with consistency

A climate company focuses on flexibility and reusable materials

Hanseatic identity in fired clay

The renaissance of clinker architecture

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Seamless Integration

This is the guiding philosophy behind this distinctive architectural approach.

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One of a Kind

A staircase maker from Forstern crafts bespoke metal staircases of distinction

Timeless Quality

Swabian Innovator: Redefining Furniture Manufacturing

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Alpine Elegance

An apartment hotel near Theresienwiese distinguishes itself through a distinctive interior design vision

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City Simulation

Multi-story Residential Buildings with Urban Character

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Two Become One

A merger of two apartments transformed the attic into a generous, luminous single residence.

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New Work in Munich's West End

The Mark office building stands ready for its occupants

Living space through change

Amazing metamorphosis – from a "discreet house" to a multi-storey residential building