APAC

The INDE.Awards 2026 shortlist is out. Here’s what 12 projects tell us about the APAC region

Caroline Caneva A woman with straight, light brown hair and bangs is smiling, wearing a black top and gold earrings, holding a glass with a light-colored drink, against a neutral background with soft lighting.

Head of Regional Marketing, APAC

Jul 8, 2026

2 min

Sunlight streams through large windows onto wooden benches in a modern, minimalist room with light wood walls and floors. Greenery hangs outside, and geometric shadows fall inside—a space worthy of INDE.Awards recognition for its refined design.

The INDE.Awards shortlist always gives you a reason to stop scrolling. This year’s Building category, the grand prize for progressive architecture across Asia Pacific, does exactly that. Twelve projects. Five countries. A typology spread wide enough to make any shortlisting conversation interesting.

This is OpenAsset’s first year partnering with Indesign Media Asia Pacific on The Building category, which recognises the most progressive architectural project in the region: one that demonstrates a new direction for architecture while responding meaningfully to its local place and culture.

It’s a fitting partnership. The Building category celebrates exactly the kind of work our customers pour their hearts into, and we’re rapt to be part of it.

The shortlist

Aotearoa/New Zealand

A black-and-white Air New Zealand airplane with a fern design is parked outside a large open hangar that has Air New Zealand written on it. The sky is partly cloudy. — Hangar 4

A modern building with glass and orange checkered panels, trees lining the street, a skybridge connecting sections, and a clear blue sky overhead. — Hangar 4

Hangar 4, Studio Pacific Architecture
New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), Warren and Mahoney in association with Moller Architects and Woods Bagot

Australia

A waxing gibbous moon rises in a clear blue sky above a sunlit, wavy-edged concrete wall casting sharp shadows. — Baaka Cultural and Art Centre

Spacious modern lobby with wood slat ceilings, curved architecture, large windows, information desks, self-service kiosks, and people sitting and walking. Sign reads Western Health Foundation. — Baaka Cultural and Art Centre

Baaka Cultural and Art Centre, Kaunitz Yeung Architecture
New Footscray Hospital, COX Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership
Sydney Fish Market, 3XN in association with BVN and ASPECT Studios
The Corner Shop House, Downie North
Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, COX Architecture, ZHA Architects and Woods Bagot

China

Modern building with curved white panels, large windows, and illuminated signage, situated on a street corner with trees and traffic lights. The surrounding area appears quiet with minimal pedestrian activity. — Ink Ink Market

Ink Ink Market, Linehouse

Malaysia

Spacious, modern interior with large angular beams, glass walls, and natural light. A person walks on the left side of the open floor, and stairs lead to upper levels. Architectural features create a futuristic look. — Merdeka 118

Merdeka 118, FK

Singapore

Curved walkway with a wooden roof, vertical wooden slats on the left, rocks along the edge, lush greenery and a reflecting pool on the right, under a partly cloudy sky. — Jurong Lake Gardens

A modern, sunlit courtroom with light wood walls, benches, and ceiling. Large windows reveal greenery outside, casting natural shadows on the floor and furniture. — Jurong Lake Gardens

Jurong Lake Gardens, Central & East, Liu & Wo Architects
Mandai North Crematorium, CPG Consultants
Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, WOW Architects | Warner Wong Design

Familiar names on the list

Half the fun of a shortlist like this is spotting who you know. Warren and Mahoney, Woods Bagot, COX Architecture, Billard Leece Partnership, BVN, ZHA Architects, and FK are all OpenAsset customers, and between them, they appear across five of the twelve shortlisted projects: NZICC, New Footscray Hospital, Sydney Fish Market, Western Sydney International Airport, and Merdeka 118. Over 40% of this year’s Building shortlist.

What twelve very different buildings have in common

A cultural centre, a hospital, an airport, a crematorium, a market hall, a convention centre, a resort. On paper, these projects share almost nothing. On the shortlist, they share everything that matters. Each one made the case for a new direction in architecture and proved it could respond to its place and culture, project after project, jury round after jury round.

And behind every strong entry is the quieter work of pulling it together: the images, the project history, the proof points, ready at the right moment to tell the story well.

The winner will be announced in Melbourne

The winner of The Building 2026 will be announced on 30 July 2026 in Melbourne. We’ll be watching closely, as will the region’s architecture and design community.

Congratulations to all twelve shortlisted teams. Whichever project takes the prize, this shortlist alone says plenty about the ambition and range coming out of Asia Pacific right now.

See the full shortlist at indeawards.com at the link below.

See the Full Shortlist

Caroline Caneva

Head of Regional Marketing, APAC

Caroline Caneva has spent over twenty years inside the architecture, design, and construction industry — working alongside the practitioners, understanding the pressures, and building the kind of marketing that moves things forward in this sector. Her career spans marketing and growth leadership at some of Australasia’s most recognised design practices, including a full rebrand across eleven studios at Plus Studio. Seven years at the Design Institute of Australia gave her a sector-wide view of the professional community, and her contribution to Australian design was awarded with an Honorary Fellowship (FDIA hon).

Caroline’s experience now informs her work as a speaker, writer, and advocate for how technology and AI can practically transform the way built environment firms market themselves and win work.

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