Shortlist for CIOB's Art of Building 2026 competition

On 21 September 2026, CIOB annonced the stunning images capturing architecture, people and the relationship between buildings and their surroundings shortlisted for their prestigious annual photography competition.

Ice Flower Hotel – Maho, photographed in Shemshak, Iran

The 12 photographs have been selected as finalists for CIOB’s Art of Building 2026 competition, which celebrates the built environment and the people, places, skills and ideas that shape it.

The shortlisted images take viewers from the snowy mountains of Iran and the floodwaters of rural Bangladesh to iconic buildings in Seoul, Prague and Barcelona. They include an aerial view of Bangladesh’s historic Somapura Mahavihara, a dramatic low-angle photograph of Prague’s Masarycka building, and an image of a traditional Himba shelter being constructed in Namibia.

Other finalists feature the Library of Birmingham, Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the Capelinhos Volcano Interpretation Centre in the Azores and a residential tower on Toronto’s waterfront.

The 12 photographers, based in countries including the UK, United States, Iran, Bangladesh, Poland, Singapore, Czech Republic, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates, will now compete for the public’s vote.

Saul Townsend, Head of Communications at CIOB, said: “Every year I think I know what to expect from Art of Building, and every year the photographers prove me wrong. This final 12 is such a brilliant mix of places, people, architecture and moments from around the world. Some are beautiful, some make you stop and think, and others just make you wonder. I genuinely love this collection, and I think it shows just how differently we can all see and experience the built world around us."

Public voting closes on Friday 16 October, giving people the chance to choose their favourite photograph from the 12 finalists. The winning image will be announced alongside the other Art of Building 2026 winners, selected by a panel of judges, on Tuesday 3 November.

The 12 Art of Building 2026 public vote finalists are:

• Aqualuna – Swee Choo Oh, photographed in Toronto, Canada
• Ascending Geometry – Joanne Bird, photographed at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea
• Ice Flower Hotel – Maho, photographed in Shemshak, Iran
• Layers of Time – Muhammad Amdad Hossain, photographed at Somapura Mahavihara, Bangladesh
• Living on the Edge – Azim Khan Ronnie, photographed in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh
• Muther Turm – Sebastian Szostek, photographed on Rugen Island, Germany
• Pavilion of Enlightenment – Garion Chee, photographed in Bangkok, Thailand
• Sculpted Pinnacle – Tomas Salac, photographed in Prague, Czech Republic
• The Hidden Ballroom – Damien Walmsley, photographed at the Library of Birmingham, UK
• The Himba Builder – Satya Maia Patchineelam, photographed in Namibia
• Underground – Jens Moser, photographed in Faial, Azores, Portugal
• Windows of Light – Shyjith Kannur, photographed in Barcelona, Spain.

For more information and to cast your vote, visit www.artofbuilding.org

This article originally appeared on the CIOB website on 21 September 2026.

--CIOB

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