Monocle Design Awards 2026: Best Buildings and Architectural Design

The Monocle Design Awards 2026 recognize outstanding architectural design across three categories: Best Headquarters, Best Trade School, and Best Government Building. The Best Headquarters award goes to Lombard Odier's new building on Lake Geneva, Switzerland, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning firm Herzog & de Meuron. The building consolidates over 2,000 staff from six Geneva sites into a single campus. Interiors by Rodolphe Parente feature timber and natural stone, with client areas including private dining and terraces, and employee amenities such as restaurants, a gym, and a coffee shop. Senior managing partner Hubert Keller notes the design reflects the company's values of integrity, openness, and sustainability. Best Trade School is awarded to Håndvaerkskollegiet in Herning, Denmark, a residence for trainee tradespeople designed by Dorte Mandrup. The building features exposed construction details, workshops for wood, metal, and bricklaying, and aims to address Denmark's skills shortage by encouraging cross-disciplinary learning. Principal Flemming Moestrup highlights the crossover between trades as a key draw. Best Government Building goes to the Chamber of Notaries in Paris, France, a renovation of a Haussmannian administrative building that reshapes public perception of notaries. The project is part of a broader effort to modernize the profession's image.