For the sixth annual AZ Awards, our intrepid jury narrowed the field from over 800 submissions, received from dozens of countries, to select just 48 finalists that stood above the rest. In addition to presenting the AZ Award winners, Azure recognized these projects, products and concepts with Awards of Merit.

This inn and artists’ retreat is proposed for an unlikely spot: a former grain silo on the Buffalo River. To create livable suites in the elongated cylindrical forms, Ludovico Centis and Jin Young Song came up with a scheme of prefabricated steel modules that can be lowered into the towers using cranes. To turn the post-industrial structure into a beacon for the local arts community, the facade will be enlivened by exterior lighting, and the interior will include a restaurant, a library and a lookout point, proclaiming that even a seemingly antiquated building can enjoy a triumphant second life.

Location: Buffalo, U.S.

Firm: Song Centis, U.S.

Team: Ludovico Centis and Jin Young Song with Thomas Bittner