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.

It’s rare that architectural grandstanding results in an actual grandstand. Architecturama designed the two perpendicular sets of bleachers that fill this 80-square-metre hilltop cottage to maximize lake views through a bank of three-storey windows. Within, the unconventional modular seating morphs to accommodate different purposes. At the north end, the residence contains a tight stack of utilitarian spaces topped by a galley kitchen, while the adjacent dining room table occupies the highest vantage point. True to form, the underbelly contains a maze of stairs, and a forest of structural columns that hides a ground-floor office.

Location: Lac Jasper, Canada

Firm: Architecturama, Canada

Team: Sylvain Bilodeau and Nicolas Mathieu-Tremblay ­