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 wildly creative family home is Patkau Architects’ response to the geography of the island on which it’s built: to the east, a jagged ledge overlooks the Strait of Georgia; to the west, basalt hills, deep valleys and forests of Douglas fir unfold. The dwelling is low slung and every bit as irregular as the landscape: a rambling suite of interconnected rooms, with concrete walls, full-height windows, and a subtly undulating steel-framed roof beneath a carpet of moss. The most extreme element is the cantilevered wooden deck, which includes glass apertures that open dramatically to the roiling waters below.

Location: Quadra Island, Canada

Firm: Patkau Architects, Canada

Team: John Patkau, Patricia Patkau and David Shone, with Greg Boothroyd, James Eidse, Mike Green, Marc Holland, Dimitri Koubatis, Thomas Schroeder and Craig Simms ­