These are the 2023 Art of Building photography competition winners

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has announced winners for the 2023 edition of their annual Art of Building photography contest. 

Each year since 2010, a pair of People’s and Judges' Choice winners are selected from an international field of entries open to both amateur and professional photographers of the built environment. A public vote determines the winner of the former category. Both receive a cash prize of £1,500 ($1,900 USD) for their excellence and are joined by finalists in each of three categories: Architecture, Conservation and Heritage, and Human Interaction. 

The CIOB says, "We stand for the science, ethics, and practice of the built environment across the world. [...] It is the Art of Building competition that celebrates the creativity of the industry, the passion of the people who work within it, and the impact their work has on those who make use of the final construction."

Scroll down to see a list of winners for the 2023 competition.

People's Choice winner: National Mosque of Bangladesh (cover)
Photographer: Azim Khan Ronnie

Photographer's Comments: "Thousands of people come together to pray over several floors of one of the biggest mosques in the world. Those taking part in group prayers can be seen neatly lined up as they stand, sit, kneel and bow during prayers. The National Mosque of Bangladesh can hold up to 40,000 people, including in the outside open space."

Judges' Choice winner: Bricks
Photographer: Alain Schroeder

Photographer's comments: "Bangladesh needs a lot of material to push forward its development, and that is why you can see a lot of brick factories in the country, where men, women and even children work in difficult and dangerous conditions. The men are covered with dust transforming them into earth statues that endangers their health."

Finalist: Cosmic Connection
Photographer: Nina Kloss

Photographer's comments: "At over 3000m, the observatory is a unique architectural design. It serves as a bridge between the terrestrial world and the celestial heavens. The observatory, which also features a hotel, offers an immersive experience, inviting its guests to study the wonders of the natural world in an otherwise remote and hard-to-access area."

Finalist: Kaizhou Window
Photographer: Hongyi Lou

Photographer's comments: "The covered bridge that crosses the entrance encourages people to establish a connection between the lotus pond and the hills, using the building as a window to more fully appreciate the surrounding nature."

Finalist: F51 World’s first multi-story skatepark
Photographer: Matt Rowe

Photographer's comments: "F51 – named so after its Folkestone-based location – wasn’t supposed to be the world’s first multi-story skatepark. Commissioned by philanthropist Sir Roger De Haan, the original idea was that it should be a multi-story car park, after which plans morphed into a hybrid of the two, before settling on that which everyone wanted: a skatepark set on multiple floors."

Finalist: Tulip Staircase
Photographer: Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz

Photographer's comments: "This ornate, wrought iron structure was the first geometric self-supporting spiral stair in Britain when it was installed in the Queen's House, Greenwich, London. Even today the stairs seem to defy gravity, with its captivating spiral linking the upper floors with the dramatic Great Hall."

Finalist: Blue Cabins
Photographer: Alice Barbieri

Photographer's comments: "In this photo the geometry of the cabins creates a series of images that multiply symmetrically. The blue colour prevails, the roofs of the cabins blend with the sky and the sea to create a very pleasing composition."

Finalist: The world's highest atrium
Photographer: Jiachen Li

Photographer's comments: "When the visitors stand in the centre of the hall and look up, the hyperbola core tube rising from the ground leads directly to the glass ceiling at the top of the atrium. The stacked gradient of the atrium facade fully demonstrates the enormous tension of the structure, and the magnificent momentum of the world's tallest atrium. It is like a waterfall, pouring down from a height of 200 meters."

Finalist: Waves
Photographer: Ursula Reinke

Photographer's comments: "Henning Larsen Architects emerged as the winner of a design competition in Vejle. Their idea was to create an organic and at the same time sculptural form: a wave. Above all, the natural conditions found in the immediate surroundings inspired the architects to create this unusual building shape."

Finalist: Nandgaon Temple
Photographer: Azim Khan Ronni

Photographer's comments: "Nandgaon is a historical town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is believed that Krishna in his childhood lived in Nandgaon with his family. It was named after Nand Baba, father of Krishna and features lots of famous temples related to the times of Krishna."

Finalist: The Ceiling Of Qeysarieh
Photographer: Farshid Ahmadpour

Photographer's comments: "This is the ceiling of the Qeysarieh Gate, part of the ceremonial site of the Safavid court and a 400-year-old national mansion protected by UNESCO."

Finalist: Walk towards the halo
Photographer: Rong Xu 

Photographer's comments: "A father and his daughter are walking on the grass where a giant disc-like building is illuminated by the summer twilight."

Finalist: Lake necklace
Photographer: Xuyang Lin

Photographer's comments: "Located in Shunde, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, when you view the building from above it looks like an ancient necklace and yet it is made of buildings connected in a series."

Finalist: Ghost of Nakagin Capsule Tower
Photographer: Giacomo Farabegoli

Photographer's comments: "I took this photo in 2019 of the Nakagin Capsule Tower that was later demolished in 2022. The entire building was already covered with a net since the capsules were almost all abandoned and deteriorated. Now the building is only a ghost of the architects efforts."

Finalist: Silk road art gallery
Photographer: Sen Wei 

Photographer's comments: "The Silk Road is an economic development strategy initiated by China to promote the common development of various countries, and unique Silk Road Art Museums can be found all over China, with their unique shapes and exaggerated artistic curves, perfectly presenting the characteristics of architectural diversity."