This year, Frank Gehry’s acclaimed Guggenheim Museum building in Bilbao hosted the honourable Architecture MasterPrize Awards (AMP). One of the most synonymous contemporary buildings of the 20^th Century, the location was superbly fitting with the genre of awards itself.

Famed for his other buildings including the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris and the Walt Disney concert hall, it was the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao that housed the much-anticipated ceremony this year. It saw 150 masterful architects gather from across the globe to receive three prestigious awards. The esteemed competition draws the finest and most mind-blowing new developments from each corner of the globe.

The first of the three was ‘The Architectural Design of the Year’ which was awarded to the magnificent ‘The Retreat at Blue Lagoon’ in Iceland. The unique retreat is designed to combine the idyllic Icelandic nature with modern architecture. The designers pledged to create a connection between guests and their surroundings. The ancient building is set upon a 751-year-old lava flow in the heart of the Reykjanes UNESCO Global Geopark. The retreat is also home to a subterranean spa, geothermal lagoon and 62-suite hotel surrounded by the Blue Lagoon’s seawaters. Engulfed by the mineral-rich water, the rugged lava and centuries-old moss which are the centre point of every part of the building.

Secondly, ‘Interior Design of the Year’ went to the ‘Infinite Building’ in Montreal Canada. This exquisite space was a created by two art collectors and their architect. Without wanting to compromise the structure of the building, the architect had the challenge of optimising the space through a different means. The claustrophobic space was transformed by the cunning use of light, space and mirrors throughout whole the interior.