Four architecture firms snagged this year?s awards Each year, in order to select a winning class of Curbed Groundbreakers, we task our group of jurors with a few not-small feats: Award cutting-edge work that keeps the public at the forefront. Highlight mid-career architects and designers with built work under their belts. Look for innovations in sustainability, studio practice, pro-bono work, new technology, and diverse audiences.
This year?s winning Groundbreakers?LA-Más, Bionic, SCAPE, Abruzzo Bodziak Architects?all hail from major, and progressive, American cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, respectively. And to a one, the jurors ranked public interest as equal to design talent in selecting the four winners.
Groundbreakers honorees will receive a trophy designed by experimental furniture, object, and interiors studio Chen Chen and Kai Williams.

Philip Freelon, design director at Perkins + Will, explains his reasoning: ?I was interested in high-impact projects that were delivered within modest budgets?great design should be enjoyed by everyday people in the public realm.? Ford Foundation president Darren Walker elucidated a similar approach, lauding work that is ?responsive to the public, serving a greater good, and consistent with a larger social justice mission.?
Susan Chin, executive director of Design Trust for Public Space, placed high value on ?scalable solutions to climate change, public health, or social systems,? wh...