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Metropolis Editors, Natural Habitat, sustainability, sustainable architecture

METROPOLIS Introduces Natural Habitat, a Sustainable Homes Video Series

The series debuts with a tour of a tranquil upstate New York retreat designed with Passive House principles.

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Four large, bold letter P’s in alternating green and orange stand out against purple and pastel backgrounds. Text reads: “Metropolis 2026 Planet Positive Awards.”.

August 12, 2026

Here Are the 2026 Planet Positive Awards Project and Innovation Finalists

Discover this year’s finalists in the Project and Innovation categories before winners are announced this fall.

The METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards celebrate the people, projects, products, and ideas advancing a more sustainable, healthy, and equitable built environment. We’re proud to announce the 2026 finalists in the Innovation and Projects categories, representing groundbreaking work from across the industry.

This year’s finalists will be evaluated by an esteemed jury of experts from academia, nonprofits, and sustainability leadership. Together, they will select the 2026 Planet Positive Awards winners. Meet the jurors and learn more about their expertise here.

Winners across the Innovation, Projects, Products, and People categories will be announced during the METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards Ceremony, hosted by editor in chief Avinash Rajagopal, on September 30 at the Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE PPA CEREMONY

The following day, on October 1, METROPOLIS will host Synergy, the Sustainability Lab + Conference, at the Center for Architecture + Design. The event brings together leaders from across the built environment for a day of inspiring conversations, interactive workshops, and hands-on exploration of the products, materials, and ideas shaping a more sustainable future.

REGISTER HERE FOR SYNERGY

PROJECTS FINALISTS

INNOVATION FINALISTS

PROJECT FINALISTS

CIVIC

Indoor swimming pool with lap lanes, leisure pool, and large windows letting in natural light; people are swimming and walking around.

hcma architecture + design
təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre

City of Santa Monica
City Hall East

Stantec 
Fort Whyte Alive Buffalo Crossing Paul Albrechtsen Visitor Centre

The Miller Hull Partnership
Redmond Library

CULTURAL

A modern, low-profile building with a flat roof sits in a grassy, open landscape under a dramatic sky with wispy clouds.

Snøhetta
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

OVERLAND PARTNERS
MARIE SELBY BOTANICAL GARDENS

WXY architecture + urban design AND HENEGHAN PENG ARCHITECTS
Storm King Art Center

HEALTHCARE

A modern brick building with large windows overlooks a landscaped lawn with benches, trees, and walking paths under a partly cloudy sky. Three people are visible in the scene.

HOK
Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health

PAYETTE
Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea

Higher Education

A large, terraced brick building with repeating geometric patterns and staircases. One person stands on the rooftop. Green fields are visible in the background.

Prestige University
Sanjay Puri Architects

Build Health International
Institute of Genomics and Global Health (IGH)

Perkins&Will
Kaiser Borsari Hall

SmithGroup
Virginia Tech Academic Building One

HOSPITALITY

Two people stand at a modern reception desk with wooden shelves behind them, containing plants, bottles, and decorative items in a spacious, well-lit lobby.

WRNS Studio
Kona Farm and Distillery

Indidesign
Southall Farm & Inn

studio ksa
Hårtwood Treehouse Hotel

Infrastructure

People walk and relax along a waterfront promenade with greenery, wooden pergolas, and city buildings in the background during sunset.

Field Operations
Seattle Waterfront Park

Gensler, HDR, and Luis Vidal Architects
Pittsburgh International Airport

Landscape

Aerial view of a landscaped park with winding paths, green lawns, trees, shaded seating areas, and geometric-patterned umbrellas.

Mikyoung Kim Design
TMC Helix Park

Field Operations
Presidio Tunnel Tops

Mixed-Use

Cityscape at dusk with modern and historic high-rise buildings; the sky reflects off glass windows while lights begin to turn on across the city.

Alloy LLC 
505 State Street

Hariri Pontarini Architects
The Well

Henriquez Partners Architects
Mirvish Village

Multifamily

A modern courtyard with three trees, light-colored paving, brick walls, circular staircases on both sides, and a balcony above.

Brent Buck Architects
Frame 122

concrete amsterdam
Moos Euterpe 

Community Development Partners
Julia West House

LPA Design Studios 
El Cerrito Permanent Supportive Housing

Pavillion or Installation

A modern wooden pavilion with an open wall, ceiling fan, and people walking inside and outside, overlooking a grassy area and blue sky.

Snow Kreilich Architects
River Hub at Graco Park

Retrofit or Repositioning

Historic bank interior with wood-paneled teller booths, mosaic tile floor, large vintage vault, and globe pendant lights.

River Architects
The Bank Lofts

Progressive Companies
Amway Commons

reBuild Workshop
Java Haus

Single Family

Modern two-story house with large windows and sloped roof, surrounded by trees and tall grass, set against a backdrop of green hills and blue sky.

Ken Wilson Architecture and Interior Design
The Healthy Green House Project

Design Draw Build Architects & Builders
Lightwell House

River Architects
China Pond Passive

Unbuilt Project

Modern building with large red upper facade, glass windows, and shaded entrance—an environment that exemplifies innovation worthy of Planet Positive Awards. People walk and cycle on pathways surrounded by greenery in front of the structure.

MJMA Architecture & Design
Western North York Community Centre

Design Draw Build Architects & Builders
Agualta STEAM Engine

Perkins&Will
Henrico County Center for Environmental Studies and Sustainability

Workplace

Modern multi-story office building with staggered balconies, surrounded by trees and other high-rise structures, under a blue sky with some clouds.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill 
WeBank Headquarters

Bora Architecture & Interiors
Volta 

Workplace Interiors

Modern office with wooden tables and shelves, several people working, books and architectural plans visible, and large windows providing natural light.

Gensler
Gensler San Francisco

IA
Seattle Studio

STANTEC
WELLNESS FOCUSED WORKPLACE

INNOVATION FINALISTS

Adaptive Reuse

Large windows in an industrial-style building reveal a green outdoor garden with a person walking by; sunlight creates shadows on the concrete floor, highlighting the sustainable design that earned recognition from the Planet Positive Awards.

COOKFOX Architects
Terminal Warehouse

OSD
Aviation Garden at Baisley Pond Park Residences

Circularity Initiative in Products

A small potted plant sits on a round metal table with two books, against a textured gray wall with a partial framed picture in the top right corner.

Carnegie
Loop

Camira
ReSKU 2.0

Haworth
Closed-Loop Manufacturing Process on Performance Seating

Mohawk Group
Hero Rubber made with Nike Grind

Community Engagement

Interior of a wooden market building with exposed beams, fresh produce on display, and several people shopping on a sunny day.

PAYETTE
Land’s Sake Farm

Clive Wilkinson Architects
Seaview Homes Community Rebuild

The Urban Conga
The Hive

Corporate Sustainability Initiative

Three stacks of folded fabric in blue, green, and orange-yellow tones arranged on a white surface, showing different textures and patterns.

Designtex
Sustainability Specifications Documentation for Healthy Materials

Bendheim
Building A Clear Future 

Nassimi
Writer’s Block

tikamoon
TikaGreen

Design for Resilience

Modern two-story building with large windows at dusk, lights on inside, a few people walking near the entrance, and a parking lot in the foreground.

Hart Howerton
Belle Haven Community Campus

GlasCurtain inc.
Whitehorse General Hospital – Fireweed Mental Health Unit

Embodied Carbon Reduction

A modern glass office tower with a red structural accent on its facade stands among older buildings and trees under a partly cloudy sky.

Gensler
One Post Office Square

Historical Preservation

Interior view of a grand hall with a large stained glass dome ceiling, arched windows, and ornate stone railings.

ODA
Book Tower

Mercedes de la Garza Architect Studio
Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Impact on Health and Wellness

A person walks up an orange outdoor staircase attached to a modern building with a landscaped area below.

Michael Hsu Office of Architecture
Burnet Place

PERKINS EASTMAN
2LIFE COMMUNITIES: Opus Newton

Dattner Architects
Alafia

Innovation in Material Use in Products

Modern bathroom sink with a square black basin, stainless steel faucet running water, marble countertop, and brown wall with a towel hanging nearby.

Kohler
WasteLAB DemiLav

Bolete
Armchair

Overall Decarbonization

A modern four-story building with large windows, vertical columns, and people walking in front, surrounded by trees and landscaping on a sunny day.

The Miller Hull Partnership
Newhouse Replacement Building

hcma architecture + design
təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre

Research & Development

Screenshot of a digital material library interface showing filters, search bar, and a grid of material samples with names and certification icons.

BA
Healthy Materials Initiative

CAUSE
Open-Access K12 POE & User Guide

Olson Kundig & University of Washington
Integrated Design Lab 
Decarbonization Analysis for Residential Architecture

Perkins&Will
PRECEDE

Social Impact

Modern, single-story building with large windows, surrounded by tall trees at sunset. Two people sit on outdoor steps near a landscaped area with large rocks.

El Dorado 
Parrott Creek

Aanda Architects
A Supportive Workspace for Her Justic Inc 

DLR Group
San Quentin Learning Center

Jonathan Rose Companies
Sendero Verde

Tools and Frameworks

Modern office with wooden tables, shelves of books, large windows, and four people working or discussing near desks and a whiteboard.

Gensler
Gensler Product Sustainability Standards

Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute
FETCH by C2C Certified®

Use of Biobased or Biogenic Materials

Person carrying a sheet of glass inside a wooden-framed building under construction, with a large window opening showing a scenic mountain landscape outside.

Love Schack Architecture
Aska’s Animal Haus

LTL Architects
All Straw House

Winners across the Innovation, Projects, Products, and People categories will be announced during the METROPOLIS Planet Positive Awards Ceremony, hosted by editor in chief Avinash Rajagopal, on September 30 at the Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE PPA CEREMONY

To attend the Planet Positive Awards Ceremony or Synergy, the METROPOLIS Sustainability Lab + Conference on October 1, register using the links below.

REGISTER HERE FOR SYNERGY

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