Vote now on 12 stunning architectural photographs in the 2019 Art of Building awards

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is asking the public to help choose this year’s Art of Building Photographer of the Year as the competition now enters its final stage.

The work of the 12 finalists are below. An online public vote will determine who gets a £1,500 People’s Choice Award. 

The competition run by the CIOB celebrates the creativity of the construction industry and the built world around us. Now in its tenth year the public have until 10 January 2020 to choose their winner.

Only 12 photographs made it past the judging panel out of the thousands submitted from more than 100 countries around the world.

In the final are photographs from UK, Europe, Russia, South America and the Middle East, all showcasing intriguing perspectives on the built environment.

"This selection of photographs explores the remarkable creativity and variation of the built world, its power to affect our lives and its importance in our cultures," said Caroline Gumble, chief executive of the CIOB. "The range is spectacular, and we congratulate all the finalists."

There are two prizes on offer this year. The Judges Award which receives a £1,500 cash prize and the Public Choice Award which also receives a £1,500 cash prize.

For more details on the competition and to vote, visit: www.artofbuilding.org.

Here are the finalists:

1. Photo title: Kunststück
Photographer: Pegova Olya
Where taken: Russia
Photographer from: Russia
Camera used: Canon 7D
Photographer’s statement: "In the past, faux facades were rare and temporary interventions in urban spaces, but today they have become a part of the city landscape, only being changed from time to time."

2. Photo title: Eiffel Bridge
Photographer: Jose Pessoa Neto
Where taken: Portugal
Photographer from: Portugal
Camera used: Canon EOS 550D
Photographer’s statement: "People were waiting for the street festival ‘Senhora da Agonia’, one of the biggest in Portugal. From the street I saw these beautiful silhouettes, the bridge, the green crosses and the building behind in harmony."

3. Photo title: Colourful Mixture
Photographer: Volker Sander
Where taken: Hamburg, Germany
Photographer from: Germany
Camera used: Pentax K1 Mark III
Photographer’s statement: "This picture shows the peaceful coexistence of old and new architecture. The buildings don´t fit together, but they are not fighting against each other. They show the creative development in the City centre."

4. Photo title: Muralla Roja
Photographer: Agnese Sanvito
Where taken: Spain
Photographer from: London, UK
Camera used: Canon 5D Mark III
Photographer’s statement: "When I photographed La Muralla Roja, it felt like being in a De Chirico painting for the dreamlike feel of the place. This image encapsulates for me the sense of light and colour in photography that I enjoy most, and which are important to my work. The blue frame offers a cinematic view as entering into a new dimension and the soft tones of the early morning light captures the calmness and quietness of the building in its setting."

5. Photo title: Bank
Photographer: Jonathan Walland
Where taken: London, UK
Photographer from: London, UK
Camera used: Fujifilm X-T2 + 23mm f/2
Photographer’s statement: "I use minimalism as a method of enabling clarity. My process eliminates distraction, keeping the viewer focused on the purest elements of photography; form, light, texture and the way these components amalgamate."

6. Photo title: Sea and Humans
Photographer: David Martin Huamani Bedoya
Where taken: Peru
Photographer from: Peru
Camera used: Canon 5D Mark II
Photographer’s statement: "The intervention of man in nature is not always bad. The photo shows the tranquillity of nature and a balcony from where people can better appreciate it."

7. Photo title: Metrostation
Photographer: Alexandr Bormotin
Where taken: Moscow, Russia
Photographer from: Russia
Camera used: Canon 6D Mark II
Photographer’s statement: "The new Moscow metro station is made in a futuristic style."

8. Photo title: Axonometry
Photographer: Grzegorz Tatar
Where taken: Poland
Photographer from: Poland
Camera used: Phantom 4 Pro
Photographer’s statement: "This is an aerial view one of the underground entrance to the National Forum of Music in Wroclaw. It is an excellent example of axonometry in architecture."

9. Photo title: Fish
Photographer: Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz
Where taken: Valencia, Spain
Photographer from: Spain
Camera used: Sony Alpha 9
Photographer’s statement: "Due to the reflection of the water at night, the architecture of the buildings shows us the figure of a fish, perhaps prehistoric with its heart still alive."

10. Photo title: Skywards
Photographer: Debdatta Chakraborty
Where taken: Prague, Czech Republic
Photographer from: Kolkata, India
Camera used: Nikon D750
Photographer’s statement: "The House of the Black Madonna is a cubist building in the "Old Town" area of Prague, Czech Republic. The building was designed and built between 1911 and 1912 . Josef Gocár built the house as the first example of cubist architecture in Prague, and it remains probably the most celebrated."

11. Photo title: At work
Photographer: Volker Sander
Where taken: Abu Dhabi
Photographer from: Germany
Camera used: Pentax K5
Photographer’s statement: "The photo is an example of needful interaction between humans and buildings. Without the busy people cleaning the giant glass frames of the tower the building would look quite ugly."

12. Photo title: Bexhill Promenade Shelter
Photographer: Adam Regan
Where taken: Bexhill, UK
Photographer from: UK
Camera used: Nikon D800e
Photographer’s statement: "It is an elegant and appealing solution to a mundane problem."