Recently, the AZ Awards ceremony was held at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto, Canada. The project Sky Ring 腾云气象环, led by Dr. Zhu Peidong, co-founder and chief architect of line+, received double honors as the Winner + People’s Choice in the category Architecture – Temporary and Experiential Installations.

It is also the only project in the architecture category this year to win both the Jury Award and the People’s Choice Award, highlighting its unique recognition from both professionals and the public.

According to official statistics, the AZ Awards 2025 selected 232 Longlisted works and 86 Finalists from around the world.
After evaluation by the international jury and a round of public voting, only 29 Winners and 27 People’s Choice Awards were ultimately announced.

“This one is pretty powerful." —— Nathan Rich, AZ Awards Juror

Sky Ring is an IP installation created with “meteorology” as its central theme.
It functions both as a weather balloon for the scenic area and as a new symbol of public life—not only serving as a super-scale landmark visible from several kilometers away, but also, when lifted into the air, casting a shadow that defines a shared activity space for visitors and villagers below.

The Sky Ring has an outer diameter of 30 meters and an inner diameter of 5.5 meters. It consists of the balloon body, avionics, lighting, ascent-and-retrieval systems, safety support mechanisms, and ground infrastructure. When wind speeds are below 8 m/s, the ring ascends to a tethered height of 25 meters; when wind speeds exceed 8 m/s, the four outer cables are retracted via winches and the ring is firmly anchored to the ground.

Inside the ring, 33 LED fixtures are distributed, utilizing RGBW technology to deliver uniform color-changing effects, meeting the landscape lighting requirements for nighttime illumination.

Launched in 2011 by AZURE, a leading North American architecture and design magazine, the AZ Awards has now entered its 15th edition. The jury is composed of world-class experts in architecture and design.

With 31 professional categories, the award focuses on innovative design, technological breakthroughs, and sustainable practices, and has become a globally recognized and authoritative prize in the design industry.