BusinessWeek and Architectural Record magazines announced the winners of their 10th annual “Good Design is Good Business” international competition today. These honors recognize innovative building design projects that help solve problems and achieve specific goals for companies, nonprofits, institutions, and governmental agencies. Four projects received an Award of Excellence in 2007:

• Navy Federal Credit Union, Pensacola, Fla., designed by ASD Inc.
• InterActiveCorp headquarters, New York City, designed by Gehry Partners/STUDIOS Architecture
• Young Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
• United States Census Bureau Headquarters, Suitland, Md., designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill

An additional six projects received a Citation for Excellence:

• San Diego Padres Ballpark/Petco Park, San Diego, designed by Antoine Predock Architect PC
• Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto, designed by Diamond and Schmitt
• Hearst Tower interior, New York City, designed by Gensler in collaboration with Foster and Partners
• SJ Berwin law offices, London, designed by HOK
• The Gardiner Museum, Toronto, designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects
• Hubbell Lighting Headquarters, Greenville, S.C., designed by McMillan Smith & Partners

Award recipients will be honored at a dinner that will be held during the Architectural Record Innovation Conference, October 10 - 11 in New York City. For more information about the conference, visit ArchitecturalRecord.com. The projects will also be featured online and in the November issue of Architectural Record, as well as in the print and online editions of BusinessWeek.

“The entries were extremely high caliber, making the selection of winners especially difficult,” says Architectural Record’s editor in chief, Robert Ivy, who was one of the seven jurors. “The role of an architect goes far beyond creating an attractive building, as these projects demonstrate. With effective collaboration, architects can help clients strengthen their workforce, generate more revenue and illustrate a commitment to sustainability. These are just a few of the myriad benefits of good design.”

The winners were selected from a diverse and competitive pool of 96 projects from nine different countries. All projects were completed within the past four years. The contest was open to any architect registered in the U.S. and abroad. Jurors applied rigorous standards while looking for exemplary design fused with a strong business case. Successful applications clearly described how the building’s design elements led to improvements that might include increased employee retention, reduced energy costs, heightened production, rebranding or a boost in revenue.

“This program honors the architects and clients who best utilize design to achieve strategic objectives,” says Helen Walters, editor of innovation and design for BusinessWeek.com. “From a corporate headquarters to a center for the performing arts, the diverse array of buildings awarded in this competition shows how smart architectural thinking can be effective in any context.”