Top 10 Instagram posts of 2018

Architects know how important a powerful rendering or photo can be to convey their ideas. With over 1 billion active monthly users, Instagram is where many of us consume and engage with great imagery of architecture. AIA members and architecture enthusiasts—more than 32,000 strong—follow AIA National's Instagram feed to see projects from around the United States and beyond. The following images were AIA's most-liked in 2018, featuring award-winning buildings and architects that emphasize the value of world-class design.

1. The Broad

Architect: Diller Scofidio + Renfro w/ Gensler | Photo: Robert Benson Photography | View on Instagram

This striking museum in downtown Los Angeles stands tall as a 2018 AIA Award for Architecture recipient, and as an architectural marvel in its own right despite being a mere block away from the renowned Walt Disney Concert Hall.

2. Mercer Island Fire Station 92

Architect: Miller Hull | Photo: Lara Swimmer | View on Instagram

Sustainable features that reduced energy use and provided thermal comfort for its firefighters made this unique fire station a standout project and a 2018 AIA Award for Architecture recipient.

3. New United States Courthouse

Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) | Photo: SOM | View on Instagram

With a cubic form that floats over a stone base, this 2018 AIA Award for Architecture recipient created new public spaces on a prominent block in downtown Los Angeles.

The Broad, the no. 1 most-liked Instagram post from AIA National, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro w/ Gensler.

4. Saddle Peak Residence

Architect: Sant Architects | Photo: Joe Fletcher Photography | View on Instagram

This secluded retreat in the Santa Monica Mountains—dubbed a “modernist confection made of glass, concrete, and wood” by Curbed—was the recipient of a 2018 AIA Los Angeles Residential Architecture Award.

5. Remembering Robert Venturi, FAIA

View on Instagram

On September 18, 2018, 2016 AIA Gold Medalist Robert Venturi, FAIA, died at the age of 93. AIA paid tribute to the late architect with his famous quote: “Less is a bore.”

6. The Bear Stand

Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson | Photo: Nic Lehoux | View on Instagram

A 3,300-square-foot retreat that is carefully situated on along the shores of Contau Lake in Gooderham, Ontario, Canada, this project received a 2018 AIA Housing Award.

7. Tilt-Shift House

Architect: ANX | Photo: Brian Thomas Jones Photography | View on Instagram

This recipient of a 2018 AIA Los Angeles Residential Architecture Award is a stacked single-family home with three levels, situated upon a subterranean garage embedded in the hillside.

Mercer Island Fire Station 92, the no. 2 most-liked Instagram post from AIA National in 2018, designed by Miller Hull.

8. Lightbox

Architect: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson | Photo: Nic Lehoux | View on Instagram

Designed as a home and studio for a photographer and his family, this 2017 AIA Small Project Award recipient is located on a densely forested site in Washington state and captures views via a south-facing two-story glass cage.

9. The Lost Whiskey Project

Architect: Green Spur | Photo: Mitch Allen Photography | View on Instagram

This unique home runs on a solar-powered 12-volt battery and collects water in a cistern on the roof, earning the Virginia cabin recognition from the 2018 Washingtonian Residential Design Awards.

10. Mundo Verde at Cook Campus

Architect: Studio Twenty Seven Architecture | Photo: Anice Hoachlander | View on Instagram

This sustainability-focused public charter school repurposes stormwater and teaches students about nutrition and wellness through a garden-to-plate-to-compost initiative; amongst other awards, it was chosen for the 2018 COTE Top Ten.

For more great photos, follow AIA National on Instagram. Curious about how many of these buildings received recognition? Take a look at our honors and awards programs.