The 2025 HD Awards Project Winners

UPSCALE HOTEL
FORTH Atlanta

From the façade—a merging of a three-story gray brick podium and a tower accentuated with an exposed concrete diagrid—it’s clear the FORTH Atlanta is an ambitious arrival to the city’s Old Fourth Ward. Inside, guests rove between the spa and 20,000-square-foot fitness center as well as four F&B concepts, including Italian steakhouse Il Premio. For the latter, Stokes Architecture + Design looked to the Palio di Siena horse race for inspiration, depicted in a mural by Reverend Michael Allen that wraps the lounge. “It also features a vintage player baby grand piano, bought from my mother, who inherited it from her mother,” says principal Richard Stokes. In the morning, the 157 guestrooms (and 39 extended-stay suites) are bathed in natural light. “I love how the custom millwork and furniture come together; they’re all sculptural and bring a quiet sense of craftsmanship and quality to the rooms,” says Becca Roderick, design director of interiors at Morris Adjmi Architects. Rounded out with floral-print wallpaper and antique knotted rugs, “these elements anchor the space without overpowering it,” Roderick adds, “which reflects our approach to the project: refined but never showy, always rooted in context and comfort.”

Architecture Firm: Morris Adjmi Architects, New York | Interior Design Firms: Morris Adjmi Architects, New York; Stokes Architecture, Philadelphia (F&B); and Method Studios, Philadelphia | Owner: New City Properties | Operator: Method Co. | Purchasing Firm: The Parker Group