1981 in architecture

The year 1981 in architecture involved some significant architectural events and new buildings.

Buildings

 * JPMorgan Chase Tower, Houston, Texas designed by I. M. Pei is completed.
 * Sydney Tower in Sydney, Australia is completed and opened.
 * Colonius in Cologne, Germany is completed.
 * Fifth Avenue Place (Calgary) in Calgary, Alberta.
 * Sangath in Ahmedabad, India, a studio designed for himself by B. V. Doshi, is completed.
 * The Riyadh TV Tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is completed.
 * The National Palace of Culture opens in Sofia, Bulgaria.
 * Howell High School in Howell, MI is completed as the most expensive high school at the time in the State of Michigan.
 * The Marriott World Trade Center originally known as the Vista Hotel, is completed in Lower Manhattan, New York as a part of the World Trade Center complex.
 * The Humber Bridge in England, the longest suspension bridge in the world by the length of central span (1981–1998), designed by Freeman Fox & Partners (consulting engineers) and R. E. Slater (architect) is opened to traffic.

Awards

 * AIA Gold Medal – Josep Lluís Sert.
 * Architecture Firm Award – Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates.
 * Grand prix national de l'architecture – Gérard Thurnauer, Pierre Riboulet and Jean-Louis Veret.
 * Pritzker Prize – James Stirling.
 * RAIA Gold Medal – Colin Madigan.
 * RIBA Royal Gold Medal – Philip Dowson.
 * Twenty-five Year Award – Farnsworth House.

Deaths

 * March 7 – Roy Grounds (born 1905)
 * April 10 – Charles Cowles-Voysey (born 1889)
 * July 1 – Marcel Breuer (born 1902)
 * September 1 – Albert Speer (born 1905)
 * December 2 – Wallace Harrison (born 1895)
 * date unknown – Kanippayyur Shankaran Namboodiripad, Nambudiri Brahmin and Royal Architect (born 1891)