World Architecture Festival facts for kids

2010 Award winner: Aviva Stadium, Ireland. This stadium won an award for being easy to access!

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is a big yearly event that celebrates amazing buildings and designs from all over the world. Think of it like the "Oscars" for buildings! Architects, who are people who design buildings, come together to show off their best work.

The first festivals were held in Barcelona, Spain, from 2008 to 2011. After that, the festival moved to Singapore for four years. Since 2016, it has been held in cities like Berlin, Germany, and Amsterdam, Netherlands.

At the festival, about 550 architects get to present their projects live to a panel of judges. It's a bit like a competition! The best project wins the special title of "World Building of the Year." Every year, the festival shares a list of all the winners on its website.

About the World Architecture Festival

The World Architecture Festival first started in 2008. Its goal was to celebrate and share excellent building designs from all around the globe. The festival is a place where architects can show off their amazing ideas.

Over a thousand projects are entered into the competition each year. More than 550 of these projects are chosen to be presented live at the festival. Architects pay a fee to enter their designs, whether they are for buildings that are already finished or projects that are still being planned. They travel to the festival to show their work to a group of judges. In 2011, another event called INSIDE Festival, which focuses on interior design, was added. It happens at the same time and place as WAF.

Festival Winners

The 2008 Festival

2008 Culture of the Year: Oslo Opera House, Norway. This beautiful building won an award for culture.

The very first World Architecture Festival took place in Barcelona, Spain, from October 22 to 24, 2008. Paul Finch was in charge of the event. A very important part of the festival was the awards.

Buildings that had been finished in the past 18 months could enter the competition. There were 722 entries from 63 countries! These entries were in 17 different categories. After a first selection, 224 projects from 43 countries were chosen. All the chosen architects showed their work at the festival. The winners then competed for the top award: the World Building of the Year. Famous architects like Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid were among the 40 judges. About 1,900 people from 70 countries visited the festival.

In 2008, the "World Building of the Year" award went to Bocconi University in Italy, designed by Grafton Architects.

Gallery of some of the 2008 winners

• 

  2008 'Building of the Year, Learning: Universita Luigi Bocconi, Italy

• 

  2008 Housing of the Year: Mountain Dwellings, Denmark

• 

  2008 Nature of the Year: Olympic Sculpture Park, USA

• 

  2008 Production of the Year: BMW Welt, Germany

• 

  2008 Transport of the Year: Nordpark Cable Railway Stations, Austria

• 

  2008 Award winner, New & Old: Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, USA

• 

  2008 Award winner, Shopping: K:fem, Sweden

• 

  2008 Award winner, Private House: Final Wooden House, Japan

• 

  2008 Award winner, Culture: Oslo Opera House, Norway

• 

  2008 Award winner, Religion & Contemplation: Dornbusch-Church, Germany

The 2009 Festival

The second World Architecture Festival was held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 4 to 6, 2009. Projects from 67 countries took part. A total of 272 projects were chosen for the final competition in 15 categories.

A group of architects and industry experts from around the world judged the 45 awards. The winners of the 15 categories for finished buildings then competed for the "Building of the Year Award." Three new sections were added this year: Interiors and Fit-out, Structural Design, and Future Projects. In 2009, 1,507 architects from 71 countries came to Barcelona for the festival.

Awards 2009

• World Building of the Year: Mapungubwe Interpretation Center in South Africa.
• Future Project of the Year: Spanish Pavilion for 2010 Expo Shanghai in China.
• Interiors and Fit Out Overall Winner: Corian Super-Surfaces Showroom in Italy.
• Structural Design of the Year: Arena Zagreb in Croatia.
• Student design competition: AECOM Design + Planning Urban SOS in India.

Gallery of some of the 2009 winners

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Housing: The Met, Thailand

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, New and old: TKTS Booth / Redevelopment of Father Duffy Square, USA

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Office: Unileverhaus, Germany

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Transport: Bras Basah Mass Rapid Transit station, Singapore

• 

  2009 Commendation, Completed Buildings, Health: Maggie's Centre London, UK

• 

  2009 Commendation, Structural Design, Spans: Richmond Olympic Oval Roof, Canada

• 

  2009 Commendation, Completed Buildings: Ironbank (Auckland), New Zealand

• 

  2009 Commendation, Future Projects: Kuggen, Sweden

• 

  2009 Award winner: Future Project of the Year: Spanish Pavilion for 2010 Expo Shanghai in China

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Display: Cages for Macaws in the Palm Grove of Barcelona Zoo, Spain

• 

  2009 Category Winner, Future Projects, Commercial: Statoil Hydro office, Norway

• 

  2009 Commendation, Completed Buildings, House: Chen House, Taiwan

• 

  2009 Commendation, Interiors and Fit Out Culture: The Great North Museum, UK

The 2010 Festival

2010 Category Winner: Completed Buildings, Transport: The Helix Bridge, Singapore.

The third World Architecture Festival was held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 3 to 5, 2010. This festival was the biggest of its kind that year. More than 500 entries from 65 countries competed in many categories. The competition was open for entries from April to July. The chosen projects were then shown at the festival.

Awards 2010

• World Building of the Year: MAXXI, National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Italy.
• Future Project of the Year: The Arc in Palestinian Territory.
• Interiors and Fit Out Overall Winner: ANZ Centre in Australia.
• Structural Design of the Year: Medieval & Renaissance Galleries in the United Kingdom.
• Student design competition: Campus Catalyst Project in Haiti.
• ONCE Foundation Award for Accessibility: (Two winners) Aviva Stadium in Ireland and West Vancouver Community Centre in Canada.

Gallery of some of the 2010 winners

• 

  2010 Award winner: World Building of the Year: MAXXI, National Museum of XXI Century Arts, Italy

• 

  2010 Award winner: Interiors and Fit Out Overall Winner: ANZ Centre, Australia

• 

  2010 Award winner: Structural Design of the Year: Medieval & Renaissance Galleries, UK

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Display: Spanish Pavilion for Shanghai World Expo 2010, China

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Holiday: Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali Indonesia, Indonesia

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Housing: Pinnacle @ Duxton, Singapore

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Learning: School of the Arts, Singapore, Singapore

• 

  2010 Category Winner: Completed Buildings, Transport: The Helix Bridge, Singapore

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Future Projects, Infrastructure: West Kowloon Terminus, Hong Kong

• 

  2010 Commendation, Completed Buildings, Display: Danish Pavilion - Shanghai World Expo 2010 in China

• 

  2010 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Civic and community: City of Justice, Spain

The 2011 Festival

2011 Transport of the Year: Kurilpa Bridge, Australia.

The fourth World Architecture Festival (WAF) was held in Barcelona, Spain, from November 2 to 4, 2011. More than 700 projects were entered into the competition. Over 1,300 people came to the awards ceremony. The competition was open for entries from April to June 2011.

Many important architects were part of the judging panel this year. The opening night was held in a building called Media-ICT, which later won the "World Building of the Year Award." This top award was chosen from the 16 completed buildings that won their categories.

Awards 2011

• World Building of the Year: Media-ICT in Spain.
• Future Project of the Year: Hanimaadhoo International Airport in Maldives.
• Structural Design of the Year: Eight Spruce Street in the United States.
• ONCE Foundation Award for Accessibility: Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico.
• People's Choice Award: Memorial house Todor Proeski in Macedonia.

Gallery of some of the 2011 winners

• 

  2011 Award winner: World Building of the Year: Media-ICT, Spain

• 

  2011 Award winner: Structural Design of the Year: Eight Spruce Street, USA

• 

  2011 Award winner: People's Choice Award: Memorial house Todor Proeski, Macedonia

• 

  2011 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Housing: 8 House, Denmark

• 

  2011 Category Winner, Completed Buildings: Learning: Sainsbury Laboratory, UK

• 

  2011 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Sport: SPEEDSKATING STADIUM INZELL - MAX AICHER ARENA, Germany

• 

  2011 Category Winner, Future Projects, Masterplanning: West Kowloon Cultural District Conceptual Plan, Hong Kong

• 

  2011 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Display: Norwegian Wild Reindeer Center Pavilion, Norway

The 2012 Festival

2012 Award winner: Future Project of the Year: Kallang River Bishan Park, Singapore.

The fifth World Architecture Festival (WAF) moved to Singapore at Marina Bay Sands. It was held from October 3 to 5, 2012. People sometimes called the festival awards "The Architectural Oscars." At that time, it was the biggest global architectural awards program. Paul Finch was still the director.

There were over 700 entries from more than 60 countries. Awards were given in 33 categories, and 301 projects were chosen for the final round. The projects were judged after a presentation during the festival. Many famous architects were on the jury that chose the "World Building of the Year 2012." Over 1,800 architects, designers, and media from more than 60 countries attended.

Awards 2012

• World Building of the Year: Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
• Future Project of the Year: Kallang River Bishan Park in Singapore.
• Future Project of the Year (Masterplanning): Msheireb - Heart of Doha in Qatar.
• Student Team of the Year: In the Core of Renaissance Architecture by students from the University of Ferrara in Italy.
• Director's Prize: Plaza España in Adeje in Spain.
• Small Project Award (Transport): Marina Bay station in Singapore.
• Small Project Award (Office): Office for an Advertising Film Production Company in India.

Gallery of some of the 2012 winners

• 

  2012 Award winner: World Building of the Year: Cooled Conservatories at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

• 

  2012 Award winner: Small Project Award, Transport: Marina Bay station, Singapore

• 

  2012 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Health: The Royal Children's Hospital, Australia

• 

  2012 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Hotel/leisure: Victoria Tower, Sweden

• 

  2012 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Office: Darling Quarter, Australia

• 

  2012 Category Winner, Completed Buildings, Transport: Bodrum International Airport, Turkey

• 

  2012 Award winner: Student Team of the Year from University of Ferrara in Italy: In the Core of Renaissance Architecture, Italy

The 2013 Festival

The sixth yearly WAF was held in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from October 2 to 4, 2013. Over 2,100 architects and designers from 68 countries attended. WAF was held alongside the INSIDE World Festival of Interiors. Projects competed in 29 award categories. These included finished buildings, landscape projects, and future projects.

More than 300 projects from 50 countries were chosen for the final list in 2013. The festival was organized by i2i Events Group. The main judges included famous architects like Ken Yeang and Jeanne Gang.

Awards 2013

• World Building of the Year: Auckland Art Gallery in New Zealand.
• Future Project of the Year: National Maritime Museum of China.
• INSIDE World Interior of the Year: Carrer Avinyó, Barcelona, Spain.

Gallery of some of the 2013 winners

• 

  2013 World Building of the Year: Auckland Art Gallery, New Zealand

• 

  Landscape Projects - Completed designs Category winner: The Australian Garden, Australia

The 2014 Festival

The seventh yearly WAF was held in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from October 1 to 3, 2014. More than 2,000 people attended the event.

Awards 2014

• World Building of the Year Winner: The Chapel in Vietnam.
• Completed Buildings:
  • House: House for Trees, Vietnam.
  • Housing: The Carve, Norway.
  • Office: Liberty Place, Australia.
  • Higher Education & Research: Dalarna Media Library, Sweden.
  • Display: Te Kaitaka 'The Cloak', New Zealand.
  • Schools: Chobham Academy, UK.
  • Shopping: Yalikavak Marina Complex, Turkey.
  • Religion: La Ascension del Señor Church, Spain.
  • New and Old: Rethinking the Split House, China.
  • Civic & Community: The Chapel, Vietnam.
  • Culture: Danish Maritime Museum, Denmark.
  • Hotel and Leisure: Son La Restaurant, Vietnam.
  • Villa: Dune House, New Zealand.
  • Production Energy and Recycling: Lune de Sang Sheds, Australia.
  • Sport: Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore.
  • Transport: Scale Lane Bridge, UK.

The 2015 Festival

The eighth yearly WAF was held in Singapore at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre from November 4 to 6, 2015.

• World Building of the Year: The Interlace, by Office for Metropolitan Architecture.
• Future Project of the Year: Vancouver House, by Bjarke Ingels Group.
• Landscape of the Year: Yanweizhou Park.
• Small Project Prize: Lidingövallen.
• AkzoNobel's Prize for Colour in Exterior Architecture: ONS INCEK Showroom & Sales Office.
• Student Charrette Winner: School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal.
• Religion Winner: Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, Education City, Doha.

The 2016 Festival

The ninth yearly WAF was held in Berlin, Germany, from November 16 to 18, 2016.

• World Building of the Year: National Museum in Szczecin - Dialogue Centre Przełomy, Poland.
• INSIDE World Interior of the Year: Black Cant System - Heike fashion brand concept store, China.
• Future Project of the Year: South Melbourne Primary School, Australia.
• Landscape of the Year: Kopupaka Reserve, New Zealand.
• Small Project of the Year: The Chinese University of Hong Kong School of Architecture, ZCB Bamboo Pavilion, Hong Kong.
• Civic and Community Award: The Library at Willesden Green.

The 2017 Festival

The tenth yearly WAF was held in Berlin, Germany, from November 15 to 17, 2017.

• World Building of the Year: Chinese University of Hong Kong, Post-earthquake reconstruction/demonstration project of Guangming Village, China.
• INSIDE World Interior of the Year: Produce.Workshop, Fabricwood, Singapore.
• Future Project of the Year: Allen Jack+Cottier Architects and NH Architecture, Sydney Fish Markets, Australia.
• Landscape of the Year: Turenscape, Peasants and their Land: The Recovered Archaeological Landscape of Chengtoushan, China.
• Small Project of the Year: Eriksson Furunes + Leandro V. Locsin Partners + Jago Boase, Streetlight Tagpuro, Philippines.
• Some Completed Buildings Winners:
  • House: Binh House, Vietnam.
  • Housing: Superlofts Houthaven, Netherlands.
  • Sport: U.S. Bank Stadium, United States of America.
  • Culture: The Palestinian Museum, Palestine.
  • Shopping: Victoria Gate, United Kingdom.

The 2018 Festival

The eleventh yearly WAF was held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from November 28 to 30, 2018.

• World Building of the Year: WOHA Architects - Kampung Admiralty, Singapore.
• Future Project of the Year: Sebastian Monsalve + Juan David Hoyos - Medellin River Parks / Botanical Park Master Plan, Colombia.
• INSIDE World Interior of the Year: JAC studios - Yumin Art Nouveau Collection, South Korea.
• Landscape of the Year: Batlle i Roig Arquitectura - Pedestrian Path along the Gypsum Mines, Spain.
• Small Project of the Year: Camilo Moraes - Piedras Bayas Beachcamp / Atacama Desert, Chile.
• The Amsterdam Prize: Benthem Crouwel Architects - North South Line / Amsterdam, Netherlands.
• Glass Future Prize: Studio Gang - Tour Montparnasse, France.
• Some Completed Buildings Winners:
  • House: A house in a garden, Ireland.
  • School: Muku Nursery School, Japan.
  • Culture: The Piano Mill, Australia.
  • Transport: London Bridge station, United Kingdom.
• Some Future Buildings Winners:
  • Civic: The Sunken Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes of Cabetican, Philippines.
  • Education: Lincoln University and AgResearch Joint Facility, New Zealand.

The 2023 Festival

The 2023 festival celebrated many new and exciting projects.

• World Building of the Year: Huizhen High School, China.
• Future Project of the Year: The Probiotic Tower, Egypt.
• World Interior of the Year: 19 Waterloo Street, Australia.
• Landscape of the Year: Benjakitti Forest Park, Thailand.

Completed Buildings Winners 2023

Future Buildings Winners 2023

Inside Winners 2023

See also

In Spanish: World Architecture Festival para niños

• List of World Architecture Festival winners