Winners of the 2024 World Architecture Festival
By World Architecture Festival
Every year, World Architecture Festival (WAF) hosts the world's biggest live-judged architecture awards program. It celebrates design achievements through presentations by architects to high-profile delegates and international judging panels.
All 42 Winners of the World Architecture Festival 2024
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'Completed Buildings' Category Award Winners
The judges of the Completed Buildings categories celebrated “seamless integration of landscape and architecture” as well as “innovative inclusive and sustainable design practices” and “playful use of light and shadows”.
Judges also noted the “substantial and complex transformations of highly significant heritage buildings” and felt many of the projects delivered “subtle yet tasteful choice of materials, texture, and tones”.
Civic and Community:
National Star Observatory in Cyprus by Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects.
Creative Re-use:
Pumphouse in Canada by 5468796 Architecture.
Culture:
Istanbul Modern (Istanbul Museum of Modern Art) in Turkey by Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
Display:
MemutAR 竹旋幻居 in Taiwan by Laboratory for Explorative Architecture & Design Ltd.
Health:
Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre in Australia by Lyons.
Higher Education & Research:
Waimarie – Lincoln University Science Facility in New Zealand by Warren and Mahoney in association with Lab-Works.
Hotel & Leisure supported by GROHE:
TAWA Refugio in Chile by CONTEXTO.
House & Villa (Urban) supported by GROHE:
Arthur Residence in Canada by 5468796 Architecture.
House & Villa (Rural/Coastal) supported by GROHE:
Touching Eden House in Singapore by Wallflower Architecture + Design.
Housing supported by GROHE:
Nightingale Village in Australia by Architecture architecture, Austin Maynard Architects, Breathe, Clare Cousins Architects, Hayball, Kennedy Nolan.
Mixed-Use:
88 Walker in Australia by fitzpatrick+partners.
Office:
Forskaren in Sweden by 3XN.
Production, Energy and Logistics:
Kalyon Karapınar 1.350 MWp SPP – Central Control Building in Turkey by Bilgin Architects.
Retrofit:
Rhodes House Transformation in the United Kingdom by Stanton Williams.
School:
Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio.
Shopping:
Newson’s Yard in the United Kingdom by Stiff+Trevillion.
Sport:
Parramatta Aquatic Centre in Australia by Grimshaw and ABA with McGregor Coxall.
Transport:
Metropolitan Bus Station in Poland by Tremend.
'Future Projects' Category Award Winners
The judges of the Future Projects categories commented on: “the well-considered sequence of extensions to existing buildings” and reflected on the “seamless integration of multiple programmatic elements” and “sensitive and humble interventions”.
Judges were also impressed with the “rigorous research backing design processes” and shortlisted concepts that aimed for “expansion of public spaces and inclusion of communities”.
Commercial Mixed-Use:
Shoupé mixed-use project in Iran by KanLan Studio.
Competition Entries:
Retal Mosque in Saudi Arabia by Pace.
Civic:
Küçükçekmece Djemevi in Turkey by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture.
Culture:
Creative Cluster in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia by IND.
Education:
University of Tasmania Forestry Building in Australia by Woods Bagot.
Experimental:
AGRITECTURE in India by tHE gRID Architects.
Health:
Tatamá Hospital in Columbia by aRE Arquitectura en estudio, OPUS diseño arquitectura paisaje, ABALARK.
House:
Meru in Kenya by SAOTA.
Infrastructure:
Chaarkhaan Bridge in Iran by Bonsar Architects.
Leisure-led Development:
Unity Arena in Norway by Rodeo Architects.
Masterplanning:
The Greenline Project Master Plan in Australia by ASPECT Studios, TCL, City of Melbourne.
Office:
Institut Thoracique de Montréal – Breathing life into an abandoned urban hospital in Canada by NEUF architect(e)s.
Residential:
Regent’s View Bethnal Green in the United Kingdom by RSHP.
Sport:
Coronation Park Sports & Recreation Centre in Canada by hcma & Dub Architects in conjunction with FaulknerBrowns Architects.
'Inside' Category Award Winners
The judges of the Inside categories reflected on the projects delivering: “elegant and long lasting additions to the local and international market” and “smart spatial connections, and use of central stairs to connect all interior spaces”.
Judges also felt the ‘Retail’ project was well designed, “catching the spirit of the brand and providing unique experiences for visitors”, while praising the ‘Temporary/Meanwhile Use’ winner on its “clever and elegant way to solve the issue of working homelessness”.
Bars & Restaurants:
Pang Mei Noodle Bar LFS in China by Office A10.
Education:
WSU Bankstown City Campus in Australia by HDR Pty Ltd.
Hotels:
Fasano Itaim in Brazil by Studio MK27.
Public Buildings:
Embassy of Australia, Washington D.C. in the United States by Bates Smart.
Residential:
twentyfour in Malta by 3DM Architecture.
Retail:
Fender Flagship Tokyo in Japan by Klein Dytham architecture.
Temporary/Meanwhile Use:
Backpack Housing in Hong Kong by HKU/ Superposition.
Workplace (Large):
CSL Global Headquarters and Centre for Research & Development in Australia by Cox Architecture.
Workplace (Small):
Penn Color Technology Center in Singapore by DP Design.
World Building of the Year
The Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio has been declared the World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2024. fjcstudio previously won Building of the Year in 2013, making it the first practice in WAF’s history to win the award twice.
On behalf of the jury Paul Finch, Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival commented on: "the very high quality of several of this year’s finalists, not least the National Star Observatory in Cyprus, but the jury’s unanimous decision was reached relatively easily.
"The architect of the winning project explored and extended the formal programme of the client, to include the views and experience of the local community and a variety of users. This generated a reading of the history of place, culture and time.
"The result of the project is poetic, a building in which topography and landscape, inside and outside, form and materials, flow seamlessly in an unexpectedly delightful way. It is also an inspirational proposition about the acknowledgement and reconciliation of historic difference—a pointer to brighter, better futures for all.”
The Super Jury for World Building of the Year chaired by Sonali Rastogi, comprised Emre Arolat, Mario Cucinella, and Ian Ritchie.
World Interior of the Year
Pang Mei Noodle Bar LFS in China by Office AIO
Office AIO’s design for Pang Mei Noodle Bar in Beijing, China, showcases a playful design, enhancing interaction within the restoration and streetscape connection.
Judges of the World Interior category said: “This project is an essay in clever design applied to a successful noodle bar business. Its exciting vocabulary of soft walls, roller shutters and cramped tables and chairs capitalises on the real star, the food. When less busy, dining is confined to the inside, but at busy times it spills onto the street beneath a chunky glass and steel canopy. A veritable machine for dining that ticks all the boxes – for its customers, its staff and its owners.”
Future Project of the Year
Küçükçekmece Djemevi in Turkey by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture
The civic building addresses the marginalisation of the Alevi community, offering a space that reflects cultural identity and celebrates the community coming together. The building is organised as a series of interconnected fragmented structures, and combines traditional value with contemporary needs for the community, providing spaces to congregate including a dining hall and worship areas.
Landscape of the Year
Regeneration of Vitality——Shenzhen Guanlan Riverside Plaza in China by LAY-OUT Planning Consultants Co., Ltd.
The renovation of Shenzhen Guanlan Riverside Plaza has been designed to meet the diverse needs of the city and its citizens today, responding to a rapid urbanisation lacking character in its spaces and consideration for people.
Based on the concept of a ‘park-like plaza’, the design has reshaped an open space through diverse activities, tree-lined walkways and cultural heritage, rejuvenating the vitality of the plaza.
WAFX
Knowledge Economic City in Saudi Arabia by DLR Group
WAFX recognises projects that best use design and architecture to tackle major world issues, including health, climate change, technology, ethics and values.
The overall winner of WAFX was Knowledge Economic City, a new city design in in Saudi Arabia by DLR Group. The architects critically considered the challenges of design implementation in the region, and shaped the design on three tenets to address this shortcoming: innovation, implementation, humanisation. The new development encompasses a diverse offering spanning across hospitality, residential, commercial, leisure, and healthcare whilst also catering to educational and knowledge-based sectors.
