The World Architecture Festival 2024 (WAF) has announced the shortlist for this edition Special Prizes. These projects, chosen from the extensive WAF Awards shortlist, highlight remarkable architectural achievements across six categories: Best Use of Colour, The Sustainability Prize supported by ROCKWOOL, Small Project of the Year, Best Use of Stone supported by Turkish Stones, Best Use of Natural Light supported by VELUX, and the GROHE Water Prize. These awards recognize projects that push the boundaries of design in the built environment and water management.
This announcement comes in anticipation of the live WAF festival, which will be held in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from 6-8 November. This follows the earlier release of the WAF shortlist on 8 July, celebrating the world's best new buildings, interiors, landscapes, and future architectural concepts.
World Architecture Festival 2024 | Best Use of Colour
The Best Use of Colour Prize finalists include an urban regeneration project on Lagos Island, Nigeria, finished in dyed render reflecting native architecture and landscape, and a Women & Children's Centre in a vibrant skyscraper in Shenzhen, China, by MDRV. The shortlisted projects are:
- Te Taumata o Kupe by TOA Architects, in Aotearoa/New Zealand
- John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History by Studio Imagine Simply Architecture (SI.SA), in Nigeria
- Shenzhen Women & Children's Center by MVRDV, in China
- The Brewhouse and Trident Park by ritchie*studio, in Malta
- Holocene House by CplusC Architectural Workshop, in Australia
- Merlot 3 by HDR, in Australia
- Waste Management Building, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital by Architects 49, in Thailand
- Preston Level Crossing Removal Project by Wood Marsh Architecture, in Australia
Shenzhen Women Childrens Center by MVRDV | Photography: Xia Zhi
World Architecture Festival 2024 | The Sustainability Prize Supported by ROCKWOOL
Finalists for the Sustainability Prize include the Green School in South Africa, showcasing locally sourced materials and traditional building techniques, and a cutting-edge life sciences hub in Sweden by 3XN, featuring extensive use of timber. The shortlisted projects are:
- Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 by HEMAA, in Mexico
- The Black and White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects, in the UK
- White Renovation by Olgoo, in Iran
- 150 Holborn by Perkins&Will, in the UK
- Forskaren by 3XN, in Sweden
- KITO Yamanashi Head Office by Takenaka Corporation, in Japan
- University of Auckland B201 Building by Jasmax, in New Zealand
- The GEAR by KAJIMA DESIGN (Lead Architect) + Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte. Ltd. (Project Architect), in Singapore
- Green School South Africa by GASS Architecture Studios, in South Africa
Forskaren by 3XN
World Architecture Festival 2024| Small Project of the Year
The Small Project of the Year Prize shortlist includes a Star Observatory in Cyprus, a pet crematorium in Singapore, a geometric pavilion in Australia by Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, and a remodeled 100-year-old Grade II* listed building by Stanton Williams in the UK. The shortlisted projects are:
- Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre by Sam Crawford Architects, in Australia
- Sanctuary Pet Crematorium by Formwerkz Architects, in Singapore
- MPavilion10 by Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, in Australia
- Fushi by Tezuka Architects, in Japan
- National Star Observatory by Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects, in Cyprus
- Villagers' Home in Wanghu Village by The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD), in China
- Rhodes House Transformation by Stanton Williams, in the UK
- Concrete Pavilion-pumping station by LIN architecture, in China
- Earth to Earth by Dabbagh Architects, in the United Arab Emirates
Rhodes House Transformation by Stanton Williams | Photography: Hufton and Crow
World Architecture Festival 2024 | Best Use of Stone Supported by Turkish Stones
The Best Use of Stone shortlist features projects like a futuristic car park in China, the restoration of a mid-17th century Ottoman fortress into a museum, and a complex of houses of worship for inter-religious dialogue in Abu Dhabi. The shortlisted projects are:
- Future Car Park by Daniel Statham Studio, in China
- Sunita Shekhawat Flagship Store and Gallery by Studio Lotus, in India
- Seddülbahir Fortress by KOOP Architects / AOMTD (Arzu Ozsavasci Architecture), in Turkey
- Abrahamic Family House by Adjaye Associates, in the United Arab Emirates
- Twentyfour by 3DM Architecture, in Malta
- Jade Apartment by Matrix Design, in China
- SCORPIOS BODRUM by GEOMIM, in Turkey
- OH HO Residence by Play Architecture, in India
- Village House by Studio MK27, in Brazil
Abrahamic Family House by Adjaye Associates | Photography: EMIC Works
The finalists for the Best Use of Natural Light supported by VELUX will be announced in August, while the shortlist and winner of the GROHE Water Prize will be revealed in September.
Paul Finch, Director of the World Architecture Festival, remarked: “Our special prizes programme is a crucial part of the WAF Awards. By cutting across all categories, they provide entrants with an additional opportunity to be recognized for exceptional work. We look forward to the presentations of these creative shortlisted projects at the live festival!”
Returning to Singapore for its 17th edition, WAF follows previous festivals in Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin. This year's event will feature live-judged awards, live events, keynote talks, and seminars from an international panel of speakers centered around the theme of ‘Tomorrow'.
