Amongst the projects shortlisted for the 2019 World Architecture Festival is a mixed-use tower by Buro Ole Scheeren with a distinctive facade that creates a pixelated illusion, a waterside office building in Heze, China by Larry Wen, one of Manhattan’s tallest residential towers that draws inspiration from New York’s signature skyscrapers, a wedding chapel resembling a cloud floating on water by KTX archiLAB, an abandoned windmill factory turned into a vibrant street sport hub by EFFEKT Architects and an unconventional, visually striking kindergarten in Chengdu, China by Challenge Design.
MahaNakhon by Buro Ole Scheeren, Bangkok, Thailand. Photo credit: © Maxx Nikonov
Major world architects shortlisted for this year’s WAF Awards include Zaha Hadid Architects, Heatherwick Studio, Bjarke Ingels Group, Rafael Viñoly Architects, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, Grimshaw and White Arkitekter. Many smaller practices will also take part to pitch against the big names. This year’s 534-strong shortlist, ranges from private residential, to education, infrastructure, healthcare, hospitality, cultural/civic, interior and landscape projects across 70 countries.
277 Fifth Avenue by Rafael Viñoly Architects, New York, USA. Photo credit:© Rafael Viñoly Architects
Cloud of Luster by KTX archiLAB, Himeji City, Japan. Photo credit:© Stirling Elmendorf
Park Legend Kindergarten by Challenge Design, Chengdu, China. Photo credit: © Lujing
WAF will reconvene in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 4-6 December this year. This is the second time the event has been hosted in the Dutch capital, following previous editions in Barcelona, Singapore and Berlin.
The architects and designers behind each shortlisted project will compete for category prizes at WAF from 4-6 December. Presentations of the shortlisted designs will be made to more than 100 international juries in front of festival delegates. Category winners then compete against each other on the final day of the festival, to compete for the ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, Interior of the Year and Landscape of the Year.
GAME Streetmekka Vibrog by EFFEKT Architects, Viborg, Denmark. Photo credit: © Rasmus Hjortshøj / COAST
WAF program director Paul Finch commented: “WAF has attracted more than 1,000 entries, for the second year in a row, from 70 countries, and we look forward to more than 500 live presentations at the Festival in Amsterdam, showcasing these exemplar projects from around the world.”
The 2019 completed buildings ‘Super Jury’ which will decide the World Building of the Year, includes Aaron Betsky, President of Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture; Anuradha Mathur, Professor at the Landscape Architecture Department School of Design, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia; and Maria Warner Wong, Design Director of WOW Architects & Warner Wong Design.
WAF and its co-located event, INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, will welcome more than 2,000 of the world’s leading architects and designers to Amsterdam for three days of conference programs, awards, exhibitions and fringe events from 4-6 December.
US architects look to the future – 2018 World Architecture Festival Awards shortlist revealed
