The World Architecture Festival has today (7 July) unveiled the largest ever shortlist for its Building of the Year competition.

WAF – one of the only global design festivals to combine conferences, networking and awards – is holding its tenth anniversary edition from 15-17 November in Berlin, and has celebrated by compiling a 434-strong shortlist for the contest across 18 categories: including Mixed-Use, Housing and Religion.

Leisure architecture will be put under the spotlight at this year’s festival, with the theme of ‘Performance’ central to its programme of seminars and talks. Last year’s World Building of the Year Award went to a leisure building – the National Museum and Dialogue Centre Przelomy, Poland, designed by KWK Promes – and this year’s leisure shortlists are packed with innovative projects.

Heneghan Peng Architects, AL_A, FaulknerBrowns, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, Stanton Williams, Vo Trong Nghia, Mecanoo, Marks Barfield and Heatherwick Studio are among the individuals and studios competing.

All finalists will be invited to present their projects live to judging panels at the festival before the category winners are chosen. Victors from each category will then be considered by a 'super-jury', who will select the World Building of the Year, the Future Project of the Year and the Landscape of the Year.

The main panel will be headed by Robert Ivy, chief executive officer of the American Institute of Architects and former editor of Architectural Record; Nathalie de Vries, director & co-founder of Dutch practice MVRDV; Ian Ritchie, founder of London-based Ian Ritchie Architects; Christoph Ingenhoven, founder of German practice Ingenhoven Architects; and Wong Mun Summ, founder director of Singapore practice WOHA.

The World Architecture Festival Building of the Year

The full leisure category shortlists are below

Completed Buildings

Culture

• Tara Theatre, London, United Kingdom, by Aedas

• Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal, by AL_A

• The Ethno-cultural Centre 'NUMTO', Beloyarsky, Russia, by City-Arch

• Mleiha Archaeological Centre, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, by

• BerKM - Bergama Cultural Center, Bergama, Turkey, by Dabbagh Architects

• The Word, South Shields, United Kingdom, by FaulknerBrowns Architects

• The Palestinian Museum, Birzeit, Palestine, by Heneghan Peng Architects

• Zhao Hua Xi Shi Living Museum, Beijing, China, by IAPA

• ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand, by Moller Architects with BVN Architecture

• New Shanghai Theatre, Shanghai, China, by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office

• Vendsyssel Theatre, Hjørring, Denmark, by Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects

• Queen Elisabeth Hall, Antwerp, Belgium, by SimpsonHaugh

• Musée d'arts à Nantes, Nantes, France, by Stanton Williams

• Cultural Centre of Rambouillet, Rambouillet, France, by studioMilou

• Alliance 1892 Cognac Distillery Museum & Warehouse, Chernyakhovsk, Russia, by Totement/Paper

• The Lantern - Nanoco Gallery, Hanoi, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

Hotel and Leisure

• Artkazal - Reed Apartment, Morahalom, Hungary, by Aergroup Architect Studio

• Jackalope, Melbourne, Australia, by Carr

• Vegetable Trellis, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, by Cong Sinh Architects

• BBK35, Beijing, China, by Laboratory for Diverse Status

• British Airways i360, Brighton, United Kingdom, by Marks Barfield Architects

• Restaurant Brix 0.1, Bressanone, Italy, by Markus Tauber Architectura

• Keukenhof, Lisse, Netherlands, by Mecanoo Architecten

• Tofana, San Cassiano, Italy, by noa*

• Atlas Hotel Hoi An, Hoi An, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects

• Vommuli Island Maldives, Vommuli Island, Maldives, by WOW Architects and Warner Wong Design

Sport

• Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark, by 3XN Architects

• Anna Meares Stadium, Brisbane, Australia, by Cox Architecture

• Willinga Park, Bawley Point, Australia, by Cox Architecture

• Oslo Skatehall, Oslo, Norway, by DARK Arkitekter

• Kennedy Town Swimming Pool, Hong Kong, China, by Farrells

• Tennis Terraces, Santa Ponsa, Spain, by Gras Arquitectos

• US Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, United States of America, by HKS

• Lord's Warner Stand, London, United Kingdom, by Populous

Landscape

• Oxygen Park, Doha, Qatar, by AECOM

• Willinga Park, Bawley Point, Australia, by Cox Architecture

• Cleveland & Co, Sydney, Australia, by Dangar Group and Black Beetle

• Noble Ploenchit, Bangkok, Thailand, by IAW

• Yishun Nature Park, Yishun, Singapore, by ONG&ONG

• Garden of the Mind, Berlin, Germany, by P Landscape

• Mapletee Business City II, Singapore, Singapore, by Shma Company

• Bostanli Sea Square, Izmir, Turkey, by Studio Evren Bazbug Architects

• Oasia Downtown Hotel, Singapore, Singapore, by STX Landscape Architects

• Peasants and their Land: The Recovered Archaeological Landscape of Chengtoushan, Lixian County, China, by Turenscape

Future buildings

Culture

• In Natura Veritas, Galicia, Spain, by AGi architects

• Waltzing Matilda Centre, Winton, Australia, by Cox Architecture

• Liget Budapest Museum of Ethnography, Budapest, Hungary, by EAA Emre Arolat Architecture

• A Woman's Gallery: Awakened, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, by Flor de Maria Juarez

• MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa, by Heatherwick Studio

• Museum of Contemporary Art in Africa, Confidential, by Perkins+Will

• Church of St John the Baptist, Coimbra, Portugal, by Promontorio

• Maritime Museum, Randaberg, Norway, by Rørbæk og Møller Arkitekter

• The Guild, Bengaluru, India, by Sanjay Puri Architects

• The Museum of Military Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom, by Scott Brownrigg

• Suzhou Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Suzhou, China, by Shenzhen Aube Architectural Engineeing Design

• Kulturkorgen - A Basket Full of Culture, Gothenburg, Sweden, by Sweco Architects

• Penguin Parade Visitor Centre, Phillip Island, Australia, by Terroir

• Skellefteå Cultural Centre, Skellefteå, Sweden, by White Arkitekter

• Christchurch Convention and Exhibition Centre, Christchurch, New Zealand, by Woods Bagot

• Lambeth Palace Library, London, United Kingdom, by Wright & Wright Architects

Leisure-Led Development

• Cameroon 2019, Japoma Sports Complex, Douala, Cameroon, by AECOM

• China World Trade Center Phase 3C Development, Beijing, China, by Aedas

• Sydney Fish Markets, Sydney, Australia, by Allen Jack+Cottier Architects

• Kazan Mixed Use, Kazan, Russia, by EAA Emre Arolat Architecture

• Treetop Experience, Haslev, Denmark, by EFFEKT

• Los 13 Cielos, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, by EMC Arquitectura

• Bodrum Golturkbuku Summer Houses, Mugla, Turkey, by Ergino?lu & Çal??lar Architecture

• Minoru Complex, Richmond, Canada, by HCMA Architecture + Design

• Krahm Restaurant, Chiang Rai, Thailand, by Hypothesis

• The Royal Atlantis, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

• Manta Point Skywalk, Bali, Indonesia, by PHL Architects

• Hotel Tulum, Tulum, Mexico, by Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos

• Liepaja Thermal Bath, Liepaja, Latvia, by Steven Christensen Architecture

• Bodrum Loft, Bodrum, Turkey, by Tabanlioglu Architects

• Casino Middelkerke, Middelkerke, Belgium, by Tom Vandorpe

• Skýli, Sweden, by Utopia Arkitekter

Paul Finch, WAF programme director, said: "This year’s shortlist has a hugely diverse geographic range. The use of water has been striking and there is evidence of real interest in climate modifications using novel techniques. Colourful architecture makes a strong showing and many of the smaller projects we have shortlisted will punch above their weight. We look forward to welcoming shortlisted architects to our tenth edition in Berlin this November.”
This year’s festival will also see the publication of a manifesto that identifies the key challenges architects face in the next decade. The intention is to generate research funding, which will be distributed to universities and architectural practices investigating these areas.

Latest news

World Architecture Festival announces 2017 Awards shortlist

By Kim Megson 07 Jul 2017

Clourful architecture makes a strong showing and many of the smaller projects we have shortlisted will punch above their weight

– Paul Finch, WAF programme director