WAF 2022 highlights architectural response to climate change and post-pandemic life

Marking their triumphant return to form with an in-person ceremony for the first time in three years, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2022 revealed its award winners over the course of a three-day event held in Lisbon, Portugal. Now in its 15th edition, the WAF honours exemplary achievements in architecture and has been bringing the global architecture community together for over a decade. The winners of the award were selected by a jury of luminaries of the global architecture industry, comprising — Jo Noero, Noero Architects; Tracy Meller, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; Issa Diabaté, Koffi & Diabaté Architectes; Murat Tabanlioglu, Tabanlioglu Architects and John Wardle, John Wardle Architects. Hosting a series of talks, workshops, exhibitions and awards, the illustrious event saw a footfall of 2000 architects, designers, developers, contractors, suppliers, and media persons. Themed ‘Together’, the 2022 WAF was an exploration of how architecture is responding to the renewal of collective life in a post-pandemic world and highlighting the commitments to combat climate change.

Spread out over four main categories—Completed Buildings, Landscape Design, Future Projects and Inside category, the 2022 winners included those from various subcategories, as well as the overall category winners for this edition. The winners of the prestigious Completed Buildings and Future Projects categories were announced across the three days of the World Architecture Festival 2022. The main category winners was a direct reflection of WAF’s commitment to its theme, and to a world where architecture probes into collective community-based projects and climate change solutions.

Winner: World Building of the Year

‘The Quay Quarter Tower’ in Sydney, Australia by Denmark-based 3XN A/S—designed as a vertical village to create a sense of community—was bestowed the World Building of the Year, 2022. A radical renovation project of a typical rectangular office tower, the form retained the original columns and beams, while adopting a transformative look with the inclusion of a series of five stacked offset blocks giving it an unconventional look. Located near the Opera House in Sydney, the 206m high tower is an excellent example of adaptive reuse, in line with WAF’s commitment to tackling climate change through architecture.

Winner: Future Project of the Year

‘Dream Pathway/The connection between the sports recreation park to a cultural Street’ in Tehran, Iran by CAATStudio (Kamboozia Architecture and Design Studio) won the Future Project of the Year Winner 2022. Proposed as a cyclist and pedestrian path in the western part of the Abbas Abad hills complex in Tehran, the plan features the usage of rammed earth material and creation of complex geometric forms for the envisioned public space.

Winner: Landscape of the Year

Landscape of the Year was awarded to Shancun Atelier, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University + Anshun Institute of Architectural Design for their project ‘Preservation and Rehabilitation of Rural Landscape of Gaodang: A Buyi Ethnic Minority Group Village in Southwest China’. Ensuring the village’s viability through the years, the project centres on a traditional village in a remote mountainous region and rebuilds as well as repairs their existing structures while re-establishing their paddy fields and drainage ditches.

Winners: Completed Buildings

Of all the sub-categories in the Completed Buildings categories, ‘Rooftop greenhouse Agrotopia’ in Belgium by van Bergen Kolpa architects and META architectuurbureau was awarded the Production energy and recycling award. For the sub-categories of sports, school, and transport, respectively—‘SoFi Stadium’ in the United States by HKS, ‘Meadowbank Schools’ in Australia by Woods Bagot and ‘Paddington Elizabeth Line station’ in London by Weston Williamson + Partners, won the awards. White Arkitekter AB’s ‘Sara Culture Centre’ in Sweden was recognised for the sub-category of Culture—for its ideology of fostering community and creating a place contemplating the possibilities of a more harmonious future with the environment. British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) Headquarters in London by Benedetti Architects was awarded in the sub-category of buildings bringing the New and Old together.

The other winners under Housing, Civic and community, Villas and Houses, and Display categories, respectively, were—‘RAS HOUSES’ in India by Sanjay Puri Architects, ‘Denis Goldberg House of Hope’ in South Africa by noero architects, ‘The Flowing Garden’ in China by More Than Arch Studio, and ‘Digital Phyllotaxy’ in South Korea by Jason Bruges Studio.

Furthermore, ‘Auditorium Building’ in South Africa by URBA Architects and Urban Designers under the sub-category Higher Education and Research Buildings; and ‘The Chapel of St. Peter’ in New Zealand by Stevens Lawson Architects for Completed Buildings in Religion were bestowed the awards. Under the Mixed-Use, and Hotel and Leisure categories are ‘80 Collins’ in Melbourne by Woods Bagot, and ‘ANNA Stay (Model 2022)’ in the Netherlands by ANNA. ‘Villa B’ on the island of Menorca in Finland by OOPEAA Office for Peripheral Architecture was awarded under House & Villa (Urban/Suburban). 5468796 Architecture’s ‘17th Ave Clinic’ in Canada and ‘The Alder Centre’ in the United Kingdom by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris were recognised under the sub-category of Health. Lastly, ‘ganghui tiandi’ in China by JZFZ Architectural Design Co. Ltd was awarded under the sub-category of Shopping.

Winners: Future Projects

While the Future Projects category witnessed presentations of many promising proposals for the future world, some projects extended exemplary thought process and interventions. Challenging the current planning for private housing in Leiðarhöfði, sastudio+HJARK+Landmotun’s ‘Leidarhofdi Community Park’ in Iceland stirred reactions and was awarded under the sub-category of Civic Future Projects. Other winners include—‘Chengdu Hyperlane’ in China by Aedas for the Leisure Led Development category; ‘Lansdowne House’ in London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris for Office; ‘North East Link’ in Melbourne by Warren and Mahoney, BKK Architects and Taylor Cullity Lethlean, Greenaway Architects and Greenshoot Consulting for Infrastructure category.

Accompanying these winners are other Future Projects that were announced on the second day of the festival. The proposal of ‘330 Gray’s Inn Road’ in London by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, featuring a mixed-use masterplan on the site of the former Royal National Throat, Nose, and Ear Hospital in King’s Cross was awarded in the Commercial Mixed-Use category. ‘Robin Wood’ in The Netherlands by Marc Koehler Architects and ANA Architecten, ‘Muscowpetung Powwow Arbour’ in Canada by Oxbow Architecture Inc. & Richard Kroeker, and ‘Oriel’ in the United Kingdom by AECOM Penoyre & Prasad (a studio of Perkins&Will and White Arkitekter)—were announced the winners in the sub-categories Residential, Culture, and Health, respectively. ‘New school’ in Sundby by skala architecture and Henning Larsen Architects, and ‘Iranzamin Villa’ in Iran by FMZD won under the Education and House categories.  

Winners: INSIDE

Of all the subcategories of the Inside category, ‘The Alder Centre’ by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, that aims at providing healing for bereaved parents and those affected by the death of a child, was announced as the winner of the Health & Fitness sub-category. ‘Monastero’ by noa* network of architecture under Hotels, ‘Sculptform Design Studio’ by Woods Bagot under Workplace (Small), and ‘Yirranma Palace’ in Sydney by SJB under Workplace (Large)—were the other winners.

Extending into the sub-categories of Retail, Public Buildings, and Temporary/Meanwhile uses are the winners—‘SPMA Store’ by Atelier tao+c, ‘Te Ao Marama South Atrium’ by fjmtstudio Jasmax and designTRIBE, and’ VOID-Exhibition Space Design’ for Buddha Sculptor by TEAM_BLDG, respectively. The announced winners of the sub-category: Residential (housing, more than one dwelling) and Residential (single dwelling) were— ‘Paseo Mallorca 15’ by OHLAB and ‘La Serenissima’ by Valentino Architects. Lastly, ‘The Moving Kitchen’ by J.C. Architecture was announced the winner under INSIDE: Bars & Restaurants.

Apart from the winners of the main categories, creatives from diverse industries that brought forth a new perspective to the design and architecture world were also awarded at the festival. The two photography awards were handed to—’Jadgal Primary School' in Seyyed Bar in Iran by Daaz Office’ photographed by Deed Studio, and ‘Pocket Park in Shanghai by Atelier Archmixing’ photographed by GuoZhe. The two International VELUX Award winners under the categories ‘daylight in buildings’ and ‘daylight investigations’ were—‘TIP-Time Indicate Protection’ by Zuzanna Sazonow & Aleksandra Pytka and ‘Flight’ by Sajjad Navidi, Mahya Mousavi Sadr & Elham, respectively.

The INSIDE World Interior of the Year Winner 2022 and Best use of Natural Light Prize Winner 2022 went to the ‘Pingtan Children Library’ in Hunan, China; WAFX Award Overall Winner 2022 went to ‘The Tower of Life’ by BAD - Built by Associative Data + Guallart Architects in Dakar, Senegal. ‘Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen’ in Rotterdam, Netherlands by MVRDV was The Futureglass Prize Winner 2022. ‘Revitalization of Rasulbagh Children's Park’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh by SHATOTTO architecture for green living was the Landscape: Urban Winner 2022.

The Visualisation Prize and Engineering Prize were awarded to ‘Shenzhen Airport East Comprehensive Transportation Hub’ by Lingui Hive Technology Services Limited and ‘Orange Village’ with headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast by Koffi & Diabaté Architectes, respectively. Small Project of the Year Prize Winner 2022 was ‘Dining Space’ at DevaDhare Bengaluru, India by Play Architecture. The Lisbon Prize Winner 2022 was given to ‘Parque das Nações Office Building’ in Lisbon, Portugal by Capinha Lopes Consulting.

Apart from the awards, the talks also portrayed intriguing discussions following the theme ‘Together.’ The topics of interest included synergistic use of architecture, public spaces, and the post pandemic era. Speakers also debated on combating climate change and social engagements in the new world. The venue for the 16th edition of WAF was also revealed that WAF 2023 will take place in Singapore.