Bamboo Dome for G20 Bali Summit by Biroe Architecture. Photo credit: © Biroe Architecture
The most inspiring architectural projects from around the world were revealed as the shortlist for the 2023 World Architecture Festival (WAF) was announced. The announcement precedes the live event, which will take place this year in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands, from November 29 – December 1.
WAF represents the world’s biggest live judged architectural awards program, where all finalists present their projects to a panel of judges at the international festival.
The shortlist celebrates the best new completed buildings and landscapes and the most inspiring future architectural concepts across 33 categories, ranging from residential, to cultural, to creative re-use. Later this week (July 13), the Inside World Festival of Interiors shortlist will also be announced; WAF’s sister awards program celebrating the finest examples of global interior design, across eleven categories. The shortlist has been selected from over 800 entries, and comprises 495 projects from 333 unique practices.
Photo credit: © W Workspace
View a selection of project image highlights from the 2023 WAF shortlist here.
This year’s finalists range from major world architects including Foster + Partners, UNStudio, Grimshaw Architects, MAD Architects, WilkinsonEyre, Safdie Architects, and Nikken Sekkei, while many smaller practices will also be on stage, live pitching against the big names.
Photo credit: © Dan Glasser
The full shortlist for this year’s completed buildings, future and landscape project awards can be viewed here.
The international judging panel for this year’s awards consists of more than 140 industry experts, representing 43 countries, and will include Lily Jencks, Nigel Coates, Rafiq Azam, Albert Williamson-Taylor, Tracy Meller, Jason Bruges, Annette Fisher, Roland Schnizer, and Issa Diabaté.
This year’s finalists span the globe, with the top ten shortlisted countries including China, Australia, United Kingdom, India, United States, Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Canada, and Japan.
On the final day of the festival, category winners from across all 44 category prizes will go head-to-head for the ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Interior of the Year. A host of Special Prizes, including WAFX, which celebrates imaginative cutting-edge designs addressing major world issues, will also be awarded to projects from the main shortlist.
WAF returns to Singapore for its 16th edition after the global community of architects and designers last met at Marina Bay Sands in 2015. This follows previous editions of the festival in Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin. In addition to the unique live-judged awards program and crit presentations, this year’s event will include a live events program and keynote talks from an international panel of speakers.
Photo credit: © Peter Whyte
“We are delighted with both the quantity and quality of this year’s entries. They are a reminder in a world experiencing numerous crises that architects continue to address both everyday and unusual challenges with skill and imagination,” commented WAF program director Paul Finch. “We look forward to seeing the shortlisted architects in Singapore.”
WAF and its co-located event, Inside World Festival of Interiors, will welcome the world’s leading architects and designers for three days of talks programs, awards, exhibitions, and fringe events, showcasing leading international practices, the best new projects, and most pressing live debates.
