Major international practices shortlisted
this year include Foster + Partners,
Zaha Hadid Architects and Rogers Stirk
Harbour (UK); Robert A.M. Stern, Studio
Gang and KPF (USA); Ingenhoven
Architects (Germany); Coop Himmelb(l)
au (Austria); Nikken Sekkei (Japan);
Turenscape (China); and Studio Milou
(France). Previous category winners
also shortlisted this year include Sanjay
Puri Architects (India); WOW Architects
(Singapore); Nabil Gholam Architects
(Lebanon); Neri & Hu Design and
Research Office (China); Allford Hall
Monaghan Morris (UK); Cox Rayner
and Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp
(Australia); and BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
(Denmark). They are joined by many
smaller practices unknown outside
their own countries that have seized the
opportunity to gain global recognition
at this year’s event.
GRAFT Gesellschaft Von Archkitekten
Niven Road Studio by WOW Architects
by Warner Wong Design
Torre BBVA Bancomer by RSHP
The architectural practices behind
each project will battle it out in live
judging sessions to be held at the World
Architecture Festival in Berlin, 16-18
November. All will be hoping to be
crowned winners of one of 32 categories
and go on to compete for the ultimate
accolades of ‘World Building of the Year’
and ‘Future Project of the Year’.
Paul Finch, Programme Director of the
World Architecture Festival, commented
on this year’s shortlist: “This is a very
exciting year for us, with a record entry
and a very high overall standard. Our
move to Berlin, after four successful
years in Singapore, has not deterred
Asian and Australasian practices from
entering the awards, and we have seen
big increases from Europe and North
America. We look forward to meeting
the shortlisted architects in Berlin in
November.”
Villa Marittima, St Andrews Beach, Victoria, 3941 Australia by Robin Williams Architect
Entries will be evaluated by an
international panel of judges, which this
year includes Ole Scheeren, architect of
The Interlace, the 2015 World Building
of the Year, Louisa Hutton of Sauerbruch
Hutton, Christoph Ingenhoven of
Ingenhoven Architects, and David
Chipperfield of David Chipperfield
Architects.
In addition to the awards, WAF includes
a conference programme based around
the Festival’s 2016 theme ‘Housing for
Everyone’, which will debate the growing
understanding of how demographics
and global urbanisation are forcing
change in the way we think about
housing. With imperatives to create
shelter at one end of the spectrum,
and sufficiency for occupation and
investment at the other, the programme
will examine the significant contribution
that architects can make.