ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
BRAC University by WOHA( Dhaka, Bangladesh)
they show the value of thoughtful, enduring design that is rooted in context and capable of enriching everyday life.”
The Porter House Hotel by Angelo Candalepas and Associates( Sydney, Australia)
new space for arts and community within one of the world’ s largest refugee settlements, whilst Australia’ s Darlington Public School by fjcstudio integrates Indigenous heritage directly within a modern classroom setting. The importance of community also extends to public institutions. BRAC University by WOHA transforms a Dhaka landfill into a vibrant and climate-conscious educational hub, while Shanghai Library East by Schmidt Hammer Lassen redefines the library as a“ collection to connection” model, housing 4.8 million books with a largely open, publicly accessible landscape. In Beijing, the Performing Arts Center by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and Perkins & Will reactivates the Tongzhou waterfront through three monolithic venues for opera, theatre and music, inspired by the sites industrial heritage.
Chris Williamson, RIBA President, said:“ This year’ s RIBA International Awards reflect the breadth and ambition of contemporary architecture at its best, through work that is globally diverse yet united by a shared commitment to improving how people live. What has stood out has been not only the quality of individual projects, but the clarity of thinking behind them. Across sustainability, community-building and cultural identity, architects are responding in inventive and often unexpected ways, and the winners offer a compelling snapshot of where the discipline is heading.”
The 34 winners of the RIBA International Awards for Excellence
• Burnt Earth Beach House by Wardle( Anglesea, Australia)
• Church of the Living God by Angelo Candalepas and Associates( Hurstville, NSW, Australia)
This year’ s winning projects include work by leading international practices such as David Chipperfield Architects( UK / Germany), Foster + Partners( UK), BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group( Denmark), Schmidt Hammer Lassen( Denmark), Hassell( Australia), and WOHA( Singapore), alongside acclaimed independent studios including Studio Mumbai( India) and MAKER architecten( Belgium).
Neil Gillespie, Awards Group Chair, said:“ What connects this year’ s winners is a strong sense of generosity towards people, place and the future. These projects demonstrate a confidence in architecture’ s ability to create delight and dignity while working within existing constraints, whether environmental, social or economic. Rather than relying on spectacle,
• Shanghai Library East by Schmidt Hammer Lassen( Shanghai, China)
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