World Architecture Festival Awards Unveil 17 Winners

It’s Day 2 at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona, Spain, and the winners of the World Architecture Festival Awards have just been announced.

Previously headed by Lord Norman Foster, the international judging panels, comprised of architects, allied professionals, clients and critics, decided on the winning proposals out of the 17 award categories.

Foster has had to stand down as chairman of the super-jury yesterday, for the very best of reasons. His practice’s Smithsonian building won the New & Old category, and he did therefore not take part in the final judging of the category winners.

Festival director Paul Finch said at the announcement of yesterday’s category winners: “This is good news for Norman as this means that he won’t be on the jury tomorrow. So Norman, it’s great to have you as honorary chair of the jury, but you will have a free day in Barcelona tomorrow.”

These seventeen projects will re-present to the super-jury tomorrow, competing for World Building of the Year:

Civic - Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center, China by Buro II

Learning - Luigi Bocconi University, Italy by Grafton Architects

Nature - Olympic Sculpture Park, USA by Weiss/Manfredi Architects

Energy Waste & Recycling - Landscape Restoration of the Controlled Rubbish Dump ‘La Vall d’en Joan’, Spain by Batlle & Roig Architects

Health - Centre pour le Bien-être des femmes, Burkina Faso by FAREstudio

Holiday - Nk’ Mip Desert Cultural Centre, Canada by Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects

Culture - Oslo Opera House, Norway by Snøhetta

Housing - Mountain Dwellings, Denmark by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group

New & Old - Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, Smithsonian Institution, USA by Foster + Partners

Office - Duoc Corporate Building, Chile by Sabbagh Arquitectos

Pleasure - Sheep Stable, Netherlands by 70F Architecture

Production - BMW Welt - Event, Exhibition and Automobile Delivery Center, Germany by Coop Himmelb(l)au

Religion & Contemplation - Dornbusch Church, Germany by Meixner Schlüter Wendt Architekten

Sport - Sports Hall Bale, Croatia by 3LHD Architects

Shopping - K:fem, Sweden by Wingårdh Arkitektkontor AB

Private Houses - Final Wooden House, Japan by Sou Fujimoto Architects

Transport - Nordpark Cable Railway, Austria by Zaha Hadid Architects

Images: World Architecture Festival Awards