For the first time in almost 10 years, the World Architecture Festival is returning to Singapore!

World Architecture Festival (WAF) is where the world architecture community meets to celebrate, learn, exchange, and be inspired. This year, for the first time since 2015, the festival returns to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on 29 November – 1 December.

WAF is the world’s largest annual, international, live architectural event. It includes the largest live architectural awards program in the world, dedicated to celebrating excellence via live presentations to an audience of high-profile delegates and international juries. 

Alongside the awards sits a talks program with a stellar line-up of 75 speakers and presenters across two stages over the three-day event including established architects such as Charu Kokate, Senior Partner/Director at Safdie Architects; Lily Jencks, Keeper of Vision at The Cosmic House, The Jencks Foundation; Patrick Bellew, Founder and Executive Chairman, Atelier Ten; Mario Cucinella, Founder, MCA Mario Cucinella Architects; John McElgunn, Senior Partner, RSHP; Wim Walschap, Partner, Herzog & de Meuron; Islam El Mashtooly, Design Director, OBMI; and Mouaz Abouzaid, Founder, Design Principal, Verform.

Local speakers taking the stage include Tan Cheng Siong, Chairman, Archurban Architects Planners; and Honor Harger, Vice President, ArtScience Museum Singapore / Attractions at Marina Bay Sands.

The Inside World Festival of Interiors (Inside), which runs alongside WAF in Singapore, has also revealed two keynote speakers that will be headlining at the event with Adrien Gardère, Founder, Studio Gardère and Kelley Cheng, Creative Director, The Press Room taking to the stage alongside Nigel Coates, Director, World Festival of Interiors.

As well as architects and designers from leading global practices, the diverse speaking program for both WAF and Inside includes commentators from leading educational institutions and city planners, including Sir Peter Cook, Director, Cook Haffner Architecture Platform (CHAP); Tarek Qaddumi, Executive Director of Urban Planning, NEOM; Tashi Penjor, Architect and Chief Planner, Royal Government of Bhutan with Jonathan Rose, Director, Prior & Partners; and Trevor Boddy, Architecture Critic + Curator, Trevor Boddy Consulting Urban Designer chairing a discussion with Johanna Hurme, Principal and Sasa Radulovic, Partner at 5468796 Architecture.

See the full list of speakers here.

This year’s program theme is ‘Catalyst.’ Architecture and design can be catalysts for beneficial change because they can enable, accelerate, or inspire interaction across our entire built environment, to the benefit of both individuals and institutions.

‘Catalyst’ will explore the potential for people to find opportunities for fulfilment, personally and collectively, through multiple and varied interactions with community, ideas, experiences, and place.

The Festival Hall Stage comprises technical sessions, talks, discussions and a showcase of the WAFX Award winners celebrating international proposals which embrace cutting-edge design approaches to address major world issues ranging from tackling the climate emergency to building community resilience.

Paul Finch, Program Director of World Architecture Festival comments: “We are excited to be hosting inspirational speakers from such a wide variety of geographies and backgrounds. We look forward to stimulating presentations and thought-provoking ideas that will form part of the ‘big conversation’ that takes place at WAF each year.”

View the full program here.

Here’s what to expect at WAF 2023:

• Keynote talks from the industry's most influential figures: Hear from leading architects, designers, and commentators about the future of architecture and this year's theme 'catalyst'.
• Live crit presentations and judging of almost 500 award finalists: See the best new architecture from around the world and hear from the judges about what makes them special.
• Global networking opportunities: Connect with architects, designers, and clients from all over the world.
• An international product exhibition: See the latest technologies and innovations in architecture and design from world-class exhibitors, and meet with potential suppliers.
• A lively program of associated fringe activities: From parties and dinners to exhibitions, film screenings and building tours, there are fringe events for everyone to enjoy.

Tickets are still available and can be booked here.