Looking to 'Tomorrow': WAFX 2024 Prize winning designs respond to global challenges

The winners of this year’s World Architecture Festival WAFX Awards have just been announced, featuring a group of more than 30 future projects. Each seeks to shape the world, facing the major architectural issues plaguing both society and the planet today, while evoking the WAF's future-forward theme of 'Tomorrow.'

Many proposals highlight ideas whose social benefit was intended for a diverse and wide-ranging global community beset by wars and struggling with the changing environment. Designs in eleven categories were selected by the jury from the group of future projects included in the larger WAF shortlist in advance of the annual three-day meeting in Singapore in November.  

Paul Finch, the Director of the World Architecture Festival, commented: "This year’s winners show how major challenges affecting people and environments generate responses which address functional and social problems, while lifting the spirits of those who will benefit from creative architecture and design."

Aging and Health

• The 12th Mine Hospital Renewal Design by Yijian Architects in Henan Province, China
• Shenzhen Rehabilitation Center by Stefano Boeri Architetti in Shenzhen, China
• The New Hospital of Cremona by Mario Cucinella Architects in Cremona, Italy

Building Technology

• Shoupé mixed-use project by KanLan Studio in Babolsar, Iran
• University of Tasmania Forestry Building by Woods Bagot in Tasmania, Australia
• Community for Refugee by UArchitects / Misak Terzibasiyan in Ter Apel, Netherlands

Carbon and Climate

• Penn's Landing Pavilion by KieranTimberlake in Philadelphia, United States
• The Waste-Wise House by Bacungan Architects in North Caloocan, Philippines
• Gasometer by Mei architects and planners + Peter Bastian Architekten in Münster, Germany
• Balai Ani: House of Harvest by Pluszerotwo Architectural Design Studio in Rizal, Philippines

Cultural Identity

• ENKANASA by Tétris Design & Build in Loita Hills, Kenya
• Auckland Stadium at Quay Park by HKS in Auckland, New Zealand
• Wuhan Opera Art Center by PES-Architects Ltd.+ The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD) in Wuhan, China
• University Technology of Sydney - National First Nations College by Warren and Mahoney in association with Greenaway Architects, OCULUS and Finding Infinity in Sydney, Australia

Digital Worlds

• AI Sampling Singapore by Artificial-Architecture, Singapore University of Technology and Design, in Singapore
• The Portal by Form4 Architecture, in Nevada, United States

Ethics and Values

• The Surabaya Urban Transformation project by Broadway Malyan in Surabaya, Indonesia
• RESILIENT GAZA: A Landscape of Resistance by Design and More International, in Gaza, Palestine
• CABN Vision Plan by B+H in Augusta Township, Canada
• Shahinshahr Women's Park by ARSH-4D STUDIO in Shahinshahr, Iran

Food

• Parasol Agriculture Center by Fractalviews in Los Angeles, United States
• AGRITECTURE - future experimental homes/ workspace- multi functional - Greenhouse Living (Architecture + Agriculture) by tHE gRID Architects in Ahmedabad / varied climates and varied economic contexts, India

Power and Justice

• Küçükçekmece Djemevi by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture in Istanbul, Turkey
• Peace Building, Maguindanao Del Norte Provincial Capitol by Swito Designs in Davao City, Philippines

Re-use

• RAMSBURG by Dome+Partners, Noname Studio, Skab, MetaArchitektur GmbH in Magdeburg, Germany
• 40 Holborn Viaduct by Eric Parry Architects in London, United Kingdom
• Institut Thoracique de Montréal - Breathing life into an abandoned urban hospital by NEUF architect(e)s, in Montreal, Canada
• 76 Southbank by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris in London, United Kingdom

Smart Cities

• Lingang Open Zone Station TOD project by Benoy in Shanghai, China
• Centipedes by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture in Istanbul, Turkey
• Future Vision for London Waterloo Station and South Bank – Waterloo Station Masterplan by Grimshaw in London, United Kingdom
• Knowledge Economic City by DLR Group in Madina, Saudi Arabia

Water

The Greenline Project Master Plan by ASPECT Studios, TCL, City of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Australia

The 17th edition of the WAF follows previous editions hosted by Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin.