The prestigious accolades for World Building of the Year, World Interior of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Landscape of the Year were unveiled today during the grand finale Gala Dinner at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Delegates from around the globe gathered to witness this momentous occasion. The closing event of the sixteenth edition of the festival also featured the announcement of several Special Prizes, including the International Building Beauty Prize, Best Use of Colour Prize, and Small Project of the Year. This exciting revelation comes after an intense competition on the final day of WAF, where winners across all 44 categories vied for their coveted titles.

World Building of the Year

World Building of the Year was awarded to Huizhen High School by Approach Design Studio/Zhejiang University of Technology Engineering Design Group in China. The project was initially shortlisted in the Completed Building School category. 

Located in Jiangbei District, Ningbo City, Huizhen is a bold exploration of ‘efficiency-first’ campus design where time can be ‘wasted’ seriously. The boarding school campus is a ‘floating forest’ with classrooms hung in each corner of the forest and joined by meandering paths. Scattered tree houses provide students with temporary escapes from the burden of school. A ramp leads up to a gently sloping roof, which doubles as an open-air lecture hall and a rooftop park with sporting facilities, usable by the public at the weekend – creating a new typology of architectural promenade.

World Interior of the Year

World Interior of the Year was awarded to 19 Waterloo Street by SJB in Australia. Originally shortlisted in the Residential (Single Dwelling) Category, the winning interior utilizes expanded connections creatively within a limited footprint to create an open and quiet oasis in the city.

Wedged onto a narrow strip adjacent to the road, judges described this small multi-story house as “like a wardrobe for the architect himself to live in”.

From the street, the facade is punched with a random set of openings, but once inside, these reveal a highly tuned stack of rooms. Judges felt that “these generated a satisfying alignment and play of light”. There are unique furniture pieces and a work of art that was commissioned as a catalyst for the project. Craft and detail are everywhere, partly as a result of using materials salvaged from other projects. Judges described this winning interior project as “not only a building or an interior, but a pocket-sized tour de force”.

Landscape of the Year

Landscape of the Year went to Benjakitti Forest Park: Transforming a Brownfield into an Urban Ecological Sanctuary by TURENSCAPE, Arsomsilp Community and Environmental Architect in Thailand.