World Architecture Awards 10+5+X Submissions

The Calla Garden 2 project is inspired by the Calla flower within the floral landscape of the southern urban area of Ho Chi Minh City.

The project functions as residential apartments and commercial spaces on the first and second floors. It includes areas for community activities and a daycare center on the second and third floors. The design is luxurious, featuring a swimming pool that connects to a green park on the first floor.

With 18 floors and nearly 300 apartments, the project is a landmark development within the 25-hectare urban area.

The building's facade draws inspiration from the Calla flower. The west-facing facade is equipped with solar panels that not only provide sun shading but also harness solar energy to generate renewable electricity. This energy will be used to power the public utilities of the building, including lighting for public corridors, electricity for community spaces, the swimming pool, and the outdoor landscape. Excess electricity from this renewable energy source will be used for the apartments and parking areas.

Viewed from the west, the entire project resembles a Calla flower, with the stem represented by lightweight concrete and the petals by solar panels. The facades facing east and south will be open to take advantage of the beautiful views of the park and riverfront.

The project is expected to become a symbol within the residential area, conveying a message about the use of renewable energy in high-rise residential buildings in Vietnam.

Total land area: 3,545.8 m²
Total construction area: 30,485.23 m²
Building density: 40%
Project scale: 254 apartments; 17 floors
Type of construction: Apartment building
Trung Kien Nguyen; Thanh Nhan Vo; Van Tuan Nguyen

Dubai Seahouse
At first glance to Dubai, a modern city influenced by technological advances whose past architecture has been forgotten comes to mind. Looking at the history of urban planning and architecture of this city, we come across its old neighborhoods such as Al-Bastaki whose traditional architecture is very different from contemporary types. Windcatchers, central courtyards, and compact and high-rise volumes which have been used in old houses compatible with the city's climate would meet the needs of the climate in a natural way and without technological tools.
A look at the old maps of Al-Bastaki shows that the buildings have been placed next to each other in dense volumes due to the climatic conditions and the passages between these buildings have been formed without a definite order. The narrow width of the passages and the fracture of volumes and its corbelling in the passages have caused the passers-by to take advantage of the shadow of the surrounding buildings and the unbearable heat to be tolerated.
But in the modern parts of the city, this irregular network has been changed into a regular orthogonal network which indicates that the city has benefited from modern urban planning knowledge. We modeling the lines of passages and volumes in these maps obtained an orthogonal grid which had a rotation relative to the geographical north in comparison with the regular grid of modern urban planning. In order to benefit from the north-south breeze of the sea to the shore and rotate this network in the north geographical direction, the east-west lines were removed and its north-south direction was maintained.
On the other hand, inspired by the continuous and irregular volumes and maintaining the proportion of full and empty spaces in the historical context of this city, the spaces were designed in such a way that an integrated volume was created with protrusions and recesses. This porous volume, in the form of an intertwined set of volumes moving together, is reminiscent of the urban texture and has provided the possibility of directing the desired wind into the spaces and proper shading on the terraces and parts of the yard.
North-south panels as guiding channels of sea breeze, in contrast to the hard and rigid face, inside the spaces are flexibly mixed with the form of spaces, in the face of the volume of each space allows it to penetrate and better wind direction inside enables spaces and moisture reduction with more height on the roof. In addition to climatic function, these panels also play the role of structures and installations. The grid of the supporting structure is located in these panels and the static of volumes are provided by connecting to it. Installation channels being on these panels are also hidden from view.
Interconnected porous hollow volume structures taken from Dubai's old central courtyard houses are designed to adapt to its hot and humid climate. In addition to the possibility of using the pleasant sea breeze, they provide a favorable view of the interior spaces.
The use of layered terraces in volume caused each space to enjoy a good view of the sea, in addition to making it possible to use a separate terrace and maintain its privacy.
Due to the role of windcatchers in the old houses of Dubai and their function in reducing the temperature of indoor spaces using wind purposefully, they use this climatic element have been placed in such a way that along with suitable climatic in spaces different from its traditional one function for moderating indoor temperature. Therefore, creating holes in the roof and lattice walls in its body, the desired wind has been directed into the spaces.
Due to the high humidity and intense sunlight in this area, microcement material with white and light colors was used to create more harmony with the bed and climatic issues.

Project Name: Dubai Seahouse
Project Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Building Function: Villa
Site Area: 2240 m2
Basement Floor Area: 844.30 m2
Ground Floor Area: 539.30 m2
First Floor Area: 798.78 m2
Lead Architects: Ghasem Navaei
Design Team: Mohammad Shalikar, Elaheh Elahirad, Hadiseh pourebrahim, Mohsen Fallahi

The Earth Home is a private house being built on a site of 2830 sq.m. In Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. A series of load bearing arches sequentially create volumes of varying heights along the southern boundary of the site orienting all the inner volumes towards the north.

This single level home is being built with stabilized earth blocks created on site with the soil excavated for the foundations. Being built by local artisans and workers, all the materials proposed to be used are from within the site or from a 30 km radius. It is designed to be built with minimal steel and concrete, with the earth block walls acting as structural frames. The shallow vaulted roofs will be made in foam concrete, a light weight, strong material made of 80% recycled materials, minimal water and minimal energy during production. Each room opens into an outdoor sheltered transitional space to mitigate heat gain. The temperature within this region vary from 30° to 50° for most of the year.

The 450mm thick stabilised earth brick walls, orientation of room towards the north, internal courtyard, sheltered outdoor decks, insulated foam concrete roof, collectively will contribute towards creating an extremely energy efficient house that will not require mechanical cooling. Rain water harvesting, water recycling, harnessing solar energy, the use of natural materials & contract labor render this house sustainable in context to its site orientation & the climate of the region. The Earth Home exemplifies context and sustainability, designed to have naturally cool interiors by the choice of materials and the way it is designed.

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Design Company: Sanjay Puri Architects.
Lead Architect: Mr. Sanjay Puri.
Design Team – Ms.Sanya Gupta, Mr.Sakib

Foz Housing heritage is a residential building, which includes intervention in a centenary property located in Foz, Porto, with the rehabilitation of the existing house and the construction of a new building forming a gated community.

The center of inspiration for this bold project is the legacy of pre-existence, classic and timeless, typical of the reputed location by the sea in the city of Porto. Maintaining and reinterpreting its main characteristics, so that the entire housing complex communicates in an excellent way with each other and with the location. The project consists of the rehabilitation of the distinctive Manor House and the new Main Building, comprising a total of 9 rooms spread over 4 floors and with generous areas. The design of the spaces works in harmony and continuity of architectural forms and solutions, reading the entire project as a single object that completes itself and merges in tradition and innovation, in history and legacy, resulting in a unique atmosphere and formal beauty.
Inside, the excellence of a careful choice of materials and careful design.

All the details developed exclusively for this project, such as the unique texture of the wood and large stones cut to measure for each space, in harmony with the corten steel and copper of the metals.

At the Manor House, the exterior coating based on lime and its terracotta colour, the window frames and metalwork in corten, were inspired by materials from the original period, using the most up-to-date and advanced techniques.

The Main Building uses the same materials, but its exterior is entirely made of “cast-in-place” concrete in the same tone as the rehabilitation and integrates perfectly with the pre-existence, in a dialogue between the classic and the contemporary.

The extensive use of vegetation outside and in the common areas inside is intended to be a biophilic approach bringing nature outside and inside, contributing to the improvement of the environment and providing such an important contact with nature.
With a careful choice of several new species that blend perfectly with the architecture of the buildings. The large private outdoor spaces of each house, verandas and gardens, were designed to emphasize the existing and built natural beauty, for permanence and as a complement to the interior, with continuity between materials and design from the interior to the exterior.

The oversized interior free height of the spaces, and the windows at full height, provide harmonious entrances of light and a perfect visual relationship between the interior and exterior, bringing nature into each dwelling as well.
The strength and beauty of the enchanted gardens that mark all the exterior areas of the condominium convey the wonderful feeling of leaving the city within the city, so that you can breathe the energy of a perfect refuge.

Built Area: 3206 sqm
Apartments: 10
Floors: 1 below and 5 above ground
Architect: Paulo Fernandes Silva
Collaborator: Diana Fernandes Silva | Isabela Almeida Neves | Daniela Ferreira | Pedro Gouveia

The project occupies three plots: T501-0104, T501-0105, and T501-0106. Located at the southeast corner of the Seventh Development Unit in the Liuxiandong area of Xili, Nanshan, the site is strategically positioned south of the Xili Hub, where Metro Line 13 intersects with the future planned Metro Line 27. Situated at the intersection of Chaguang Road and Shigu Road, two major urban visual corridors converge, the site holds significant landmark potential.

1. Three Towers Standing in Harmony, Connecting to the South Hub
The design includes vehicle entrances and exits on Xiangu Road to the west and Zhizhi Road to the north, linking the municipal roads that pass between Towers B and C. In the northwest corner, some double-height spaces of the podiums are reserved for bus terminals, with Tower A and B each allocating 2,500 square meters. A fire loop is created within the site, with designated fire apparatus elevating areas on the south side of Towers A and C, and the north side of Tower B.

2. Multilevel Connectivity, A Vibrant Lifestyle Core
The three ground-floor office lobbies all face south. A continuous pedestrian street runs from the northeast through the east to the south, forming an accessible ground-level walkway system. The second, third, and fourth floors feature terraced commercial spaces, primarily offering B&F and service facilities. The podium areas facing the central courtyard and the park in the northeast are set back, to reduce the volume of the structure and create a respectful relationship with the surroundings. The podium facades of the east and west towers feature large-scale glass boxes, echoing the urban scale and engaging in a dialogue with the urban streets.

3. Vertical Micro-City: Composite and Adaptive
Leveraging our team's experience from the 2020 winning design of the 307-meter-high Nanshan Science & Technology Union Building, the project adopts the "vertical city" concept, staking various functions to achieve integration. The complex includes four underground floors: the fourth basement level is for civil defense, the third and second levels are dedicated to parking, and the first underground level features sunken commercial spaces. The second basement level is directly connected to the Xili Hub. Above ground, the podium rises to 24 meters, encompassing the lobby, commercial spaces, and F&B areas on the first to fourth floors. The fifth floor serves as a sky garden and structural transition level.

4. Three Towers Encircling a Courtyard
Towers A, B, and C, stand at heights of 176m, 199m, and 223m, respectively. The complex's layout, arranged in a "品" character formation, carefully considers the impact of sun exposure and light pollution on the school to the north. Each tower features distinct higher and lower zones with separate elevators for each, including shuttle elevators, fire elevators serving all floors, and VIP elevators providing direct access to higher levels. The podiums offer dedicated escalators for commercial spaces, and the underground parking garage includes dedicated lifts. Tower C also features a helicopter landing pad at its apex.

5. Layered Green Terraces
The standard floor design follows the design brief's requirements for "square, practical, balanced, and steady" layouts. The scheme adopts a rectangular floor plan, accommodates flexibility for different office configurations, including multi-story offices for large companies, single-floor offices for individual companies, and shared office spaces for multiple tenants on the same floor. The design also optimizes the placement of core tubes and column skins, achieving a practical efficiency rate of 75%-82%. Vertical lines on the curtain walls align with the area's urban design requirements, ensuring a cohesive aesthetic across the three towers while introducing visual interest through varying widths. This approach creates strong visual appeal and a distinct rhythmic effect.

The project occupies a site area of 22,596.8 ㎡and a gross floor area of 316,499㎡, including:
Plot T501-0104: plot area of 8,466.96㎡, building area of 106,860㎡, plot area ratio of 10.5, building height of 176.4m, 37 floors;
Plot T501-0105: plot area of 7,317.906㎡, building area of 96,404㎡, plot area ratio of 13.2, building height of 198.9m, 42floors;
Plot T501-0106: plot area of 6,811.94㎡, building area of 113,235㎡, plot area ratio of 16.6, building height of 222.9m, 47floors.
Zhong Zhong, Wu Bing, Zhong Botao, Liu Dengyuan, Zhang Pingping, Ye Jianze, You Yang, Lin Weitang, Zhong Haihuan, Hu Jinglan, Cao Jiying, Chen Ailian, Han Guoyuan, Tang Jin, Liu Mu