The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has cancelled its physical event in December and moved its 2021 event to a fully live and interactive digital format in response to the ongoing Covid-19 travel restrictions still applied in many countries.

Previously scheduled as a physical event at the FIL between 1-3 December 2021 in Lisbon, Portugal, the organizers of the event announced that WAF will be going as a live-streamed event, from 1 to 3 December, 2021. 

WAF is the world’s largest annual international architectural event and is also holding a sister event, titled Inside: World Festival of Interiors,  in which the same event was moved to a digital format. 

World Architecture Community is official Media Partner of WAF and INSIDE and will be bringing you the latest news about the festivals' speaker line-up, sessions and competitions. WAC readers can receive an exclusive 20% discount over delegate passes for WAF and INSIDE by entering this promo code online: WAC2020. Start your registrations on WAF's website. 

WAF Building of the Year 2019: Lochal Tlburg by Civic Architecture (lead architect), Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, and Inside Outside/Petra Blaisse. Image © Stijn Bollaert

As stated by WAF, delegates from around the world are invited to partake in the conference in its live digital format; with plans confirmed for the festival to return as a hybrid event in Lisbon in 2022.

The 2021 WAF digital event will consist of three days of live conference programmes, awards, and fringe events, with talks by leading global architectural thinkers and industry personalities live-streamed exclusively to festival delegates.

WAF includes the biggest international architectural awards programme in the world, dedicated to celebrating excellence via presentations to an audience of high-profile delegates and international juries. 

On-line category judging will form a cornerstone of the 2021 WAF digital edition, with finalists for ‘World Building of the Year’, ‘Future Project of the Year’, ‘Interior of the Year’ and ‘Landscape of the Year’  judged live and streamed to festival delegates across the world.

JCA Living Lab won World Interior Of The Year At INSIDE Festival Of Interiors in 2019. Image © Kuo-Min Le

"This will be the most accessible WAF to date, with all judging recorded and available to everyone with a digital pass. Including three days of live-streaming from the virtual event, delegates will have access to 40 days of presentations and conference sessions," said Paul Finch, Programme Director of World Architecture Festival. 

"So while we look forward to going live again next year, we are excited about enhancing access to the Festival both on-site and across the world," Finch added.

Landscape of the Year 2019: Demonstration Section of Yangpu Riverside Public Space by Original Design Studio. Image © Su Shengliang, Zhan Changheng, Zhang Yong

At WAF 2021, Jeanne Gang, Founding principal and partner, Studio Gang; Abdelkader Damani, Artistic Director, Frac Centre-Val de Loire | Biennale d'Architecture d'Orléans; Kim Herforth Nielsen, Co-Founder & Principal, 3XN Architects and Christina Seilern, Principal, Studio Seilern are among confirmed judges on this year’s Super Jury.

WAF's 2021 digital edition will include 18 digital crit rooms and 18 trios of international judges, the WAF 2021 digital event stands to offer the widest access to the largest amount of content in the history of the festival, which launched in Barcelona in 2008. 

This year’s digital event will generate 40 days of exclusive programming which will be available to delegates on-demand up to 90 days after the event.

Paul Finch stated that "we will organize all category presentations and judging so they can take place online, during October and November. Category winners will present their projects online to the usual super-juries, on Friday 3 December."

"Similarly, we will organize on-line presentations and judging for award entrants shortlisted for special prizes, again in October/November."

"During the Virtual Festival itself, we will show all our conference content live and online, on 1 and 2 December. In addition, all conference sessions, plus category presentations and ‘crits’, will be recorded and available to all registered on-line delegates and media partners via the WAF App, for up to 90 days," Finch added.

As the organizers of WAF explained, the excitement around bringing WAF to Portugal’s capital city remains, and the WAF 2022 edition is confirmed to take place in Lisbon from 30 November to 2 December at the FIL exhibition centre. 

Harnessing opportunities opened up by this year’s event, the 2022 festival will include integrated digital elements to form a hybrid festival format, fully attuned to digital and in-person delegates.

WAF recently announced its 2021 shortlist showcasing the best designed buildings and landscapes from around the world. INSIDE also revealed its 2021 shortlist for the best interior designs around the world.

Top image: WAF Building of the Year 2019: Lochal Tlburg by Civic Architecture (lead architect), Braaksma & Roos Architectenbureau, and Inside Outside/Petra Blaisse. Image © Stijn Bollaert.

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