The World Architecture Festival has announced the winners for the Special Prizes 2022, including categories of WAFX Award, Futureglass Prize, Best Use of Natural Light Prize, Best Use of Colour Prize, Visualisation Prize and more. 

WAF's Special Prizes are selected from across the greater WAF Awards shortlist to shine a light on the submissions that exhibit an outstanding use of Engineering, Colour, Natural Light and Certified Timber, as well as the best Small Project of the Year Prize. 

This year has seen two inaugural new prizes, The Futureglass Prize and The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize.

World Architecture Community is official media partner of this year's WAF and INSIDE. See the winners from all categories, alongside World Building of the Year 2022 and World Interior of the Year 2022, on our Portugal Country Page. 

Read on details on the winning projects for the Special Prizes 2022:

Image courtesy of BAD - Built by Associative Data + Guallart Architects

WAFX Award: The Tower of Life, Senegal by BAD - Built by Associative Data + Guallart Architects

The WAFX Award overall winner was BAD - Built by Associative Data + Guallart Architects for their project The Tower of Life, Senegal, Africa.

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen by MVRDV. Image © Ossip van Duivenbode

Futureglass Prize: Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam by MVRDV

The Futureglass Prize, supported by Aestech, was awarded to MVRDV for Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Substation 164 by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp was highly commended.

Pingtan Children Library. Image © Sai Zhao

Best Use of Natural Light Prize: Pingtan Children Library, China by Condition_Lab

Best Use of Natural Light Prize, supported by VELUX, went to Condition_Lab for their project Pingtan Children Library in China, while Agrotopia by van Bergen Kolpa architects + META architectuurbureau was highly commended.

Meadowbank School. Image © Trevor Mein

Best Use of Colour Prize: Meadowbank School, Australia by Woods Bagot 

Woods Bagot received the Best Use of Colour Prize, for their project Meadowbank School in Australia. Judges felt that “the whole balance of the building through colour, texture and material was exhilarating”. Harvard University District Energy Facility by Leers Weinzapfel Associates was highly commended.

Shenzhen Airport East Comprehensive Transportation Hub Competition Scheme. Image courtesy of Lingui Hive Technology Services Limited

Visualisation Prize: Shenzhen Airport East Comprehensive Transportation Hub Competition Scheme, China by Lingui Hive Technology Services Limited

Winner of the Visualisation Prize, supported by Lumion, was Shenzhen Airport East Comprehensive Transportation Hub Competition Scheme, in China, by Lingui Hive Technology Services Limited, and Souls of Beirut by Omar Moataz was highly commended.

Dexamenes. Image © Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann

International Building Beauty Prize: Dexamenes, Kourouta by k-studio

The inaugural International Building Beauty Prize, supported by Royal Fine Art Commission Trust and Ballymore, was picked up by k-studio for Dexamenes, in Kourouta, Peloponnese, Greece. Judges were impressed that the building “proved beauty could be found anywhere...even in an old raisin factory!”. Phoenix Central Park by Durbach Block Jaggers / John Wardle Architects, and Tintagel Castle Footbridge by ney&partners + William Matthew Associates were both highly commended.

Parque das Nações Office Building. Image courtesy of Capinha Lopes Consulting

Lisbon Prize: Parque das Nações Office Building by Capinha Lopes Consulting

Announced on the opening night of the festival, The "Lisbon Prize" supported by Kreon went to Parque das Nações Office Building by Capinha Lopes Consulting.

Dining Space. Image © Bharath Ramamrutham, GRAF Media

Small Project of the Year Prize: Dining Space at DevaDhare by Play Architecture

Play Architecture picked up the Small Project of the Year Prize for Dining Space at DevaDhare, Bengalaru, in India.

Orange Village – Headquarters. Image © François-Xavier Gbré

Engineering Prize: Orange Village – Headquarters, Côte d'Ivoire by Koffi & Diabaté Architectes

Koffi & Diabaté Architectes received the Engineering Prize, for their project Orange Village – Headquarters in Côte d'Ivoire. Judges felt that the project demonstrated “a brave and splendid use of modern technology”.

Paseo Mallorca 15. Image © José Hevia

Best Use of Certified Timber Prize: Paseo Mallorca 15 by OHLAB

Winner of the Best Use of Certified Timber Prize, supported by PEFC, was Paseo Mallorca 15, by OHLAB. The judges praised the project’s "masterful control of light", and “timeless beauty and technical innovation”.

Pocket Park Shanghai. Image © GuoZhe

Architectural Photography Awards: Pocket Park Shanghai by GuoZhe

The Architectural Photography Awards, supported by Iris Ceramica Group, Sto, Aluprof, WAF and X spaces was awarded to photographer GuoZhe for Pocket Park Shanghai in China, while Deed Studio won the WAF Delegate Vote for its photograph of Jagdal Primary School in Iran.

The Instituto Balear de la Vivienda (IBAVI), Spain was announced as the winner of the Architectural Review Emerging award 2022, and Sanchez Benton Architects was highly commended, while Sher Maker won the Peter Davey Prize.

The International VELUX Award winner of Daylight in Buildings was TIP – Time Indicate Protection, by Zuzanna Sazonow and Aleksandra Pytka. The winner of Daylight Investigations was Sajjad Navidi, Mahya Mousavi Sadr and Elham Bahadori from University of Art, Tehran for their project FLight.

WAF will hold its next, 16th edition in Singapore from 29 November to 1 December, 2023 and registrations are open for 2023.

Top image: Dexamenes. Image © Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann.

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