US architecture firm Studio Gang's Beloit College Powerhouse Project in Wisconsin has been named as winner of overall prize for this year's World Architecture Festival (WAF), which will be held at RAI Amsterdam between 28-30 November, 2018. 

The prizes are awarded to future projects that identify key ecological and societal challenges which architects are actively seeking to address over the next ten years. 

These challenges span diverse topic areas including climate change, energy saving and carbon emissions, water wastage and shortage, ageing populations and health issues, reusable materials, smart cities, building technology, cultural identity, ethics and power and justice.

Gang's project were selected among from other ten WAFX Prizes, including 70F Architecture's Highway Solarpanel Field, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris' The Alder Center, IF (Integrated Field)'s Cuchi Organic Eco Farm and many more...

The prize winners will be given the opportunity to present their projects live at the World Architecture Festival on 28th and 29th November, with the overall winner receiving a prize at the Festival’s star-studded Gala Dinner on the 30th November, the culmination of the three-day event at the RAI convention centre in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam. 

The WAFX judges were impressed by the diversity of innovative approaches by architects and designers across the globe, which varied from innovative solar panel fields in The Netherlands, to urban green corridors in Bangkok, eco farms in rural Vietnam and river parks in Colombia.

Transforming a former power plant into a student union and recreation facility, Studio Gang’s winning Beloit College Powerhouse Project seeks to replace an old model of energy with a new model to support the health and wellbeing of its many inhabitants. The Powerhouse is designed to become a centre for human energy, activity and health. 

Nestled between the Rock River and the college’s campus, the Powerhouse will serve as a recreational resource and a community forum, all the while fostering a public connection to the riverfront - embracing it rather than polluting it - that foregrounds the connection between human and environmental health. 

The judges were impressed not only with the repurposing of its cavernous industrial spaces, but with how the project maximises its riverfront location, utilising river water to manage the temperature of the building whilst also significantly minimising total energy use.

"We have been amazed by the standard of entries across this year’s future project categories and the prize winners in addressing some of humanities greatest concerns. Studio Gang’s masterful Beloit College Powerhouse Project triumphed over a very strong field and we look forward to hearing more from them and the other prize winners when the Festival convenes in November," said Paul Finch, Programme Director of World Architecture Festival.

World Architecture Community is an official Media Partner for the event and will be bringing you the hottest topics, key discussions and keynote sessions from the three-day event.

World Architecture Community, in collaboration with WAF, offers to its Professional Members 10% discounted tickets over regular festival prices during registration! All you have to do is to upgrade your World Architecture Community membership to Professional here or visit your WAC Settings page and send us ([email protected]) an email to get your promo code for your WAF registration!

WAF will host outstanding speakers and keynotes this year, see all speakers and some keynotes from here to set your agenda earlier. Rem Koolhaas, David Adjaye, Caroline Bos, Sir Peter Cook, Kees Christiaanse, Prof. Leslie Lokko, Li Xiadong, Francine Houben, Reinier de Graaf, Nathalie de Vries are just a few of them speaking at this year's WAF 2018 stage. 

All images courtesy of WAF

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