World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the first of the 2023 Special Prize shortlists, ahead of this year’s festival which takes place at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from 29 November - 1 December. 

The projects shortlisted for the Special Prizes are selected from across the greater WAF Awards shortlist to shine a light on the submissions that demonstrate architectural excellence in a particular area.

The first shortlists to be revealed are Best use of Colour, Small Project of the Year Prize, The Futureglass Prize supported by Aestech and The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore.

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Best Use of Colour Prize

Iron Creek Bay Farm Stay by Misho + Associates. Image courtesy of WAF

Façade Renewal of the University Road in Huaxiba by JZFZ Architectural Design Co., Ltd. Image courtesy of WAF

The Best Use of Colour Prize celebrates the creative use of colour in architecture, both inside and out. The eight finalists for the Prize employ bright and bold colours innovatively to catch the eye, to provide a wayfinding tool or to create joyful spaces for its users. The shortlisted projects are:

• Vast Gallery & Artist Residency by Persian Garden Studio
• Façade Renewal of the University Road in Huaxiba by JZFZ Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
• G39 by ARQMOV WORKSHOP
• Iron Creek Bay Farm Stay by Misho + Associates
• Turrell Pavilion by Studio MK27
• Shanghai YuYuan Metro Station: An Underground Arcade of Lighting Ripples by XING DESIGN
• MPavilion 2022 by all(zone)
• Learning Community at Quest by KSM Architecture

The Futureglass Prize supported by Aestech

Fisher and Paykel Global Headquarters by RTA Studio. Image courtesy of WAF

Wuxi Taihu Bay International Cultural Arts Center by Perkins Eastman-Pfeiffer Studio. Image courtesy of WAF

The Futureglass Prize, supported by Aestech, is awarded to the project that best demonstrates new ways in which glass and glass technology can be deployed. The shortlisted projects are:

• The Dockside Resort & Marina by Architects’ Studio

• 585 Kendall by CBT

• Wuxi Taihu Bay International Cultural Arts Center by Perkins Eastman/Pfeiffer Studio

• Fisher and Paykel Global Headquarters by RTA Studio

• 55 Pitt Street by Woods Bagot and SHoP Architects

• The Forest by Sanjay Puri Architects

• Taikoo Green Ribbon by ARUP

Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore

Casa Ward by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect. Image courtesy of WAF

Turrell Pavilion by Studio MK27. Image courtesy of WAF

The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore will be awarded to a completed building which ‘raises the spirits’ through architecture. The winner of Royal Fine Art Commission Trust UK Building Beauty Awards, which takes place later in the year, will also be added to the overall shortlist. The shortlisted projects are:

• Oman Across Ages Museum by COX Architecture

• Turrell Pavilion by Studio MK27

• Casa Ward by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect

• CAPITASPRING by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati

• Entegra offices in Barcelona by Batlleiroig Arquitectura

• Angsila Oyster Scaffolding Pavilion by CHAT Architects

• The Mosque of Light by Dabbagh Architects

Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort by Luxury Frontiers. Image courtesy of WAF

The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp by RTA Studio in association with Bureaux. Image courtesy of WAF

The Small Project of the Year Prize is awarded to the best completed project that is small for its type. These finalist projects represent the ingenuity and craftsmanship of architects designing within restricted parameters. The Prize celebrates projects small in scale but big on innovation. The shortlisted projects are:

• Torch Community by PONE Architecture

• Kaomai Museums and Tea Barn by PAVA architects

• Project Plum Grove: Experimental Restoration in Mui Tsz Lam by School of Architecture,

  The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Karuizawa Commongrounds Bookstore by Klein Dytham architecture

• Bamboo Dome for G20 Bali Summit by Biroe

• The Great Glenorchy Alpine Base Camp by RTA Studio in association with Bureaux

• Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort by Luxury Frontiers

• Toagosei Hydrogen station Tokushima by Osamu Morishita Architect and Associates

The finalists for the Special Prizes will go on to compete live at WAF Lisbon and the overall winner of each will be revealed at the Gala Dinner. 

Other prizes to be announced at WAF include the inaugural Architecture Book of the Year Award, Best use of Natural Light, supported by VELUX, which recognises the best use of natural light in completed buildings in particular to enhance human well-being, performance and joy, The Visualisation Prize, supported by Lumion, which celebrates this year’s best architectural render, WAFX, which celebrates the best of this year’s future projects, and The Architecture Drawing Prize, curated by Make Architects, Sir John Soane's Museum and WAF, and supported by Iris Ceramica Group.

WAF and its co-located event, Inside World Festival of Interiors, will welcome the world’s leading architects and designers for three days of talks programmes, awards, exhibitions and fringe events, showcasing leading international practices, the best new projects, and most pressing live debates.

World Architecture Festival 2023 shortlist revealed the most inspiring projects from around the globe. Moreover, INSIDE revealed shortlist celebrating finest examples of interior design from around the world.

Top image in the article: Shanghai YuYuan Metro Station, An Underground Arcade of Lighting Ripples by XING DESIGN. Image courtesy of WAF. 

> via WAF

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