World Architecture Festival Awards 2009 Shortlist, WAF Buildings News, Winners, Architects

World Architecture Festival Awards 2009, Barcelona

WAF 2009 Shortlist News: International Architectural Prize, Spain

World Architecture Festival 2009 gets underway in Barcelona

Annual contest for world’s best building heats up

Shortlisted for World Architecture Festival Awards 2009

A tree top restaurant in New Zealand, a space age high school in Los Angeles, a stunning culture complex in South Korea, an aviary inspired by Gaudi in Geneva, and Wimbledon Centre Court in London, are among the 272 building projects that have made it onto this year’s shortlist for the world’s biggest architecture contest – the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards.

The shortlisted projects that range from a terraced ticket booth in Times Square to an international train terminal in Beijing, will compete at this year’s WAF which, in a reflection of the current global climate is themed around ‘Less Does More’ and will examine the challenges facing architects to produce more value for less cost.

Kring Culture Complex South Vietnam design by Unsangdong Architects:

Projects hail from 67 different countries including emerging markets such as Iran, Syria, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Ghana, South Korea, and India, as well as countries such as Canada, Australia, USA, UK, China, Russia and Scandinavia, which all have strong representation on the shortlist.

The WAF Awards are designed to celebrate and showcase the work of the international architectural community. Unlike other schemes, the WAF Awards involve shortlisted architects presenting their schemes live to the public as well as an international star studded judging panel as they compete for the ultimate accolade of World Building of the Year 2009.

Confirmed jurors this year include Rafael Vinoly, Farshid Moussavi, Vittorio Lampugnani, Sir Peter Cook, Kengo Kuma, Will Alsop, Roger Zogolovitch, and Nabil Gholam, plus architectural media editors from around the world.

Buildings by internationally renowned architects such as Grimshaw, Foster + Partners, Farrells and Skidmore Owings and Merrill LLP as well as smaller practices are represented among the shortlisted projects.

Paul Finch, WAF programme director, said: “In what is becoming the acid test of global architecture, the wide geographical range and the outstanding quality of this year’s shortlisted designs provide a true indicator of the current condition and diversity of world architecture. With even more sections to judge this year, the Awards will be fiercely contested in Barcelona, as the shortlisted architects take to the stage to give public presentations. This will make for an inspirational event.”

The WAF Awards will take place during World Architecture Festival, which takes place in Barcelona at the Centre Convencions International Barcelona (CCIB) from 4th to 6th November 2009.

A jury of distinguished architects and renowned industry figures from around the world will judge the competition’s 45 Awards. The 15 category winners in the Building of the Year Award will be pitted against each other as a star studded ‘super-jury’ makes the final decision on the World Building of the Year Award on 6th November in Barcelona at the end of the three day event.

In addition to the 15 categories in the World Building of the Year, for buildings completed in the last year, this year’s Awards feature three new sections – Interiors and Fit-out, Structural Design and Future Projects, which celebrates excellence in design for projects still on the drawing board.

Every design entered for the Awards will be exhibited in the Awards gallery at the Festival, which will also feature a packed programme of presentations, seminars, exhibitions, and keynote addresses from prominent architects.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Festival visit: www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Location: Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain

WAF Awards 2009Judges

at Aug 2009:

Catherine Slessor, UK
Kim Nielsen, Denmark
Charles Jencks, UK
David Dunster, UK
Hanif Kara, UK
Justine Clarke, Australia
Kengo Kuma, Japan
Kieran Long, UK
Lorenzo Apicella, UK
Luis O’Grady, Argentina
Marcus Fairs, UK
Nabil Gholam, Lebanon
Sir Peter Cook, UK
Suha Ozkan, Turkey
Will Alsop, UK
Dennis Sharp, UK
Andrew Lepik, USA
Robert Ivy, USA
Odile Decq, France
Peter Kudryavstev, Russia
Ewa P. Porebska, Poland
Ken Yeang, Malaysia
Vladimir Drogan, Russia
Maria Aslam-Hyder, Pakistan
Sou Fujimoto, Japan
Morten Schmidt, Denmark
Bill Hanway (EDAW), USA
Teddy Cruz, USA
Robert Schafer, Germany
William Menking, USA
Jon Walsh, New Zealand
Bjarke Ingels, Denmark
Andrew Chadwick, UK
Arlindo Mungioli, Brazil
Shane O’Toole, Ireland
Philippe Matters, Belgium
Lee Polisano, UK
Michel Rojkind, Mexico
Wang Lu, China
Miquel Adria, Mexico
Ronato Benedetti, UK
Mr Vladimir Plotkin, Russia
Vittorio M. Lampugnani, Italy
Fashid Mousaavi, Iran
Mark Dytham, Japan
Jessica Rowson, UK
Nicole Leonardi, Italy
Olof Hultin, Sweden
Rob Gregory, UK
Chris Johnson, UK
Rafael Vinoly, USA
Roger Zogolovitch, UK
Carlotta Zucchini, Italy