The World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2024 shortlist has been unveiled, showcasing the most innovative architectural projects from around the globe.
The announcement comes ahead of the live event scheduled for November 6-8 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.
This year’s shortlist celebrates outstanding completed buildings, landscapes, and future architectural concepts across 33 categories, ranging from residential to transport and retrofit.
The selection process narrowed down 800 entries to over 480 projects from more than 350 unique practices.
The WAF, known as the world’s largest live-judged architectural awards program, will feature finalists presenting their projects to an esteemed panel of judges during the international festival.
The shortlist includes works from renowned architects such as Zaha Hadid Architects, WOHA, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and MVRDV, alongside emerging practices competing on the same stage.
Representing 71 countries, the top five shortlisted nations are China, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, and Singapore.
The judging panel comprises 175 industry experts from 32 countries, including notable figures like Kelley Cheng, Sanjay Puri, and Sir Peter Cook.
On the festival’s final day, category winners will compete for the prestigious titles of World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Interior of the Year.
Special prizes, including the WAFX award for cutting-edge designs addressing major world issues, will also be presented.
Paul Finch, WAF programme director, commented on the high quality of entries and the diverse geographical representation.
He also highlighted the selection of over 30 awards in the WAFX section, recognising future projects that address pressing environmental and social issues.
This 17th edition of WAF marks its return to Singapore, following previous events in cities like Lisbon, Amsterdam, and Berlin.
The festival will feature a live events programme and keynote talks centred around the theme of “Tomorrow,” exploring the future directions of architecture in the 21st century.
In addition to the WAF, the Inside World Festival of Interiors shortlist will be announced on July 10, celebrating exemplary global interior design across ten categories.
Together, these events will bring together leading architects and designers for three days of talks, awards, exhibitions, and debates, showcasing the best new projects and most pressing issues in the field.