The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has unveiled the winners of its WAFX 2024 Awards, recognising over 30 future projects that address major architectural challenges facing society and the planet.
The WAFX Prize honours designs that tackle global issues across eleven key categories, including health, climate change, technology, ethics, and values.
Notable winners in the Ethics and Values category include a project focused on rebuilding Gaza’s landscapes and restoring its agricultural and cultural heritage, as well as designs for a public park in Iran that envisions a future without restrictions on civil freedoms.
The Power and Justice category recognised a project in Istanbul designed around the Alevism community’s need for legitimate space in the city.
In the Carbon and Climate category, a standout winner is the transformation of a disused gas tower in Münster into a sustainable residential tower.
Paul Finch, Director of the World Architecture Festival, commented on the winners: “This year’s winners show how major challenges affecting people and environments generate responses that address functional and social problems while lifting the spirits of those who will benefit from creative architecture and design.”
The WAFX Award winners are selected from the finalists of the Future Projects categories in the WAF Awards Programme.
This announcement precedes the live WAF event, scheduled to take place in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from November 6-8, 2024.
The awards span various categories, including Ageing and Health, Building Technology, Cultural Identity, Digital Worlds, Food, and Smart Cities.
Projects from around the globe are represented, including designs from China, Italy, Iran, Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
All 33 WAFX-winning projects will be presented on the Festival Hall Stage at WAF, with the overall WAFX winner to be announced live during the festival.
This event will also feature other prestigious accolades such as World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Interior of the Year.
The 17th edition of WAF returns to Singapore this year, following previous editions in cities like Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin.
In addition to the awards program, the event will include live presentations, keynote talks, and seminars from international speakers centred around the theme of ‘Tomorrow’.
This year’s WAFX Awards showcase the architectural community’s commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative and forward-thinking design solutions.