World Architecture Festival 2023 Shortlist Reveals Most Inspiring Projects
The most inspiring architectural projects from around the world were recently revealed as the shortlist for the 2023 World Architecture Festival (WAF) was announced. This is ahead of the live event, which will take place in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from 29 November to 1 December 2023. WAF represents the world’s biggest live-judged architectural awards programme, where all finalists present their projects to a panel of judges at the international festival. Today’s shortlist celebrates the best newly completed buildings and landscapes, as well as the most inspiring future architectural concepts across 33 categories, ranging from residential and cultural to creative reuse.
The Inside World Festival of Interiors shortlist was announced during the week of 13 July 2023. WAF’s sister awards programme celebrates the finest examples of global interior design, across eleven categories. The shortlist has been selected from more than 800 entries and comprises 495 projects from 333 unique practices. This year’s finalists range from major world architects including Foster + Partners, UNStudio, Grimshaw Architects, MAD Architects, WilkinsonEyre, Safdie Architects and Nikken Sekkei, while many smaller practices will also be on stage, live pitching against the big names.
The international judging panel for this year’s awards consists of more than 140 industry experts, representing 43 countries, and will include Lily Jencks, Nigel Coates, Rafiq Azam, Albert Williamson-Taylor, Tracy Meller, Jason Bruges, Annette Fisher, Roland Schnizer and Issa Diabaté. This year’s finalists span the globe, with the top ten shortlisted countries including China, Australia, the United Kingdom, India, the United States, Iran, Thailand, Singapore, Canada, and Japan.
On the final day of the festival, category winners from across all 44 category prizes will go head-to-head for the ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year and Interior of the Year. A host of special prizes, including WAFX, which celebrates imaginative cutting-edge designs addressing major world issues, will also be awarded to projects from the main shortlist.
WAF programme director Paul Finch comments: “We are delighted with both the quantity and quality of this year’s entries. They are a reminder in a world experiencing numerous crises that architects continue to address both everyday and unusual challenges with skill and imagination. We look forward to seeing the shortlisted architects in Singapore.”
WAF and its co-located event, InsideWorld 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.
Click here to read more about the 2023 World Architecture Festival, or click here for the full shortlist for this year’s completed buildings, future and landscape project awards.