These buildings, embedded within dramatic natural settings, offer a snapshot of the breadth and ambition of this year’s World Architecture Festival shortlist.
COMPILED BY Gina Dionisio PHOTOS Ishita Sitwala, PHX INDIA, Arch-Exist Photography, Jeanne Canto, Fernando Guerra, Avesh Gaur and Sohaib Ilyas Design, Andrés Cedillo, FLINK Studio, Studio CAPN, Paul Warchol, Andrés Cedillo
The 2026 WAF shortlist features 416 projects across categories ranging from best Creative Re-Use, Housing and Education to best Hotel, Health, Sports and Culture. Selected from over 630 entries, this year’s shortlist celebrates incredible, groundbreaking architectural and design achievements.
Among the entries, these remarkable buildings celebrate architecture that responds to its environment while creating distinctive, immersive and sustainable places:
Ayana
by aslam.sham architects in Coimbatore, India
Terra House
by Atelier Design N Domain LLP (ADND) in Kerala, India
The Mountain Fold – Nanshanli Community & Visitor Centre, Mount Emei
by Lacime Architects in Shanghai, China
Kiaora Residence
by STRANG in Coconut Grove, United States
ES House
by Jacobsen Studio in Guarujá, Brazil
The Hungry Caterpillar
by lyth Design in Delhi, India
Mercado Nicolas Bravo
by AIDIA STUDIO in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Bisate Sanctuary
by Black Sable Designs in Ruthengeri, Rwanda
Stöng – (Re)interpretation
by SP(R)INT STUDIO in Stöng í Þjórsárdal, Iceland
Chatham Residence
by Desai Chia Architects in Chatham, United States
Parque Quintana Roo
by AIDIA STUDIO in Chetumal, Mexico
This year’s 205 shortlisted completed buildings include everything from an immersive tropical clubhouse in Vietnam to a landmark fish market in Sydney and a 1.2-acre oceanfront park in Florida.
The 48 shortlisted interiors range from an off-grid private wildlife sanctuary and guest lodge in South Africa to a design-led rooftop bar in Bangkok, while the 12 shortlisted landscapes include a clubhouse in Vietnam designed as a living organism and an ecological landmark in the Philippines that showcases the structural material qualities of bamboo.
The 151 future projects shortlisted include a climate-responsive home in Mumbai and an ambitious vision for a children’s hospital in Texas.
World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 18–20 November 2026. | worldarchitecturefestival.com
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