WORDS Ishani Chetty PHOTOS Courtesy of WAF
The WAF has announced the first shortlist of 2024 Special Prize nominees with the Green School South Africa by GASS Architecture Studios has been shortlisted for the esteemed Sustainability Prize.
The prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the first set of 2024 Special Prize shortlist nominees. The shortlist aims to recognise projects that embody exceptional architectural merit, and the nominees were selected from the greater WAF awards shortlist.
The categories are:
- Best use of Colour
- The Sustainability Prize supported by ROCKWOOL
- Small Project of the Year
- Best use of Stone supported by Turkish Stones
- Best use of Natural Light supported by VELUX
- GROHE Water Prize
Notably, this year, the Green School South Africa by GASS Architecture Studios has been shortlisted for the esteemed Sustainability Prize.
Below in order of the categories are the selected shortlisted projects.
Best Use Of Colour
The Best Use Of Colour category includes a number of projects such as a Women & Children’s Centre set in a vibrant and colourful skyscraper in Shenzen, China, by MDRV.
Other shortlisted projects are:
- Te Taumata o Kupe by TOA Architects, in Aotearoa/New Zealand
- John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History by Studio Imagine Simply Architecture (SI.SA), in Nigeria
- Shenzhen Women & Children’s Center by MVRDV, in China
- The Brewhouse and Trident Park by ritchie*studio, in Malta
- Holocene House by CplusC Architectural Workshop, in Australia
- Merlot 3 by HDR, in Australia
- Waste Management Building, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital by Architects 49, in Thailand
- Preston Level Crossing Removal Project by Wood Marsh Architecture, in Australia
The Sustainability Prize, supported by ROCKWOOL
Within this category, the Green School in South Africa, a project that utilises locally sourced materials and traditional building techniques such as reed ceilings and rammed earth walls has been selected as a finalist.
Other shortlisted projects are:
- Ferrocarril de Cuernavaca 780 by HEMAA, in Mexico
- The Black and White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects, in UK
- White Renovation by Olgoo, in Iran
- 150 Holborn by Perkins&Will, in UK
- Forskaren by 3XN in Sweden
- KITO Yamanashi Head Office by Takenaka Corporation, in Japan
- University of Auckland B201 Building by Jasmax, in New Zealand
- The GEAR by KAJIMA DESIGN (Lead Architect) + Surbana Jurong Consultants Pte. Ltd. (Project Architect), in Singapore
- Green School South Africa by GASS Architecture Studios, in South Africa
Small Project of the Year
This year’s shortlist of projects within the Small Project of the Year category includes a pet crematorium in Singapore.
Other shortlisted projects are:
- Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre by Sam Crawford Architects, in Australia
- Sanctuary Pet Crematorium by Formwerkz Architects, in Singapore
- MPavilion10 by Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, in Australia
- Fushi by Tezuka Architects, in Japan
- National Star Observatory by Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects, in Cyprus
- Villagers’ Home in Wanghu Village by The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD), in China
- Rhodes House Transformation by Stanton Williams, in UK
- Concrete Pavilion-pumping station by LIN Architecture, in China
- Earth to Earth by Dabbagh Architects, in United Arab Emirates
Best use of Stone, supported by Turkish Stones
The Best Use of Stone category has highlighted several projects within their shortlist, including the restoration and conversion of a mid-17th century Ottoman fortress into a museum.
Other shortlisted projects are:
- Future Car Park by Daniel Statham Studio, in China
- Sunita Shekhawat Flagship Store and Gallery by Studio Lotus, in India
- Seddülbahir Fortress by KOOP Architects / AOMTD (Arzu Ozsavasci Architecture), in Turkey
- Abrahamic Family House by Adjaye Associates, in United Arab Emirates
- Twentyfour by 3DM Architecture, in Malta
- Jade Apartment by Matrix Design, in China
- SCORPIOS BODRUM by GEOMIM, in Turkey
- OH HO Residence by Play Architecture, in India
- Village House by Studio MK27, in Brazil
The remaining two categories, the Best Use of Natural Light supported by VELUX shortlist will be announced in August while the GROHE Water Prize, an award that highlights projects that are implementing innovative design within the built environment and water, shortlist and winner will be announced in September.
All the above-mentioned shortlisted projects will have an opportunity to present their project to the World Architecture Festival panel of judges as they go head-to-head for the prize.
“Our special prizes programme is an important element of the WAF Awards. Cutting across all categories, they give entrants an additional chance to win an award for excellent work.
We look forward to seeing the presentations of these creative shortlisted projects at the live festival!, ”says Paul Finch, Director of the World Architecture Festival.
World Architecture Festival and Inside World Festival of Interiors will take place at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, on 6 – 8 November 2024. | worldarchitecturefestival.com
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