Leisure projects in contention for Building of the Year prize at World Architecture Festival Awards
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has revealed the architects and buildings in contention for awards glory at this year’s event in Berlin in November.
The prestigious WAF Awards celebrate completed architectural projects, future projects and landscape projects across 30 categories.
A panel of industry professionals – including David Chipperfield and Christoph Ingenhoven – alongside former winners and festival speakers have selected the final shortlists based on entries submitted from architects around the world.
Here are this year’s leisure category shortlists:
Hotel And Leisure - Completed Buildings
• 1+1 > 2 Architects, Earth Village, Ha Giang, Vietnam
• Aim Architecture, Fushengyu Hotspring Resort, Mianyang, China
• Bates Smart, Canberra Airport Hotel, Canberra, Australia
• Duangrit Bunnag Architect, The Naka Phuket, Phuket
• Jacques Ferrier Architecture, Nakara 4 star Residential Hotel, Cap d'Agde, France
• MIA Design Studio, Naman Retreat Pure Spa, Danang, Vietnam
• nA Nakayama Architects, Zaborin, Hokkaido, Japan
• Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, Le Meridien Zhengzhou, Zhengzhou, China
• Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos, Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Hotel, Playa del Carmen
• Studio Lotus, Baradari, City Palace Jaipur, Jaipur, India
• Studio PCH and Montalba Architects, Nobu Ryokan, Malibu, USA
• URBNarc, Alila Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia
Culture - Completed Buildings
• Advanced Architecture Laboratory, Singapore University of Technology and Design, The Future of Us, Singapore
• BVN and Conrad Gargett in association, Australian Army Museum of Military Engineering, Holsworthy, Australia
• Furuichi and Associates, Miyahata Jomon Museum, Fukushima, Japan
• GreenhilLi architecture + design, New Wings at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
• Menis Arquitectos, CKK "Jordanki", Torun, Poland
• Nikken Sekkei, Akagane Museum, Niihama City, Japan
• OLI Architecture, Mu Xin Art Museum, Wuzhen, China
• Patterson Associates, Len Lye Centre, Taranaki, New Zealand
• Pere Puig Arquitecte, Montagora Cultural Centre, Barcelona, Spain
• Reiulf Ramstad Architects, Romsdal Folk Museum, Molde, Norway
• Riegler Riewe Architekten, Silesian Museum, Katowice, Poland
• Robert Konieczny- KWK Promes, National Museum in Szczecin - Dialogue Centre Przelomy, Szczecin, Poland
• Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Dokk1, Aarhus, Denmark
• Studio Farris Architects, City Library Bruges, Bruges, Belgium
• Studio Gang, Writers Theatre, Glencoe, USA
• Studio Link-Arc, China Pavilion for Expo Milano 2015, Milan, Italy
• waa (we architech anonymous), MOCA Yinchuan, Yinchuan, China
• Zaha Hadid Architects, Messner Mountain Museum Corones, Plan de Corones, Italy
Sport - Completed Buildings
• Allen Jack+Cottier, Abbotsleigh Multi-Purpose Sports Hall, Sydney, Australia
• Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, AEP Fitness Centre, Oklahoma City, United States
• Effekt, GAME Streetmekka, Esbjerg, Denmark
• HCMA Architecture + Design, Grandview Heights Aquatic Centre, Surrey, Canada
• Populous, Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, France
• Populous, Estadio BBVA Bancomer, Monterrey, Mexico
All finalists will be invited to present their projects live to judging panels at the festival from 16-18 November before the final category winners are chosen. Winners from each category will then be considered by a 'super-jury', who will select the World Building of the Year, the Future Project of the Year and the Landscape of the Year.
Last year’s winners were OMA and Buro Ole Scheeren, whose Interlace ‘vertical village’ housing development in Singapore won Building of the Year, and Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), who took home the award for Future Project of the Year with their Vancouver House skyscraper. Turenscape International's Yanweizhou Park won the Landscape of the Year award.
World Architecture Festival Berlin leisure architecture design shortlist Building of the Year
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming. The latest addition, Oberon, extends the visitor experience beyond the gallery, reflecting a growing trend for museums to become all-day destinations.
The New Museum in New York has entered a new chapter with the completion of a major
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
Montana Heritage Center by Cushing Terrell opens after US$107 million investment
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
'Minor wellness hotels' recorded the strongest growth across top KPIs in 2025, finds RLA Global
Great Barrier Reef attraction set for AU$180 million reinvention
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has architecture by Leach Rhodes Walker and interiors by Bergman Design House.
Marriott International partners with Fitwel for wellness solutions across its residential portfolio
Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort to unveil new spa in February 2027
Places Leisure is working with Roberts Limbrick to build £60m wellness flagship in Basingstoke
Hoshino Resorts opens Kai Kusatsu as it expands the Kai onsen ryokan brand
Qiddiya and Populous share details of Saudi Arabia’s National Tennis Centre
Disney confirms US$30 billion investment programme as it highlights its economic impact
Until combines multiple disciplines at new Canary Wharf club
Sea Lanes opens following a partnership between The Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group
Bas Smets brings water and wilderness to Vitra
Expo 2030 Riyadh will create a permanent global destination
Luxury resort coming to Hunter Valley will have longevity spa
'Data chocolate', dreams made real and artworks shaped by visitors’ emotions: Refik Anadol’s AI art museum launches in Los Angeles
London Museum reveals 2026 opening date for new Smithfield home
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Palazzo di Varignana launches family wellbeing and longevity retreat in Emilia Romagna
Anasa Wellness and Spa debuts at Patmos Aktis as it joins Marriott
Design-led Koru Health Club combines high-performance training with recovery
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the



















