Winners announced: Discover the victors on day two of the World Architecture Festival
The next batch of category winners have been announced on the second day (November 16) of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards in Berlin, with hotel and leisure, bar and restaurant and future cultural buildings all recognised.
Vietnamese practice Cong Sinh Architects won the Hotel & Leisure category for Vegetable Trellis in Ho Chi Minh City, a mixed-use space bringing a cafe, restaurant, hotel, park and public educational space to a building next to an auto service station.
Meals are served using the vegetables that are planted around the project. Visitors have the chance to plant on site and are encouraged to do so at home in a bid to promote practical solutions to food security issues in Vietnam.
In a statement, the jury said: “The project is recognised for its strong potential for social impact. The design approach was modest, yet thoroughly adaptable and sensitive, and could be transformed in a variety of contexts. [It proves that] green cities can be edible.”
In the Culture – Future Project category, Swedish studio Sweco Architects were awarded for Kulturkrogen – A Basket Full of Culture: a planned cafe, theatre and greenhouse hybrid in Gothenburg.
The jury said: “This optimistic projects celebrates cultural diversity and social interaction. It responds sensitively to both the community and the site through the provision of an informal and accessible community space.”
Two other projects were highly commended: Zeitz MOCAA by Heatherwick Studio and Lambeth Palace Library by Wright & Wright Architects.
The INSIDE World of Interior Awards also took place today, with a trio of leisure projects celebrated.
In the Civic, Culture and Transport category, Perkins + Will were awarded for their interior design of the Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth, UK. The jury praised the “vital statement” of the design, which “supports and strengthens” the exhibited 16th century Tudor navy warship Mary Rose.
In the Hotel category, Thai practice Hypothesis were recognised for their IR-ON Hotel in a former steel factory in Bangkok, which was praised for being “expressive of its cultural context, inventive in its reuse of materials and open to its community” despite a very low budget.
Chinese studio Office AIO triumphed in the Bars & Restaurants category for their 34sq m (365sq ft) Big Small Coffee + Guest Room in Beijing.
The jury said: “In this extremely small project, the designers have been able to create a very poetic sense of space. They showed a clear and sensible treatment of location, materials and smart architectural details creating a unique space for everyone.”
The winners of each of WAF's 35 competition categories and INSIDE's nine categories have now been decided. The triumphant practices will pitch their projects again on 17 November to a super jury, with the overall winners for World Building of the Year and World Interior of the Year revealed tomorrow evening.
World Architecture Festival design architecture interiorsLeisure buildings celebrated on opening day of World Architecture Festival
Rafael Viñoly, Pierre de Meuron and Alison Brooks will deliver World Architecture Festival seminars
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
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
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
BodyHoliday plans 10-15 locations in the next 15 years
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres
