The World Architecture Festival (WAF) is one of the biggest events of the year in our industry. The awards celebrate iconic projects from around the globe, showcasing the array of talent in the field. As a top architect London clients always enjoy working with, we want to take a look at what is in store for the WAF this year.

The theme
Every year the WAF has a different theme. The one for 2021 is Resetting the City. It looks at projects that help to improve urban areas as well as health. Special focus is on greening and helping to make these sites better for the environment.

An increase in submissions

This year has seen more submissions than ever before. In total there were 732 entries across the 20 different categories. This is 44% more than in 2019. The projects are from 55 different countries, including Australia, China, Mexico, the US, and the UK.

A total of 200 projects have been chose to make it on to the shortlist. They will now go forward to compete for the awards. Each will have the chance to showcase their project to international juries in December at the awards event in Lisbon. Category winners will then go on to contest for the World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Interior of the Year, and Future Project of the Year titles.

Selected projects

There are some really interesting projects on the shortlist in each of the categories. We will look at a small selection of them below.

Musée Atelier – Le Brassus, Switzerland – Culture category

The spiral pavilion is a wonderful celebration of the watch makers Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet. The museum displays over 300 timepieces. It is the building itself though that it truly astonishing. It sits above a valley and has stunning curving glass walls and a green roof of local grass.

Amani Building – Puebla, Mexico – Housing category

This incredible block of 226 apartments has a wonderful design. However, what stands out is the effort to be green. The materials are largely natural and local. There is a focus on natural lighting and ventilation. Plus, there are 4,000 square metres of green areas and 2,300 square metres of open space.

CopenHill – Copenhagen, Denmark – Production, Energy & Recycling category

If there was ever a project that could satisfy the greening theme it is this one. This is actually a power station for turning waste into energy. However, you wouldn’t necessarily notice that right away because it has an artificial green ski slope. That kind of grabs your attention.

Talk to an architect in London

Coffey Architects is a great team to work with. We have experts who understand how to make projects a huge success, whether it is homes, commercial buildings, or public spaces. Clients can trust us to help them with everything.

So, if you have a proposal in mind, work and want a reliable architect, London has few who can offer as much as us. Get in touch today to tell us more about your plans, goals, and ideas.