A restored Royal Opera House by Stanton Williams in the heart of Covent Garden, new student accommodation using modern methods of construction by Wilkinson Eyre and a whiskey distillery submerged into the landscape of the 18th century Easter Elchies manor estate in Speyside Scotland designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, are among the projects from the UK shortlisted in the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards 2019 – the world’s largest live-judged awards programme.
Architects and designers from the UK will join the world’s architectural elite later this year as practices across the globe prepare to attend World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2019. WAF will reconvene for its twelfth edition (and its second year) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 4-6 December.
Royal Opera House ‘Open up’ by Stanton Williams © Hufton+Crow
Leading global architectural thinkers and industry personalities such as Elizabeth Diller, Founder and Partner at Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Ben Van Berkel, Founder and Principal Architect of UNStudio, and Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas of Studio Fuksas will speak at WAF in Amsterdam over three days of conference programmes, awards, exhibitions and fringe events.
A total of sixty-one shortlisted projects are by practices based in the UK with the country ranking third for the number of submitted entries and second for number of shortlisted projects. The UK also dominated the ‘Completed Building: New and Old’ category with works such as the Alexandra Palace East Wing Regeneration Project by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, and the restoration of Grade II listed Centre Point Tower by Conran and Partners shortlisted.
S5, Kings Cross by Alison Brooks Architects © Alison Brooks Architects
The 2019 awards programme received more than 1,000 entries for the second year in a row, resulting in a total of 534 shortlisted projects from across 70 countries, all of which will be presented live at WAF.
Paul Finch, Programme Director of World Architecture Festival, commented: ‘We are hugely encouraged by the level of support, and the number of award entries, from the UK this year. We look forward to seeing the shortlisted entrants, plus speakers and judges, from the UK. Once again, WAF and INSIDE will be truly global in character, and will reflect what architects and designers across the globe are doing right now.’
All images of shortlisted projects in the UK can be downloaded here: http://bit.ly/WAFUKShortlist
All types and sizes of architectural projects are represented on the 2019 shortlist for WAF, ranging from private residential, to education, infrastructure, healthcare, hospitality, cultural/civic, interior and landscape projects. Major world architecture practices shortlisted include Zaha Hadid Architects, Foster + Partners, BIG, Wilkinson Eyre, Grimshaw, Woods Bagot, Heatherwick Studio and Studio Gang. Many smaller practices will also take part and pitch against the big names.
Centre Point Tower by Conran and Partners © Luke Hayes
The architects and designers behind each shortlisted project will compete for category prizes at WAF from 4-6 December where they will present live to international juries in front of festival delegates. Category winners will then compete against each other on the final day of the festival for the ultimate accolades of ‘World Building of the Year’, ‘Future Project of the Year’, ‘Interior of the Year’ and ‘Landscape of the Year’.
The 2019 completed buildings Super Jury which will decide the World Building of the Year, will be chaired by Murat Tabanlıoğlu; panellists include Aaron Betsky, Ben van Berkel, Anuradha Mathur and Maria Warner Wong.
One of the international entries: Opus by Zaha Hadid Architects © Laurian Ghinitoiu
WAF and its co-located event, INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, will welcome more than 2,000 of the world’s leading architects and designers to Amsterdam for three days of conference programmes, awards, exhibitions and fringe events from 4-6 December.
The full shortlist for this year’s awards can be viewed here
For more details on the WAF Awards and the festival please visit: www.worldarchitecturefestival.com@worldarchfest #WAF19
