The Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio has been declared the World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2024. fjcstudio previously won Building of the Year in 2013, making it the first practice in WAF's history to win the award twice.
The ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, World Interior of the Year, Future Project of the Year and Landscape of the Year were announced today as hundreds of delegates from across the world convened at a final Gala Dinner at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The announcement follows the final day of WAF, in which prize winners across all 42 categories have been competing for the winning titles.
Keep reading for a full list of today's main prize recipients and look out for ArchDaily's interviews with the winners to be published soon.
World Building of the Year supported by GROHE: Darlington Public School in Australia by fjcstudio
The community school is located on the fringe of the city of Sydney, and has a strong connection to Aboriginal people embodied in its redesign. The transformed school now seamlessly connects to its surroundings, offering glimpses of the inner courtyard from the main entrance, promoting a sense of privacy and community for the children, as well as providing facilities that are publicly accessible including the community hall, covered outdoor learning area and library.
Alessandro Rossi, Associate at fjcstudio commented: "It's very humbling given the modest scale of the building – it's a little school project, so to have won against all the other big projects at WAF is a testament to the client and the community engagement that helped drive the design process. The real winners are the children who will spend time in the building – a place of enrichment for many years to come."
On behalf of the jury Paul Finch, Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival commented on: "the very high quality of several of this year's finalists, not least the National Star Observatory in Cyprus, but the jury's unanimous decision was reached relatively easily. The architect of the winning project explored and extended the formal programme of the client, to include the views and experience of the local community and a variety of users. This generated a reading of the history of place, culture and time.
"The result of the project is poetic, a building in which topography and landscape, inside and outside, form and materials, flow seamlessly in an unexpectedly delightful way. It is also an inspirational proposition about the acknowledgement and reconciliation of historic difference – a pointer to brighter, better futures for all."
The Super Jury for World Building of the Year chaired by Sonali Rastogi, comprised Emre Arolat, Mario Cucinella and Ian Ritchie.
World Interior of the Year: Pang Mei Noodle Bar LFS in China by Office AIO
Office AIO's design for Pang Mei Noodle Bar in Beijing, China, showcases a playful design, enhancing interaction within the restoration and streetscape connection. The client set out to experiment with a hybrid operation, varying service models and menus at different hours. As a result, Office AIO devised a system of spatial programming that changes throughout the day to facilitate different operational needs while engaging and activating its surroundings.
Future Project of the Year: Küçükçekmece Djemevi in Turkey by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture
The civic building addresses the marginalisation of the Alevi community, offering a space that reflects cultural identity and celebrates the community coming together. The building is organised as a series of interconnected fragmented structures, and combines traditional value with contemporary needs for the community, providing spaces to congregate including a dining hall and worship areas.
Landscape of the Year: Regeneration of Vitality – Shenzhen Guanlan Riverside Plaza in China by LAY-OUT Planning Consultants Co., Ltd
The renovation of Shenzhen Guanlan Riverside Plaza has been designed to meet the diverse needs of the city and its citizens today, responding to a rapid urbanisation lacking character in its spaces and consideration for people. Based on the concept of a 'park-like plaza', the design has reshaped an open space through diverse activities, tree-lined walkways and cultural heritage, rejuvenating the vitality of the plaza.
WAFX: Knowledge Economic City in Saudi Arabia by DLR Group
WAFX recognizes projects that best use design and architecture to tackle major world issues, including health, climate change, technology, ethics and values.
The overall winner of WAFX was Knowledge Economic City, a new city design in in Saudi Arabia by DLR Group. The architects critically considered the challenges of design implementation in the region, and shaped the design on three tenets to address this shortcoming: innovation, implementation, humanisation. The new development encompasses a diverse offering spanning across hospitality, residential, commercial, leisure, and healthcare whilst also catering to educational and knowledge-based sectors.
For its 18th edition, the World Architecture Festival 2025 will be in Miami for the first time, taking place on 12 – 14th November.
