The 2014 World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced its second group of architecture award winners, which included two more awards for Vo Trong Nghia Architects and a Culture award for BIG’s Danish Maritime Museum.
The festival will culminate on Friday with the World Building of the Year and Future Project of the Year awards, which will be selected by the festival’s ‘super-jury’: Richard Rogers, Rocco Yim, Julie Eizenberg, Enric Ruiz Geli and Peter Rich.
The winners of day 1 and 2 were selected from a shortlist that included practices from over 50 countries. Among the judges was ArchDaily’s very own David Basulto.
This year’s festival is taking place from October 1-3, featuring three days of talks, key-note speakers- including Rocco Yim and Richard Rogers - and networking opportunities. With “Architects and the City” as the overarching theme for this year’s main conference sessions, the festival will focus on the contributions architects can make to cities and how they affect – and are affected by – politics, infrastructure, planning communities and technology.
Click here to view the full shortlist and here for day 1 winners. And read on after the break for the full list of WAF day 2 category winners.
COMPLETED BUILDINGS
New and Old: Rethinking the Split House / Neri&Hu Design and Research Office (Shanghai, China)
Neri&Hu was commissioned to reconstruct a dilapidated lane house left with almost nothing except its glorious shell in the historic and artistic Tianzifang area in Shanghai. The mission was to transform it into three separate apartment units. Neri&Hu’s strategy was to rethink the typology of the lane house--keeping the split level formation, a typical trait to lane houses in this city, and add spatial interest through new insertions and skylights to accentuate the architectural integrity of such a typology, contemporizing it for today’s lifestyle.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of 12 entries. The jury commended the project, saying “This project is a timely critique of the loss of culturally significant urban fabric. It demonstrates the power of architecture to address a broader agenda beyond commodity, firmness and delight.”
Civic & Community: The Chapel / A21 studio (Hochiminh, Vietnam)
The Chapel is a community space in a new urban ward on the outskirt of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As a result of estate crisis, the surrounding area is lacking communal centers; therefore, the Chapel is designed to be the place for people to participate in activities such as conferences, weddings and exhibitions. The Chapel takes advantage of materials from the owner’s previous projects such as steel frames and metal sheets.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of five entries. The jury commended the project, saying “It is a successful project which could create an urban community center having a close relationship with nature.”
Culture: Danish Maritime Museum / BIG (Denmark)
The new Danish Maritime Museum is a subterranean museum built around a dry dock adjacent to Kronborg Castle of Hamlet fame.Completed in October 2013, the newly-opened museum has proven itself with an understanding of the unique historic and spatial context it is in as it seeks to reflect Denmark's historical and contemporary role as one of the world's leading maritime nations.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of 11 entries. The jury commended the project, saying “We found this project very specific and sophisticated while being provocative. It is a very powerful answer to the challenge presented to architects when given an ancient piece that can preserve the soul of a place, in how it uses the dry dock not only as an envelope but as one of the main figures of the overall design.”
Hotel and Leisure: Son La Restaurant / Vo Trong Nghia (Son La, Vietnam)
Located in Northern Vietnam, the Son La province is an ethnic cultural area blessed with an abundant stretch of nature reserve including untouched forests and beautiful mountain landscapes. As there was formerly no development or accommodation in the province for tourists to recognize the city as a destination, Son La Restaurant, which has a capacity of 750 guests, has broken ground as the first facility hotel complex located near the city centre to bring accessibility and connectivity to the beauty of the province.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of 11 entries. The jury commended the project, saying, “The architects behind Son La Restaurant have displayed a considerable sensitivity and ability in managing to feature traditional Vietnamese architecture against a contemporary backdrop. The design draws from the context of the open tropical environment and chooses the local materiality of bamboo and stone as the main structure making it a sustainable statement. The spatial experience and the structure are well-integrated.”
Villa: Dune House / Fearon Hay Architects Ltd. (Omaha Bay, Auckland, New Zealand)
Located on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, the architecture was made to be as responsive as possible to the area’s lifestyle. The house is nestled into the dunes - the lower level is almost completely hidden by its sunken integration into the landscape.The interiors are a response to the ever-changing natural coastline encompassing a refined material palette offering a sense of comfort, calm and quiet by day and by night.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of four entries. The jury commended the project, saying, “The project turns its back on the normal approach of a villa, combining a challenging plot with a very smart response – using the opacity of the skin to act as a veil that creates a sense of mystery for the villa as well as to protect the villa interior from the harsh costal winds.”
Production, Energy & Recycling: Lune de Sang Sheds / CHROFI (Byron Hinterland, Australia)
The Lune de Sang Sheds is a unique inter-generational venture that will see a significant former dairying property in northern New South Wales transformed into a sustainably harvested forest. The vision is exceptional in that rather than planting a fast growing crop, various hardwoods of the region have been chosen to establish a rainforest landscape that will take generations to mature. The hardwoods will be tended to maturity and then selectively harvested, the long lifespan of the trees meaning a wait of between 50 and 300 years before the various species fully mature.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of eight entries.The jury commended the project, expressing appreciation for the elegance and poetry present in the craft that managed to transform simple sheds into extraordinary architecture that form a sensitive engagement with the landscape. Its multi-generational design horizon distilled into timeless forms and durable materials is also what made it outstanding.
Transport: Scale Lane Bridge / McDowell+Benedetti (Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom)
Located in Kingston-upon-Hull, the bridge connects the city centre and Old Town conservation area to the under-developed landscape of the east bank and provides a new route connecting existing cultural attractions. In keeping with the city centre’s master plan, the bridge acts as a catalyst to unlock the potential of the east bank and promote wider regeneration in the areas beyond, and to increase use of the river frontage. The black steel bridge over the muddy tidal river portrays a distinctive tough charactercarrying Hull’s industrial and maritime heritage, serving as an iconic landmark for Hull.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of five entries. The jury commended the project for its creation of a delightful public space on a rotating bridge, connecting two sides of an industrial river, while taking on a bold dramatic form that complements the industrial character of the neighbourhood.
Health: Chris O’Brien Lifehouse / HDR Rice Daubney (Sydney, Australia)
The Lifehouse represents the realisation of the late Professor Chris O Brien’s vision for the creation of an integrated cancer facility on the Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital campus. The facility aims to redefine the cancer patient experience and become a centre of excellence. This vision is about many things – a genuine patient focused facility, broad based holistic treatment in a world-class clinical environment with integrated research programmes.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of four entries. The jury commended the project, saying “this building redefines cancer treatment by focusing on the patient experience. It combines architecture and art with medical science, logistics, technical equipment and complex building technology focused on patient care.”
Sport: Singapore Sports Hub / Singapore Sports Hub Design Team (Singapore)
The Singapore Sports Hub is a key project in the government’s urban development plan, forming a central part of the 2020 vision for a sustainable, healthy and expanding population. The design of the precinct capitalises on the strategic site location next to the city centre to create a well-connected, accessible and inclusive destination. With easy access to the Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) network, adjacent expressways the requirements for major events have been well integrated, whilst links to the extensive local pedestrian network and the island-wide park connector system will provide a seamless connection for the everyday access of the surrounding residential communities.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of six entries.The jury commended the project, saying “Designed with a nation’s health, sustainability, and legacy in mind Singapore Sports Hub represents innovative engineering on all levels and shows a new approach to an integrated sports, leisure and entertainment district. The project exemplifies the successful fusion of architecture and engineering.”
FUTURE PROJECTS
Residential: The Village / Sanjay Puri (Alibaug, Mumbai, India)
The Village is an organic design solution that has emerged from its context and creates homes that become a part of the site. Depending upon the contours of the land, the built spaces step along them diagonally creating open terrace gardens outside each room which are sheltered by pergolas in response to the arid hot climate of the site's location (average temperature of 30 to 35°C) throughout the year.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of 16 entries. This is the 7th year the World Architecture Festival awards have been presented, and by the end of the festival 33 WAF awards will have been announced across the three main sections of Completed Buildings, Landscape and Future Projects.
Competition Entries: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria / 5468796 Architecture + number TEN architectural group (Victoria, Canada)
The design team was shortlisted for a competition to envision the future renovation and expansion of the gallery. The competition brief asked that the proposal bring a “downtown” presence to the museum’s suburban location and more vibrancy on the street, all without overwhelming the site or removing the existing trees.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of 13 entries.The jury commended the project, saying “The winning project is creative, new respects the old and the use of the material references the existing garden but not literally or metaphorically.”
Future Education: FPT Technology Building / Vo Trong Nghia (Hanoi, Vietnam)
The winning project is part of a larger master plan to convert the campus of Vietnam’s FPT University into one that is in keeping with the latest practices in sustainability design. It is hoped that the technology university, situated in Hanoi where there are frequent energy shortages, will provide education for the next generation of engineers and technicians who will in turn play an important role in developing Vietnam’s sustainable future.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of seven entries. The jury commended the project, saying that its innovative design stood out both for its bold vision to transform the future of its environment and its passive functionality that caters to a present need to reduce the building’s energy dependence.
Future Experimental: Skyfarm / Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Arup Associates (Milan, Italy)
In conjunction with the Expo Milan 2015 - Feeding the Plant, Energy for Life, Skyfarm is a concept design proposal for a vertical farm; facilitating the growth of crops in a multi-storey structure within high density areas.
The farm's structure is built following the tensegrity principle, using bamboo elements to define the spacial system and deliniate its circular shape, while also allowing for maximum geometric flexibility. The open structure guarantees direct light at any level for the natural growth of crops.
The building was selected by a jury of some of the world's most dynamic architects and designers. It overcame competition from a shortlist of four entries. The jury commended the project, saying “Skyfarm represents a thorough, believable and beautiful project.”
