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.

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The second round of award winners of the 2024 World Architecture Festival have been announced, following Day Two of live presentations at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, in which hundreds of shortlisted projects were presented by practices from around the world. Amongst today's category award winners in the Completed Buildings section of the world's largest international live-judged architectural event are Warren and Mahoney, CONTEXTO, and fitzpatrick+partners.

Australia led the way with seven projects announced as winners and highly commended across the categories. The United Kingdom secured four wins and highly commended projects, following Australia.

The first award winners of the 2024 World Architecture Festival have been announced, following Day One of live presentations at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, in which hundreds of shortlisted projects were presented by practices from around the world. Amongst today's category award winners in the Completed Buildings section of the world's largest international live-judged architectural event are 5468796 Architecture, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and Wallflower Architecture + Design.

Inside is the sister festival of the World Architecture Festival (WAF), the world’s biggest live architectural awards programme, celebrating the very best in interior design. Both Inside and WAF finalists will present their projects to a panel of judges live at the international festival in Singapore.

The 2024 Inside Shortlist represents over 80 interior projects from across the globe, in cities including: New York City, Dubai, Beijing, Osaka, São Paolo, Phuket, Delhi, Auckland, Mexico City, Lisbon, and London. Leading design firms to feature in this year’s shortlist include Foster + Partners, Broadway Malyan, Nikken Sekkei and Office AIO. Many emerging design firms will also be on stage, live pitching against the big names.

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The 17th edition of World Architecture Festival (WAF) will take place at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from the 6-8th November 2024. In addition to the unique live-judged awards programme and crit presentations, this year’s event will include fringe events, an exhibition, and keynote talks from an international panel of speakers.

This week, the festival announced their short list of most innovative projects from around the globe, celebrating the best new completed buildings and landscapes as well as the most inspiring future architectural concepts, across 33 categories, ranging from residential, to transport, to retrofit. This year’s finalists range from major world architects including Zaha Hadid Architects, WOHA, Renzo Piano Building Workshop, MVRDV, Tadao Ando Architect & Associates, Kohn Pederson Fox, and Nikken Sekkei, with many emerging practices also on stage competing against the big names.

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Videos

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina of FAME Architecture & Design are joined by CEO & Founder of Peak Projects, Grant Bowen, to discuss how clients can have a successful project, Grant’s background; the role of an owner’s representative throughout design and construction; working with clients and different professionals; construction costs; fees; different project types; and more.

Videos

Safdie Architects has officially opened the new campus headquarters for Surbana Jurong, Singapore’s leading architecture, urban design, and infrastructure firm. The project expands Safdie Architects’ vision of 'for everyone a garden' into the workplace with a design that draws on the tranquility of the site’s previously undeveloped natural setting to foster shared moments of engagement and creativity. Achieving Green Mark (Super Low Energy) certification, the campus is the flagship development of the emerging Jurong Innovation District, envisioned as the first business park set in a tropical rainforest.

The development marks Safdie Architects' sixth project in Singapore and enhances the firm's prominent built portfolio in the city-state, which already includes Marina Bay Sands, Sky Habitat, and the Jewel at Changi Airport. On the occasion of the opening, ArchDaily spoke to Charu Kokate, Partner at Safdie Architects, who leads efforts in the Singapore region, about the firm's unique development footprint and building philosophy.

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Black Females in Architecture (BFA) is a social enterprise supporting a membership of more than 450 Black women in built environment professions worldwide. Founded by architects Neba Sere, Selasi Setufe, and Akua Danso, the group advocates for diversity, race and gender equity across all sectors of the built environment, including architecture, urbanism, landscape, engineering, design, and construction.

We are happy to premiere their short film "A Voice for the 450 Plus" to a global audience for the first time since it was shown at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale. The film is a celebration of the ongoing contributions of Black women in the built environment fields, showing the world how they contribute to shaping the future of our cities.

A correctly sized kitchen island is more than just a functional architectural element—it's a key component of kitchen design. Beyond its primary functions, a well-sized kitchen island can serve as a versatile space adaptable to various household needs by enhancing workflow efficiency, providing additional storage, fostering social interaction, and contributing to the overall space aesthetics.

Whether utilized as a breakfast bar for quick meals, a study area for children's homework, or a hub for entertaining guests, its flexibility enhances the functionality and livability of any kitchen environment. Determining the appropriate size for a kitchen island, however, demands a meticulous approach, blending spatial considerations, workflow requirements, and design sensibilities.

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In early 2018, spatial practitioner and Bartlett lecturer Neba Sere hosted a panel discussion at London's Architecture Foundation, where she was one of six young trustees. The topic: beginnings. How to go about them, move ahead, and transform them into something that lasts. Six years later, she looks back on the event as a beginning in itself: that day marked the creation of a WhatsApp group that would turn into Black Females in Architecture (BFA). BFA is now a 500-strong global membership network co-directed by Sere and fellow architects Selasi Setufe and Akua Danso.

BFA was initiated in response to the need for visibility of black women and female-identifying people with black heritage in architecture and the built environment. Last year, the group celebrated its fifth anniversary with the showing of a short film and a panel discussion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Now, after putting in the groundwork of spreading information about the lack of diversity and equality in the industry and increasing their numbers, BFA is gearing up to drive physical change.

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Videos

What about architecture in North America – its history, policies, but also building codes – makes it particularly vulnerable to the global housing crisis? And how can those inherent flaws be counteracted with purposeful residential design and a more inclusive approach to the architecture discipline?

In a presentation at World Architecture Festival 2023 under the programme theme ‘Catalyst’, Johanna Hurme and Sasa Radulovic, Co-Founders of Winnipeg-based 5468796 Architecture, showcased how these and other questions are key to their building style and also addressed in their forthcoming book platform.MIDDLE: Architecture for Housing the 99%.

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Market halls have long held a prominent position in the rich tapestry of architectural history, serving as vibrant hubs for commerce, community, and culture. Characterized by their imposing structures and bustling interiors, they have played an integral role in shaping urban landscapes and facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas throughout the centuries.

From ancient agoras and bazaars to the grand marketplaces of the Renaissance and the modern-day food halls that have undergone a renaissance of their own, market halls stand as a testament to the enduring synergy between architecture, economic activity, and the social fabric of society. These four newly completed projects from around the globe are proof that the highly specialized structures have lost none of their appeal– and exemplify how they can revitalize communities by bridging commercial and cultural functions as well as the past, present, and future.

After being awarded the prestigious Silver Lion for his contribution to this year's Venice Architecture Biennale, Brooklyn-based artist Olalekan Jeyifous shows no signs of slowing down. Currently in the midst of preparing his entry to the next Sharjah Architecture Triennial, he also recently celebrated the opening of Climate Futurism, a group exhibition that highlights the power and efficacy of artists’ methods and processes to imagine a more equitable future – and is working on a public monument to former United States Representative Shirley Chisholm as part of New York City's She Built NYC initiative, among other projects.

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