World Architecture Festival 2025: Day One Winners Announced

The first award winners of the 2025 World Architecture Festival (WAF) have been announced, following Day One of the world’s largest international live-judged architectural event, being held at Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida. 

In total, the three-day festival will see over 460 live pitches from the 2025 finalists in front of over 160 international judges. Today has seen shortlisted projects from around the world compete for 22 award categories within Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Interiors. Award winners include WOW Architects, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Batlleiroig and Perkins&Will.

World Architecture Festival 2025: Day One Winners Announced

The first award winners of the 2025 World Architecture Festival (WAF) have been announced, following Day One of the world’s largest international live-judged architectural event, being held at Miami Beach Convention Center, Florida.

In total, the three-day festival will see over 460 live pitches from the 2025 finalists in front of over 160 international judges. Today has seen shortlisted projects from around the world compete for 22 award categories within Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Interiors. Award winners include WOW Architects, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Batlleiroig and Perkins&Will.

Category Award Winners: COMPLETED BUILDINGS 

•          Civic and Community: The Holy Redeemer Church and Community Centre of Las Chumberas by Fernando Menis in La Laguna, Spain 

African Flow by Urbanitree in Yaoundé, Cameroon was highly commended.

•          Creative Re-use: Younghusband by Woods Bagot in Melbourne, Australia 

DOM-INO HUB by atelier tho.A in Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam, and Meelpakhuis by Studio Akkerhuis in Leiden, Netherlands were highly commended. 

•          Culture: Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum by Studio Link-Arc in Foshan, China

Fenix by MAD in Rotterdam, Netherlands was highly commended.

•          House & Villa (Urban) supported by GROHE: Lantern House by Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc in Vancouver, Canada

Twin Lakes House by EKAR Architects in Bangkok, Thailand was highly commended.

•          House & Villa (Rural/Coastal) supported by GROHE: Ridge House by Superkül in Grey County, Ontario, Canada

Naxxar House by AP Valletta in Naxxar, Malta was highly commended.

•          Housing supported by GROHE: Isla Intersections Supportive Housing & Paseo by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects in Los Angeles, CA United States

Terrazas para la vida by Urbanitree in Barcelona, Spain was highly commended.

•          Office: T3 Diagonal Mar Offices in Barcelona by Batlleiroig in Barcelona, Spain

Casa BFF by OBR Open Building Research in Milan, Italy was highly commended.

•          Production, Energy and Logistics: Quinta de Adorigo Winery by Atelier Sergio Rebelo in Tabuaço, Douro Valley, Portugal

Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant by Clancy Moore Architects in Arklow, Ireland, and Orange County Sanitation District Headquarters by HDR Inc. in Fountain Valley, California were highly commended.

•          Retrofit: Sirius Redevelopment by BVN in Sydney, Australia

Transamerica Pyramid Center by Foster + Partners in San Francisco was highly commended.

•          School: FK Kindergarten and Nursery by HIBINOSEKKEI + Youji no Shiro in Nagasaki City, Japan

Cuizhu Foreign Language School by Studio Link-Arc in Shenzhen, China was highly commended. 

•          Shopping: Central Nakhon Pathom by stu/D/O Architects in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand 

Gump’s CROSS by EKAR Architects in Bangkok, Thailand was highly commended.

•          Sport: Hiwa, Recreation Centre by Warren and Mahoney + MJMA Architecture & Design in Auckland, New Zealand

Club Cash by Gómez Platero Architecture & Urbanism in Montevideo, Uruguay was highly commended.

Judges of this year’s Completed Buildings categories said: “the play and control of daylight, of sound and of the tactility of materials are all exemplary.”

Category Award Winners: FUTURE PROJECTS

•          Civic: Vancouver Aquatic Centre by MJMA Architecture & Design + Acton Ostry Architects

 in Vancouver, Canada 

•          Infrastructure: Gelephu International Airport by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group in Gelephu, Bhutan

Da Nang Waste-to-energy Plant by VO TRONG NGHIA (VTN Architects) in Da Nang, Vietnam was highly commended.

•          Leisure-Led Development: Luana Farms by Plontur Group in Calaca City, Batangas, Philippines

KIKLIO by K-Studio in Corinthian Gulf, Greece was highly commended.

•          Masterplanning: Smithfield Birmingham by Prior + Partners and Field Operations in Birmingham, United Kingdom

•          Sport: Acclimated Sports + Multipurpose Hall by Avally Design Studio in Davao City, Philippines

Arena León by HKS Architects in Leon, Mexico was highly commended.

•          Urban Design: Te Ara Tukutuku by LandLAB + SCAPE as part of Toi Waihanga design collective in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, New Zealand

Judges of this year’s Future Projects categories commented: “We were impressed by the quality of the architecture and the intergration into the landscaping, together with the projects ambition, social value and sustainability goals” and praised “design that demonstrates a respectful acknowledgement of a city’s history while embracing its contemporary design and music culture.”

Category Award Winners: INTERIORS

•          Hotels: Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree by WOW Architects | Warner Wong design in Singapore

Pulso Hotel by Studio Arthur Casas in São Paulo, Brazil was highly commended.

•          Workplace (Large): ADND SILO by ADND LLP in Mumbai, India

•          Workplace (Small): Acciona Campus by Perkins&Will in Madrid, Spain

Treyarch by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris in Los Angeles, United States was highly commended.

Judges of this year’s Interiors categories remarked: “The care and attention to detail was evident in every aspect resulting in an eloquent and purposeful workplace” and “we felt this project will stand the test of time and still be developing 25 years from now.” 

World Architecture Festival Day Two and Three 

Tomorrow will see another set of category winners announced at Miami Beach Convention Center, bringing the grand total to 43 category prizes. Category winners will then compete against each other on the final day of the festival, on November 14th, for the ultimate accolades of World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and World Interior of the Year.

All of the overall winners will be announced at a grand finale Gala Dinner, along with a host of Special Prizes, including the Sustainability Prize.