From July 12 to 14, 2021, during a free virtual event, the twelve winners of the WAFX Awards 2021, the prices of World Architecture Festival (WAF) reserved for architectures of the future, will be able to present their projects and receive questions from certain selected guests.
The winners are architectures that have not been realized, from the four corners of the globe, which face contemporary global challenges: from the fight against pandemics to the climate emergency, from food supply to issues of social equity. , diversity and cultural identity, etc. Among the twelve finalists, a big winner will be chosen and will be announced and rewarded on the occasion of the World Architecture Festival 2021, which will return as a physical event of the December 1 to 3, 2021 and which will take place for the first time in Lisbon, in Portugal.
Paul Finch, director of the World Architecture Festival, underlined that the winners of the WAFX Awards 2021 are proof that design and architecture are essential tools to meet the challenges and opportunities that the contemporary world holds, by presenting innovative ideas and approaches. The difficult times that we have experienced and that we are currently experiencing, following the Covid 19 pandemic, are also reflected in this important pool of projects. Among the laureates are, in fact, the project developed by the School of Architecture & Design de la China University of Mining and Technology intitulé : « The Deformable Modularized COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention Hospital, Shanghai », A modular hospital to be installed in a short time to meet the demand for new beds and treatment centers in the event of a pandemic. A system which, due to its modularity, can easily be expanded and presented with different combinations and dimensions; at the same time, once the emergency is over, the system can easily be disassembled, transported, preserved, rebuilt and adapted for new uses.
Going through the list of the twelve laureates, one can see that a stronger connection with nature and respect for biodiversity are essential characteristics in projects such as the residential tower with Museum of Architecture, designed by Sou Fujimoto Architects and inspired by traditional Bahay Kubo cabins in Laguna, Philippines. Or again, in the project ” Taikang Community Gui Garden ” from Sunlay who, in the Chinese region of Guangxi, reinterprets the landscape of picturesque local villages to create a center for a community of seniors with independent residences, medical assistance, an activity center and support.
Solutions to reduce pollution in urban centers and, therefore, great attention to the factors that cause climate change: these are the main themes of projects such as « Paradise, London » from Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, which will transform a disused area in south London into zero emissions offices using all-laminated timber facilities, or ” Toyota Woven City », The large smart city prototype developed by BIG and Toyota at the foot of Mount Fuji in Japan.
(Agnese Bifulco)
List of Winners – WAFX 2021
01 Ageing winner: ‘Taikang Community Gui Garden’ by Sunlay
02 Climate, Energy & Carbon winner: ‘Paradise, London’ by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios
03 Construction Technology winner: ‘Museum for Architecture + Residences’ by Sou Fujimoto Architects
04 Cultural Identity winner: ‘Zayed National Museum, Abu Dhabi’ by Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi
05 Digital Technology winner: ‘Shenzhen Qianhai Telecommunication Centre’ by Schneider+Schumacher International GmbH
06 Ethics & Values winner: ‘#WeThePlanet Campus’ by 3deluxe
07 Food winner: ‘Cagbalete Sand Clusters’ by Carlo Calma Consultancy Inc.
08 Health winner: ‘The Deformable Modularized COVID-19 Epidemic Prevention Hospital, Shanghai’ by School of Architecture & Design, China University of Mining and Technology
09 Re-use winner: ‘Silo City’ by STUDIO V Architecture
10 Smart Cities winner: ‘Toyota Woven City’ by B.I.G. Architecture D.P.C.
11 Social Equity winner: ‘A Resilient Duplex for Fort Severn First Nation’ by Two Row Architect and KPMB Architects
12 Water winner: ‘Horizon Manila’ by William Ti, Jr.
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