WAF 2021 announces first winners of completed and future buildings
The World Architecture Festival has announced the first phase of its 2021 category winners, following weeks of intense judging in which hundreds of architectural practices from around the world presented their shortlisted projects.
The first set of category winners features global architecture practices including: B.I.G, Stiff + Trevillion, BVN, Zaha Hadid Architects and many more.
Completed Buildings
The ‘Health – Completed Buildings’ category was won by Link Arkitektur and 3XN with Nickl & Partner and Kristine Jensens Tegnestue for the North Wing of the Rigshospitalet in Denmark. Judges commented that the project ‘carefully considered the daily working situations of staff throughout the hospital environment’ and felt that ‘this building changes perceptions of how hospitals can be experienced by patients and visitors – how the city of Copenhagen will use it – with clear wayfinding and a heightened connection to the outside world and natural light which exemplifies excellence in health care’.
The winner of the ‘Higher Education and Research – Completed Buildings’ award was RTA + Irving Smith for Scion Innovation Hub in New Zealand, a Crown Research Institute that specialises in technology development for the forestry industry. Judges celebrated the project for key factors including ‘simplicity in design’, ‘use of minimum materials’ and the ‘ability to be disassembled and re-assembled’.
The winners of the ‘Mixed-Use – Completed Buildings’ category was The Post Building in London by UK-based practice, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris. Judges praised the ‘bold reuse of a city-centre industrial structure, that integrates social housing for key workers’ families with distinctive new workspaces and hill of rooftop gardens.’