WAF 2025 Announces First Round of Winners

The World Architecture Festival 2025 opened its first day at the Miami Beach Convention Center with a global showcase of design thinking and architectural excellence. As the world’s largest live-judged awards program, the festival features more than 460 live pitches assessed by over 160 international judges. Day One revealed the first round of winners across Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Interiors.

Completed Buildings: Global Approaches to Context and Materiality

The Completed Buildings winners illustrate how contemporary design refines relationships between context and craftsmanship. Category recognitions span civic centers, adaptive reuse, residential works, and infrastructure. Jury comments emphasized the sensitive use of daylight and material tactility, elements that strengthen cultural and experiential qualities.

Awarded projects include Fernando Menis’ civic complex in Spain, Woods Bagot’s transformation of Younghusband in Australia, and Studio Link-Arc’s museum in China. Highly commended works from Vietnam, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Cameroon further mark the category’s global range.

Future Projects: Ambition, Social Value, and Landscape Integration

Future Projects showcase forward-looking architecture shaped by urban resilience and sustainable development. Judges highlighted the importance of landscape integration, **social value**, and culturally grounded narratives. Proposals that reinterpret heritage while defining new identities stood out strongly.

Notable winners include BIG’s Gelephu International Airport in Bhutan and MJMA’s Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Highly commended entries from VO TRONG NGHIA Architects and K-Studio reinforce the thematic diversity across sport, masterplanning, and civic infrastructure.

Interiors: Detail, Material Sensitivity, and Enduring Value

Interior design winners demonstrated elevated control over material detail and spatial clarity. Judges noted that selected works are poised to remain relevant for decades, balancing operational practicality with atmospheric and emotional depth.

WOW Architects’ Mandai Rainforest Resort in Singapore and Perkins&Will’s Acciona Campus in Spain exemplify this longevity. Additional commendations from Brazil and the United States reflect a broad commitment to adaptive and human-centered interiors.

Looking Ahead: Day Two, Day Three, and Festival Highlights

The festival continues with further announcements across categories, completing a total of 43 awards. These winners will later compete for top honors: World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and World Interior of the Year. The final Gala Dinner will also honor special distinctions, including the Sustainability Prize.