Over thirty exemplary future projects that address major architectural issues facing society and the planet have been announced as winners of this year’s World Architecture Festival WAFX Awards. The WAFX Prize awards projects that best use design and architecture to tackle major world issues across eleven key categories, including health, climate change, technology, ethics, and values. 

View the full list of the WAFX Award winners here, and download press images here. This year’s category winners for Ethics and Values include a project that explores rebuilding Gaza’s landscapes and restoring the agricultural and cultural heritage of the land. It also includes the designs for a public park for a city in Iran, which imagines a future with no restriction on civil freedoms, providing hybrid public spaces for men and women. Winners of the Power and Justice category include a project in Istanbul designed around the Alevism community's need for a legitimate space in the city, designed around the ritual of gathering and assembling. The Carbon and Climate category winners include the transformation of a disused gas tower in Münster into a sustainable residential tower. 

The WAFX Award winners are selected from the finalists of the Future Projects categories in the WAF Awards Programme, for their ambition and scope in response to today’s pressing global issues. The WAFX 2024 Winner Announcement comes ahead of the live WAF event, which takes place this year in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands from 6-8 November, and follows the WAF Shortlist announcement earlier this month (8 July), which celebrated the best new global completed buildings, landscapes and future architecture concepts. 

Paul Finch, Director of the World Architecture Festival, comments: This year’s winners show how major challenges affecting people and environments generate responses that address functional and social problems while lifting the spirits of those who will benefit from creative architecture and design. We look forward to seeing these ideas presented at our Festival in Singapore this November”. 

Ageing and Health - The 12th Mine Hospital Renewal Design by Yijian Architects Photo credit: Yijian Architects

Ageing and Health - Shenzhen Rehabilitation Center by Stefano Boeri Architetti China Photo credit: Stefano Boeri Architetti

Ageing and Health - The New Hospital of Cremona by Mario Cucinella Architects Photo credit: MCA

Building Technology - Shoupe? mixed-use project by KanLan Studio Photo credit: KanLan Studio

Building Technology - University of Tasmania Forestry Building by Woods Bagot Photo credit: Woods Bagot

View the full shortlist, including the WAF Future Project shortlisted projects. 

The WAFX 2024 Category Prize Winners are: 

Ageing and Health 

• • The 12th Mine Hospital Renewal Design by Yijian Architects, in Henan Province, China 
• Shenzhen Rehabilitation Center by Stefano Boeri Architetti China, in Shenzhen, China 
• The New Hospital of Cremona by Mario Cucinella Architects, in Cremona, Italy 

Building Technology 

• Shoupé mixed-use project by KanLan Studio in Babolsar, Iran 
• University of Tasmania Forestry Building by Woods Bagot, in Tasmania, Australia 
• Community for Refugee by UArchitects / Misak Terzibasiyan, in Ter Apel, Netherlands 

Carbon and Climate 

• • Penn's Landing Pavilion by KieranTimberlake, in Philadelphia, United States 
• The Waste-Wise House by Bacungan Architects, in North Caloocan, Philippines 
• Gasometer by Mei architects and planners + Peter Bastian Architekten, in Münster, Germany 
• Balai Ani: House of Harvest by Pluszerotwo Architectural Design Studio, in Rizal, Philippines 

Cultural Identity 

• • ENKANASA by Tétris Design & Build, in Loita Hills, Kenya 
• Auckland Stadium at Quay Park by HKS, in Auckland, New Zealand 
• Wuhan Opera Art Center by PES-Architects Ltd. + The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD), in Wuhan, China 
• University Technology of Sydney - National First Nations College by Warren and Mahoney in association with Greenaway Architects, OCULUS, and Finding Infinity, in Sydney, Australia 

Digital Worlds 

• AI Sampling Singapore by Artificial-Architecture, Singapore University of Technology and Design, in Singapore • The Portal by Form4 Architecture, in Nevada, United States 

Ethics and Values 

• The Surabaya Urban Transformation project by Broadway Malyan in Surabaya, Indonesia 
• RESILIENT GAZA: A Landscape of Resistance by Design and More International, in Gaza, Palestine 
• CABN Vision Plan by B+H, in Augusta Township, Canada 
• Shahinshahr Women's Park by ARSH-4D STUDIO, in Shahinshahr, Iran 

Food 

• Parasol Agriculture Center by Fractalviews, in Los Angeles, United States 
• AGRITECTURE - future experimental homes/ workspace- multi-functional - Greenhouse Living (Architecture + Agriculture) by tHE gRID Architects in Ahmedabad / varied climates and varied economic contexts, India 

Power and Justice 

• Küçükçekmece Djemevi by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture, in Istanbul, Turkey 
• Peace Building, Maguindanao Del Norte Provincial Capitol by Swito Designs, in Davao City, Philippines 

Re-Use 

• RAMSBURG by Dome+Partners, Noname Studio, Skab, MetaArchitektur GmbH, in Magdeburg, Germany 
• 40 Holborn Viaduct by Eric Parry Architects, in London, United Kingdom 
• Institut Thoracique de Montréal - Breathing life into an abandoned urban hospital by NEUF architect(e)s in Montreal, Canada 
• 76 Southbank by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, in London, United Kingdom 

Smart Cities 

• Lingang Open Zone Station TOD project by Benoy, in Shanghai, China 
• Centipedes by EAA-Emre Arolat Architecture, in Istanbul, Turkey 
• Future Vision for London Waterloo Station and South Bank – Waterloo Station Masterplan by Grimshaw, in London, United Kingdom 
• Knowledge Economic City by DLR Group, in Madina, Saudi Arabia 

Water 

• The Greenline Project Master Plan by ASPECT Studios, TCL, City of Melbourne, in Melbourne, Australia 

WAF represents the world’s biggest live-judged architectural awards program, where all finalists present their projects to a panel of judges at the international festival. Each of the 33 WAFX winning projects will present on the Festival Hall Stage at WAF, and the overall WAFX winner will be announced live during the festival, alongside other accolades, including World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year and Interior of the Year. 

WAF returns to Singapore this year for its 17th edition. This follows previous editions of the festival in Lisbon, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Berlin. In addition to the unique live-judged awards programme and crit presentations, this year’s event will include a live events programme keynote talks and insightful seminars from an international panel of speakers around the theme of ‘Tomorrow’.