Annual contest for world's best building launches today - World Architecture Festival 2009 focuses on architecture in the new world economy

This year the World Architecture Festival Awards feature new categories including future projects, structural design, interiors and fit out, so there's more opportunities to enter.

The Festival theme will be based around the new world economy looking at how architects can produce more value for less cost.

The website is open for entries starting today - www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Annual contest for world’s best building launches today

- World Architecture Festival 2009 focuses on architecture in the new world economy -

The world’s biggest architectural summit, the World Architecture Festival, will take place in Barcelona for the second year running, with new opportunities for the industry to showcase its work as part of the word’s biggest architectural Awards programme.

Programme Director Paul Finch confirmed that following its successful inaugural year, World Architecture Festival (WAF) will again take place in Barcelona at the Centre Convencions International Barcelona (CCIB) from 4th to 6th November 2009.
The Festival’s thematic exhibition, ‘Less Does More’ will examine the challenges facing architects in the new world economy. The exhibition will focus on how creative design, imagination and innovative thinking can reduce the amount of time, energy, material and finance needed to create buildings and cities – producing more value for less cost.

Last year the Festival attracted nearly 2,000 delegates from around the globe and more than 500 architects, planners, designers and policymakers have already registered their interest in WAF 2009. There are already 25 confirmed media partners for the event.

Finch also announced that this year’s Awards will feature three new sections providing more opportunities to win recognition. As well as completed buildings (15 categories) there will be Awards for Interiors and Fit-out (8 categories), Structural Design (9 categories) and Future Projects (8 categories), with 42 Awards to win in total.

The WAF Awards celebrate the work, concerns and aspirations of the international architectural community. Unlike other schemes, the WAF Awards involve shortlisted architects presenting their schemes live to delegates as well as international judging panels as they compete for the ultimate accolade of World Building of the Year 2009 and other awards.

Architects Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara, Directors of Grafton Architects, whose practice won the WAF World Building of the Year Award 2008 for the faculty building at Luigi Bocconi University , Milan said: “WAF provides an opportunity to exchange ideas on a global scale witnessing the challenges and demands on architecture throughout the world. This unique forum will offer optimism in the current challenging climate, ensuring architects are made aware of and can enjoy, as well as be inspired by innovative serious work of all scales, in a variety of regions and countries of diverse cultural physical and economic environments.”

A jury of distinguished architects and renowned industry figures from around the world will judge the competition’s 45 Awards. The 15 category winners in the Building of the Year Award will be pitted against each other as a star studded ‘super-jury’, one of the highlights of 2008, will again make the final decision on the World Building of the Year Award on 6th November 2009 in Barcelona at the end of the three day event. Confirmed jurors this year will include Rafael Vinoly, Sir Peter Cook, Kengo Kuma and Will Alsop, plus architectural media editors from around the world.

Every design entered for the Awards will be exhibited in the Awards gallery at the Festival, which will also feature a packed programme of presentations, seminars, exhibitions, and keynote addresses from prominent architects.

Paul Finch, WAF programme director, said: “World Architecture Festival is establishing itself as a significant date in the global architectural calendar. It is the biggest event of its kind in the world, which looks beyond borders to celebrate architecture and design. The inspiration of new ideas will be the order of the day with the Festival offering a true indication of the quality and diversity of architectural design worldwide The WAF Awards can help practices to increase their recognition and unusually allow architects to showcase work on the same international platform, whether they are inspirational start-up practices or established international leaders.”

Online entry to the WAF Awards is open until 26 June 2009. To enter the Awards visit: www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

Entries are now being invited in the following categories:

Completed buildings

Civic and community Housing Learning

Culture Landscaping New and old

Display Office Production

Health Shopping Sport

Holiday Transport House


New for 2009:

Interiors and fit out Future projects Structural Design

Offices Masterplanning Spans

Hotels and casinos Landscape Towers

Health small Infrastructure Metal

Health large Competition entries Concrete

Bars and restaurants Residential Timber

Culture and civic Commercial Glass

Retail small Cultural Tensile

Retail large Experimental projects Composites

Masonry

Judge panel as at March 2009:

Catherine Slessor UK Kim Nielsen Denmark
Charles Jencks UK David Dunster UK
Hanif Kara UK Justine Clarke Australia
Kengo Kuma Japan Kieran Long UK
Lorenzo Apicella UK Luis O'Grady Argentina
Marcus Fairs UK Michel Rojkind Mexico
Nabil Gholam Lebanon Rafael Vinoly USA
Renato Benedetti UK Roger Zogolovitch UK
Sir Peter Cook UK Suha Ozkan Turkey
Will Alsop UK Dennis Sharp UK



Sponsors
Sponsors and supporters already committed to the second World Architecture Festival include planning, architectural and consulting firm Nikken Sekkei, energy saving lamp manufacturer Megaman, and the leading provider of comprehensive planning, environmental, design and information technology consulting services, EDAW AECOM.

For further information, please contact:
Jo Reid, Tilly Shirlaw at FD jo.reid@fd.com or tilly.shirlaw@fd.com