It takes something exceptional to be awarded the title of Building of the year at the World Architecture Festival (WAF). Amager Bakke, Copenhagen, is that extraordinary.
The structure is an astonishing and surreal combination – an incineration plant topped with an artificial ski slope, hiking trail, a rooftop bar and the tallest climbing wall in the world.
The judges at the annual festival – a three-day virtual affair this year – awarded it Building of the Year 2021 having concluded that it ‘reminds us that buildings can be fun’.
Many eye-catching designs can also be found on the WAF Category Winners List, such as a London-based street food market, which occupies a historic building. In New York, plywood from boarded shops is being repurposed for outdoor dining, and an area that houses a wood triangle research center.
Run alongside WAFThe Interior World FestivalThe Interior of the year award was given to Capsule Hostel and Bookstore, China. This is a converted house that had mud walls and has been transformed into a hostel and bookstore. It can sleep 20 people.
Scroll down for more on these and other gong-luring designs from the festival awards…
Look at the stunning Building of the Year: Amager Bakke. The structure, designed by Copenhagen and New York-based B.I.G Architects, also came top in the ‘Production and Energy and Recycling – Completed Buildings’ category. Amager Bakke, which is an incineration facility for waste, has a hiking trail and rooftop bar. It also features a climbing wall that measures 280 feet (the highest in the world). According to the judges, the building addresses the role architecture plays in the modern world of recycling and zero-carbon. It also’reminds people that buildings can be fun’
Interior of the Year winner goes to the Capsule Hostel and Bookstore, located in Qinglongwu (China’s Zhejiang region). This building was a wooden house of mud walls measuring 232 meters (2,497 feet) in size. It was converted by Beijing architectural firm Atelier Tao+C to a capsule hostel with 20 beds, a community bookshop and a library. The contest’s judges were impressed by the project’s ‘simplicity in converting an existing rammed earth building into a complex and rich interior’ and were taken by the ‘simple but warm palette of materials that have been used, including brick flooring made from recycled demolition materials and bamboo strip shelving’. It was also the winner in the category ‘New and old – inside’.
You can feast your eyes upon the winning entry in the category ‘House and Villa – Rural/Nature – Completed buildings’. Coopworth is a Tasmanian abode that was built by FMD Architects. The judges praised its ‘beautifully simplistic, agricultural rigour’ and the way the project ‘demonstrates a symbiotic relationship with its rural context through its form, colour, visual connectivity and material palette’
The ‘Civic & Community – Completed Buildings’ category winner was the sophisticated Kirkkonummi Library (pictured) in Kirkkonummi, Finland. JKMM Architects designed it, incorporating an old 1980s building from the same site. The statement says: “Judges found it striking that the new and old elements were so integrated that it was hard for them to discern where the one ended and the other began.”
The top spot in the ‘Culture – Completed Buildings’ category was taken by Phoenix Central Park in Sydney, Australia, a space for performance and visual arts. Durbach Block Jaggers designed it, while John Wardle architects designed it. The judges praised the ‘spectacular brick exterior wall’
Moynihan Train Hall won first place in the category ‘Transport – Completed Buildings.’ This is an extension of Pennsylvania Station, a US station. It was opened to the public in January
Reigning victorious in the ‘Sport – Completed Buildings’ category was the Ken Rosewall Arena Redevelopment at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre. Cox Architecture was behind this sleek design.
LEFT: Holme Apartments Collingwood in Australia ranked first in the “Housing – Completed Buildings” category. John Wardle Architectures was behind this design. According to a statement, the judges were impressed by the consideration of ‘urban scale through to finely crafted interior detail’ in the building as well as the ‘skilful re-use of the existing heritage’. RIGHT: ‘Olderfleet” won the Grand Prize in the Office – Completed Buildings category. Nicole England and Tim Griffith designed the Melbourne office space.
Raas Chhatrasagar, a hotel located east of Jodhpur in India won the category ‘Hotel & Leisure – Completed Buildings’. Studio Lotus designed the hotel. The judges chose it ‘for its strong ideas, respect for the environment, and design’. Judges were especially struck by ‘the way the pavilion and the back of house reuses already existing buildings and materials’
As you can see, the Sky House was the top-rated building in the “House and Villa (urban/suburban] – Completed Constructions” category. Mia Design Studio was behind this construction in An Phu (Vietnam). Judges selected the winning project for its ‘simple, elegant, and well-resolved design that successfully brings nature into the house, in the midst of a sprawling sea of high-rise urban development; a problem faced by many cities today’
This stunning London structure was awarded the first place in the “Mixed Use Buildings – Completed buildings” category. This structure is known as “The Post Building”, and it was designed in Allford Hall Monaghan Morris by Simon Morris.
The Scion Innovation Hub Rotorua (New Zealand) is shown here as the winner in the category ‘Higher Education and Research-Completed Buildings’. Rta Studio designed the geometric structure. Irving Smith Architects won a special award for the Best Use of Certified timber’. Scion is an agency of the government that focuses on research and science for wood-derived and forestry materials. Public members can view the three-storey ground floor hub of Scion, which houses interactive displays that provide information about Scion’s research.
Fortitude Valley State Secondary College in Brisbane (pictured) topped the list under the “School – Completed Buildings” category. Cox Architecture and ThomsonAdsett design firm impressed the judges with the ‘manmade landscape which evokes informal learning, spontaneous encounters, and play’. The judges added that this project ‘gives a new perspective to vertical schools in an era of sustainability and Covid-19’
Look above and you’ll find the winner of the ‘Competition Entries – Future Projects’ category. Design and More International created the Jannat Masjid, a Preston house of prayer. The design encourages visitors to literally and metaphorically “rise above” their environment and abandon nearby dwellings and motorways. A statement added that the building draws both worshippers as well as other community members, creating a space where they can gather for discussion and interaction.
The Atlassian Headquarters (pictured) in Sydney, designed by Shop Architects, ranked number one in the ‘Office – Future Projects’ category. The judges described the project as ‘liberating in its approach’ to design
This clever design proposal for a ‘revolutionary wooden residential building in the heart of the Lloydquarter in Rotterdam’ took the lead in the ‘Experimental – Future Projects’ category. Mei architects and planners designed the concept, called “Sawa”. According to a statement, “Judges considered that the project went beyond carbon neutrality requirements in the building process and included the ecology of site and natural elements as vital aspects of its development.”
The charming Shahgholi Villa in Iran, designed by FMZD, took the gold medal in the ‘House – Future Projects’ category. Judges described the project as ‘an elegantly conceived and presented scheme that imaginatively turns a space once occupied by an orchard into a family home which enriched conventions about privacy and intimacy’
The plan for China’s No 2 Grinding Wheel Factory Cultural Creative Park is available to view. Conceived by Shenzen-based CCDI Group, the innovative park was a joint winner in the ‘Culture – Future Projects’ category
Above you’ll see the other joint winner of the ‘Culture – Future Projects’ category. Studio V Architecture created it, a campus for arts and culture in Buffalo, New York.
The eye-catching Music Campus Myanmar, pictured, in the town of Keng Tung, came first in the ‘Education – Future Projects’ category. According to the judges, the Mlkk Studio-designed music school is ‘much more than a building but a catalyst for change in a rural community – teaching the local community simple building techniques with which to construct the music centre, giving them valuable skills to use elsewhere’
The redesign of Sunderland High Street West claimed the top spot in the ‘Commercial Mixed-use – Future Projects’ category. Faulkner Brown Architects are behind the vision. The statement states that all judges agreed to select this winning scheme. They were impressed by ‘the ambitious plans by Sunderland City Council to achieve carbon-neutral status by 2040… the architects’ collaborative efforts with the local community and the reuse of major structures’
This chic office in Sydney, Australia, came up trumps in the ‘Workplace (small) – Inside’ category. Smart Design Studio created the office, turning an abandoned building into something modern. Judges gave the architects high marks for changing the building’s “character”.
First prize in the ‘Temporary/Meanwhile Uses’ category goes to BVN Architecture’s ‘Re-ply’ project in New York, for which thousands of sheets of landfill-destined plywood installed to protect shops during lockdowns and protests have been repurposed into sidewalk tables and chairs and ‘retail kits’ (pictured) for ’embattled restaurants and bars’. Judges felt that this project was ‘truly part of the zeitgeist of 2020, leveraging a set of events into a series of impactful opportunities’
LEFT: The winner of the ‘Workplace (large) – Inside’ category, the YTL Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ministry of Design Pte Ltd was responsible for the design of this space. Impressed, the judges observed that ‘at times the images looked like renderings with all the clutter associated with interior office space removed’. RIGHT: The winner of the ‘Residential- Inside’ category. The apartment, which is called ‘The House for a Brand New Start’ in China, was designed by Stiff, Trevillion. Judges felt that the project offers ‘an empathetic reimagining of an existing apartment for a mother and her child’, with the use of ‘flexible and interlayered spaces’
Stiff and Trevillion is also behind the winner of the ‘Bars and Restaurants – Inside’ category – the Kerb Foods street food market in Covent Garden, London. According to a statement, “This project occupies a vacant historical building with row of market stands, as well as a two-storey atrium that houses a restaurant and other outlets. The judges said that the building ‘continues the role of food in the city’s social and physical fabric, while working hard to be sustainable’
Topping the podium in the ‘Public Buildings – Inside’ category is The Museum of Copenhagen in Denmark, designed by JAC Studios APS. The museum is described as “a sophisticated transformation from an 1891 orphanage”. Judges were taken by the ‘beautiful touches in every detail, like the mirrored pavilion which houses exhibition pieces as well as reflecting the gorgeous ceiling designs, and the hand-blown glass staircase lights inspired by the stained-glass windows of the original building’
The Casa Palerm, a stylish Spanish villa in Mallorca is shown above. The design, created by Spanish studio Ohlab, reigned supreme in the ‘Residential Single Dwelling – Inside’ category. The statement reads: “The layout parallel to slope allows all the rooms views of Tramontana mountains towards north, while also taking advantage of sun from the south.”
The Schoolhouse, Google’s Mountain View office, California. This is Rapt Studio’s ‘prototype area for in-person education’. According to a statement, “The Schoolhouse” offers multiple layouts inside an existing building. These are used to build a Google School for Leaders that is unique in helping executives lead well in the 21st Century. The judges described the concept as ‘an ambitious and innovative example of how it is possible to retrofit an existing building to create a dynamic, welcoming and comfortable work and learning environment’
The Sanya Mangrove Park in the city of Sanya, China, was one of several winners in the ‘Landscape – Nature Context’ category. Turenscape created it. Its purpose was to protect and prevent flooding, soil erosion, and create a green space that is accessible for the entire community.
The second of four winners in the ‘Landscape – Nature Context’ category. Koper Central Park is located in Koper (Slovenia) and was created by Enota Architects. According to a statement, the fusion of elements from a city beach with a modern city park allows the residents and visitors of the area to make use of the new development’s space for many activities.
The third winner in the ‘Landscape – Nature Context’ category was Suining South Riverfront park in Suining City, China, by Ecoland Planning and Design Corporation and the Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. ‘This project transforms a four-kilometre- (2.3-mile) long ecologically and socially lifeless shoreline belt into a verdant, sustainable riverfront park by integrating ecological infrastructure and resilient strategies,’ a statement explains
The ‘Landscape – Urban Context’ category also had multiple winners – the first of which was Niederhafen River Promenade, in Hamburg, Germany. Zaha Hadid Architects created the promenade measuring 625m (2.050 ft). It doubles up as a flood defense barrier, and gives visitors panoramic views of Elbe River and historic ports.
Another winner in the ‘Landscape – Urban Context’ category was Xuhui Runway Park (pictured) in Shanghai, China. Sasaki, an international design company created it. A statement explains: ‘Once the main runway of Longhua Airport, the site has transformed into a side-by-side public street and linear park, providing a valuable open space corridor which serves the district’s high-density developments and offers a much needed recreational space for adjacent neighbourhoods’
Another winner in the ‘Landscape – Urban Context’ category was this renovation by SD Atelier Design & Planning of a formerly closed section of railway in Taichung City, Taiwan. This area is now a ‘urban recreation area with varied features of ecology and cultural’
A third winner in the ‘Landscape – Urban Context’ category was the transformation of the area surrounding the Qasr Al Hosn Fort (pictured in the background) in Abu Dhabi. This fort is Abu Dhabi’s oldest standing stone structure. The Al Musallah prayer room, part of the revamp is seen in the foreground.
Majara Residence in Hormuz (south of Iran) won the “Best Use of Colour” award under the ‘Special Prizes” category. Zav Architects created the brightly-colored structure, which was called a ‘holiday community with 200 brightly coloured dwellings’. The judges said: ‘The colour and form are beautifully integrated in these simple and stunning domes with their references back to Persian culture and to the immediate natural environment’. They added: ‘They bring harmony and a peace, providing an impressive visual treat to an otherwise quite desolate area’
The base in St James’s University Hospital in Leeds for Maggie’s Yorkshire, a charity that provides free support for people with cancer, won the Best Use of Natural Light award in the ‘Special Prizes’ category. Heatherwick Studio designed the space. The space was designed by Heatherwick Studio.