LONDON, Feb. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The search has begun for the world's best building, as the World Architecture Festival launches its annual global award programme, the 'Oscars of architecture'. The 11th edition of the Festival will take place in Amsterdam from 28 to 30 November, where more than 500 architectural practices are expected to compete for category and overall prizes.
In addition to more than 30 category winners, international judging panels will choose the best building of the year, the best future project, and the best completed landscape.
Past winners are a roll-call of significant architects from across the world including Foster & Partners, Zaha Hadid Architects; Snohetta; BIG; Isay Weinfeld; Perkins & Will; Rogers Stirk Harbour; FJMT and Sou Fujimoto.
The awards programme is the largest live event of its type in the world. All shortlisted practices will present their proposals live, in front of festival delegates and the judging panels. Organizers are expecting more than 1,000 entries following a record entry of more than 900 in 2017.
In addition to the category and overall winners, WAF also presents a series of prizes covering small projects, best use of colour, best use of timber, photography, drawing, and student work.
This year's Completed Buildings final super-jury will be chaired by Nathalie de Vries from Rotterdam-based MVRDV, and will also include Sir David Adjadye, Li Xiadong and Harvard Graduate School of Design dean, Mohsen Mostafavi.
More than 120 judges, about 40 per cent of whom will be women, will decide category winners.
The associated WAFX awards, launched to mark the tenth anniversary of the Festival, will continue to be presented to future projects that address specific problems likely to affect architects over the next few years, such as climate and social equity.
In addition, the first WAF Research Prize will also be presented, for an initiative addressing issues related to water and the built environment. The GBP10,000 prize is supported by Grohe, WAF's founder sponsor.
Following two successful years in Berlin, this year's edition will move to the RAI Amsterdam, with the Gala Awards Dinner hosted at the historic Beurs van Berlage.
WAF Partners include Founder Partner Grohe and Headline Partners ABB Busch-Jaeger and Miele.
