The World Architecture Festival is where the world architecture community meets to celebrate learn, exchange and be inspired. It is the only architecture event where keynote talks from the industry’s most influential figures sit alongside live crit presentations and judging of over 350 award finalists, global networking, a 400 project strong gallery and an international product exhibition. World Architecture Festival 2016 will take place on the 16-18 November in Berlin. The Festival Hall is the hub location of WAF where you can network and engage face-toface with leading suppliers and manufacturers from around the world. Exclusive installations and product showcases enable you to experience the latest in product design. Festival Hall Stage talks are where you can receive updates on working globally, cutting-edge technology and innovative materials. All finalist submissions are displayed in the gallery so visitors can review today’s most accomplished projects from around the globe at their leisure. The World Architecture Festival is a live architecture competition: a truly unique format – WAF features live crit presentations by all of the award finalists, with live judging and discussion. Every shortlisted architect will present their designs to a WAF international judging panel,and the visitors can see as many as they can fit into three days. Each day there will be up to 12 crits running at any one time, all running to a finely tuned schedule so people can jump from one to the other. Over 300 projects, including a Brazilian rainforest house, a spiralling university building in Tenerife and a bulbous blue drawing studio,have been shortlisted for awards at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin this November. The WAF 2016 shortlist includes entries from 58 countries, with buildings by well-known firms including Zaha Hadid Architects, BIG, Studio Gang and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. Other firms to make this year’s list include Norwegian studio Reiulf Ramstad Architects, Istanbul-based Emre Arolat Architects, Brazilian office Studio MK27, London-based CRAB Studio and Shanghai studio Neri&Hu. The UK has the largest number of projects this year -including a Maggies’ Centre for cancer care by Foster + Partners and a treetop walkway by Glen Howells Architects- followed by Australia and Turkey. Winners will be selected from across 32 categories and announced during the festival. One project will go on to win the coveted World Building of the Year title, and another will be named Future Project of the Year. Judges this year include David Chipperfield, Ole Scheeren, Manuelle Gautrand, and BIG’s Kai-Uwe Bergmann.
