Two Canadian firms win Project of the Year at WAF
Several Canadian architects are among the winners of the 2023 World Architecture Festival (WAF) who recently presented their projects at the festival in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
WAF, which represents the world’s biggest live-judged architectural awards program, took place from November 29 to December 1, 2023, and featured presentations by finalists who showcased their projects to a panel of judges.
5468796 Architecture’s Veil House, an experimental residence in Winnipeg, was the winner of the Completed Project – House & Villa category and was selected from 18 shortlisted houses from around the globe.
The Veil House was designed by 5468796 with a high degree of airiness and privacy in mind. The house is arranged in a nine-square grid around a central courtyard and features a series of free-flowing communal spaces framed by solid utility blocks. An interior ramp creates a passage inside and out while allowing natural light to filter into the basement. A weathered steel “veil” wraps around the building, perforating over windows and peels off over balconies and entrance points, which provides a sense of heaviness or lightness depending on the position of the viewer.
In November, Veil House was also honoured with The Plan Award 2023 in the Villa of the Completed category.
“WAF provides us with an opportunity to consider our work amongst exemplary projects by peers from around the world, and inspires us to continue to challenge ourselves to do more with design,” said 5468796 principal, Sasa Radulovic.
Among the WAF winners was also the Center for Computing & Data Sciences at Boston University, by Toronto-based KPMB Architects, who have also won the top award for Education Interior of the year.
The Center for Computing & Data Sciences is a landmark for the university that transforms the skyline, meets sustainability goals, and prioritizes human-centered design. The project brings together the mathematics, statistics, and computer science departments, and builds a community for roughly 3,000 students, faculty, and staff.
The Glenbow Revitalization, Calgary project by DIALOG won a Highly Commended citation in the Future Projects: Culture category. The original museum building, built in 1975, was an eight-storey box, indifferent to its location with a hidden entry and dark interior. The new design will be accessible to everyone and activates its surroundings.
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