The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced that this year’s event will take place at the Arena Berlin in Germany from 16-18 November.

Returning for its ninth edition, and following four successful years in Singapore, the Festival returns to its European roots and will be housed in Franz Ahrens’ historic former bus depot, now known as Arena Berlin.

WAF and its co-located sister event INSIDE World Festival of Interiors, will welcome more than 2,000 of the world’s leading architects and designers to the city for three days of conference programmes, awards, exhibitions and fringe events.

Entries for the 2016 edition of the WAF awards are now open, until 19^th May. Attracting over 750 entries each year, shortlisted projects compete across 30 categories to be named the World Building of the Year and Future Project of the Year respectively. Architects from around the world are invited to submit both their completed and forthcoming project for the world’s premier architecture award.

The German capital provides the perfect cultural backdrop for the world’s largest annual celebration of architecture. Berlin’s eclectic and constantly evolving cityscape owes much to the city’s turbulent history, and features an assortment of architectural styles, from Prussian Classicism through National Socialist design to Postmodernism, making it a fitting third host city for the Festival. The Festival will be taking advantage of this architecturally rich location by expanding its fringe programme, with tours and events planned across the city.

WAF programme director Paul Finch commented:

‘After four happy years in Singapore we are delighted to be moving to Berlin for our 2016 Festival. This is a city with an extraordinary history, and one which has been a breeding ground for architectural ideas, historical and contemporary. We look forward to staging our first Festival in Europe since 2011, and to welcoming architects from across the world to our ninth edition.’

The WAF Awards, the ‘Oscars of architecture’, sit at the heart of the Festival and celebrate global architectural excellence across completed buildings, future projects and landscape projects. Attracting entries from over 60 countries, shortlisted projects compete across 30 categories and all present live at the Festival in Berlin.

The first members of this year’s ‘super-jury’ have been announced: David Chipperfield¹, Luisa Hutton² and Professor Frédéric Migayrou³. The esteemed panel of venerated architects will decide on the Festival’s ultimate prize – The World Building of the Year.

David Chipperfield will also deliver a keynote speech, responding to the Festival’s theme “Housing for everyone”. The Festival’s conference programme will debate the growing understanding of how demographics and global urbanisation are forcing change in the way we think about housing, with imperatives to create shelter at one end of the spectrum, and sufficiency for occupation and investment at the other. In all cases, while acknowledging that wider forces are at play, the programme will examine the significant contribution that architects can make.

The 2015 WAF awards were claimed by some of the world’s biggest architects as well as emerging talent with the World Building of the Year going to OMA/Buro Ole Scheeren for The Interlace and Bjarke Ingels Group receiving the Future Project of the Year for Vancouver House.

The Arena Berlin is one of the German capital’s best-known venues for cultural events. The Arena was built in 1927 as a bus depot for Berlin's public transport system, and at the time was Europe's largest free-standing hall. Officially closed following Germany’s reunification, the venue was reborn following extensive refurbishment works in the early 1990s.

For more details on how to enter the WAF Awards please visit www.worldarchitecturefestival.com

@worldarchfest #WAF2016

Press, image and interview requests:

Caro Communications: 020 7713 9388; @carocomms

Jordan Lewis – Jordan@carocommunications.com

Gloria Roberts - gloria@carocommunications.com 

Notes to Editors

1 David Chipperfield, Principal, David Chipperfield Architects

2 Luisa Hutton, Principal, Sauerbruch Hutton

3 Professor Frédéric Migayrou, Chair of The Bartlett School of Architecture

Why get involved in World Architecture Festival?

Universal recognition, WAF is where the world architecture community meets to celebrate, learn, exchange and be inspired. 

World Architecture Festival is now the world’s largest, annual, international architectural event. It includes the biggest architectural awards programme in the world, dedicated to celebrating excellence via live presentations to an audience of high-profile delegates and international juries.

After four years, the World Architecture Festival will be returning to Europe and will take place in Berlin on the 16-18 November.

The 2016 World Architecture Festival (WAF) comprises 5 key elements 

- The WAF Awards

- A thematic conference programme

- An exhibition of Award entries

- Sponsor and exhibitor stands

- A series of networking/social events, as well as WAF fringe activities

INSIDE World Festival of Interiors runs alongside WAF, with its own awards and conference programme. Delegates have access to both events.

WAF and INSIDE are organized by EMAP, publishers of The Architectural Review and The Architects’ Journal.

Entry information

Shortlisted entrants will compete for category prizes on the first two days of the three-day Festival, which will take place in Berlin on the 16, 17 and 18 November 2016.  On the final day, category winners will present again to ‘super-juries’ of experienced and respected judges, who will decide on the World Landscape, Future Project and Completed Building of the Year Awards.

Sponsors

WAF are proud to work with Founder Partner, Grohe.