World Architecture Festival (WAF), the world’s largest international live-judged architectural event, opened its doors on 30 November. Numerous Australian projects and practices were awarded.

WAF and INSIDE World Festival of Interiors took place at the FIL exhibition centre, Lisbon, from 30 November until 2 December 2022. 

WAF is where the world architecture community meets to celebrate, learn, exchange and be inspired, and MIELE, along with Grohe and ABB, are among its partners.

Following an exciting day of live presentations, in which hundreds of shortlisted projects were presented by architectural and design practices from around the world, the first award winners of the 2022 festival have been announced. 

Amongst the first day’s award category winners are Woods Bagot, Sanjay Puri Architects, HKS, White Arkitekter AB and many more. 

Atelier tao+c, Weston Williamson + Partners, OHLAB and JC Architecture are among the award category winners announced on the second day of the World Architecture Festival in Lisbon. 

The festival’s judges recognised a diverse array of completed, future and interior projects across over 20 categories. 

The winner of this year’s ‘Office’ category was Quay Quarter Tower by 3XN, in Australia. 

The judges remarked on the project’s “very complex site and use of the constraints to open up opportunities, to adapt, and reuse an existing building to create a transformational urban intervention”. 

Hitra office building by Hooba Design Group was highly commended. 

In the ‘Workplace (Small)’ category the winner was Sculptform Design Studio by Woods Bagot in Australia.

Judges were impressed by its craft-led design. 

Within the ‘Workplace (Large)’ category the winner was Yirranma Place by SJB, also in Australia. 

The judges praised the project for its “re-use of a church to form a workspace” giving which gave status and dignity to non-profit organizations and charities”.

In particular, judges felt the project’s “interactions between old and new were handled with care, creating a respectful project”.

Midtown Workplace by Cox Architecture was highly commended.

On the second day of WAF, Australian practices and projects were also recognized on the global scene, such as 80 Collins by Woods Bagot, which was the winner in the “Mixed-Use” category.

Judges felt the project was “an excellent response to the urban context” and “successfully integrated a variety of different uses that provided a human scale to the public realm”. 

Australia 108 by Fender Katsalidis was shortlisted for the Futureglass Prizes supported by Aestech.

This prize is awarded to the project that best demonstrates new ways in which glass and glass technology can be deployed. 

The finalists for the inaugural prize range from chameleonic glass-panelled buildings to innovative glass interventions in existing structures, showcasing the breadth of how glass and glass technology can be used in new and inventive ways.

Discover also the winners of this year’s Interior Design Excellence Awards.