The World Architecture Festival, held in Singapore from 1 to 3 October, ended on a high note, with awards distributed to firms from all over the world. The awards are some of the most prestigious in the industry. Here’s our pick from leisure architecture’s big winners.
Winner of World Building of the Year: The Chapel, Vietnam, by a21studio
A community space on the outskirt of Ho Chi Minh City for conferences, weddings and exhibitions. It re-uses materials from the owner’s previous projects, such as steel frames and metal sheets.
Jury’s comments: “The judges felt this was a project that embraced history and modernity,
and created a dialogue in the process. It has created maximum effect with minimum materials and
has produced an unexpected change of pace in its urban context. The opportunity has been taken
to recycle and rethink materials and site, and a series of design issues have been addressed which
have produced a small project that makes a big statement. Colour and light have been deployed to
put people at ease and the architect has found poetry in the mundane.”
Winner of Future Projects - Competition Entries and Future Project of the Year: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada, by 5468796 Architecture + number TEN
A vibrant museum proposal for the Victoria suburbs.
Jury’s comments: “The winning project is creative, new respects the old and the use of the material references the existing garden but not literally or metaphorically .. The jury was unanimous that the Art Gallery of Victoria is a project that embodies the future – both in terms of creating an intimate yet radical response to its suburban Victorian setting as well as being a beacon of what is to come from its authors.”
Winner of Completed Buildings - Shopping: Yalikavak Marina Complex, Turkey, by EAA-Emre Arolat Architects
An upmarket extension for a marina on a Turkish lagoon, with retail, restaurants, a beach-pool club and special units to serve the docked yachts.
Jury’s comment: “The qualities of low-key, tactile and sophisticated set this project apart, allowing pedestrians to experience the harbour and coast without imposing a retail-style aesthetic on the experience.”
Winner of Future Projects - Culture: Freedom of The Press Monument, Brazil, by Gustavo Penna Architects 
A monument composed of the upper glass structure and a concrete underground for multimedia projections, meetings, exhibitions and ceremonies.
Jury’s comment: “The structure is a simple, understated yet clever response to a politically charged issue.”
Winner of Future Projects - Leisure Led Development: Antakya Museum Hotel, Turkey, by EAA-Emre Arolat Architects
A public-private “museum hotel” inspired by archaeological findings near the site.
Jury’s comment: “Hilton were lucky to have found this site, this client, this architect. The judges did not expect to see construction shots – but were of course delighted.”
Winner of Completed Buildings - Culture: Danish Maritime Museum, Denmark, by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
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subterranean museum around a dry dock adjacent to Kronborg Castle of Hamlet fame, reflecting Denmark's role as a leading maritime nation.
Jury’s comment: “We found this project very specific and sophisticated while being provocative. It is a very powerful answer to the challenge presented to architects when given an ancient piece that can preserve the soul of a place, in how it uses the dry dock not only as an envelope but as one of the main figures of the overall design.”
Winner of Completed Buildings - Hotel and Leisure: Son La Restaurant, Vietnam, by Vo Trong Nghia Architects
A 750-guest restaurant, the first facility to connect tourists with the natural beauty of the Son La province.
Jury’s comment: “The architects behind Son La Restaurant have displayed a considerable sensitivity and ability in managing to feature traditional Vietnamese architecture against a contemporary backdrop. The design draws from the context of the open tropical environment and chooses the local materiality of bamboo and stone as the main structure making it a sustainable statement. The spatial experience and the structure are well-integrated.”
Winner of Completed Buildings - Sport: Singapore Sports Hub, Singapore, by the Singapore Sports Hub Design Team (Arup, DP Architects and AECOM)
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highly integrated facility key to the nation’s urban development and sustainability plan.
Jury’s comment: “Designed with a nation’s health, sustainability, and legacy in mind Singapore Sports Hub represents innovative engineering on all levels and shows a new approach to an integrated sports, leisure and entertainment district. The project exemplifies the successful fusion of architecture and engineering.”
Winner of Small Project of the Year: The Pinch, China, by Olivier Ottevaere and John Lin, University of Hong Kong
Part of reconstruction efforts after a September 2012 earthquake in Shuanghe, Yunnan Province. Located as a community hub in the plaza, and a memorial to the earthquake’s victims.
Jury’s comment: “An elegant project that demonstrated research into a material, a building system, making an urban place that has answered a vital need for enclosure, congregation and culture in an earthquake-stricken zone.”
Winner of Future Projects - Experimental: Skyfarm, Italy, by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and Arup Associates
Skyfarm is a vertical farm using bamboo elements and open, circular structures that maximise the light, in conjunction with Expo 2015.
Jury’s comment: “Skyfarm represents a thorough, believable and beautiful project.”
