WAF unveils 2025 WAFX winners across key future-focused design categories

The WAFX Awards, which recognise innovative global projects addressing issues of health, climate change, technology, and urban innovation, have been announced by World Architecture Festival 2025.

In recognition of creative architectural ideas tackling upcoming worldwide concerns, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the 2025 WAFX Award winners. This year’s winners are divided into significant categories and reflect ground-breaking solutions in health, technology, sustainability, cultural identity, and urban development.

Multiple projects in the Ageing and Health category were honoured for their emphasis on healthcare design and community well-being. Winners include Echoes of the Void by Segmento Urbano, Doswell Nexus Recovery Centre by HKS, VA El Paso Healthcare Centre by HKS Architects (in partnership with SmithGroup), and Health Centre—Polo de Saúde de Évora by CLOU architects.

The Building Technology category recognised Bond Redux by 5468796 Architecture, Inc., Regenerative Tree by Nikken Sekkei Ltd, and Floating School by UArchitects/Misak Terzibasiyan for their innovative application of construction technology and sustainable materials.

Da Nang Waste-to-Energy Plant and Viet Tri House by VTN Architects, as well as Project Rise – Lumenis by HKS Architects, received honours in the Carbon, Energy, and Climate category for their contributions to energy-efficient and climate-responsive architecture.

Winners in the Cultural Identity category included Pinnacle Design Studio’s Islamic World District Grand Mosque Complex, STORYN Studio for Architecture’s The Woodson African American Museum of Florida, BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group’s Gelephu International Airport, and LandLAB + SCAPE’s Te Ara Tukutuku, which celebrates diverse cultural narratives through architectural expression.

Digital Worlds honoured Neural Palate Kueh (AI Eating Architecture) by Artificial-Architecture and Singapore University of Technology and Design, as well as Rio AI City by Hyphen, for their clever utilisation of digital technologies and urban spaces.

The Ethics and Values award acknowledged Foster + Partners’ Hatay Masterplan, Sordo Madaleno’s Canadian School, and Form4 Architecture’s Nested Arc, Creative Community No. 1 for incorporating ethical principles into architectural planning.

The Food category featured Kamdhenu, a project that reimagines cow welfare by combining history, sustainability, and modern dairy design, with an architectural philosophy that symbolises abundance.

The Other City: Reimagining Gulf Labour Camps as Creative Campuses by Design and More International won the Power and Justice award, as did the Shahrzad Mixed-Use Building by Boozhgan Architecture Studio, which explores equitable urban solutions.

Re-use awards were presented to ONE – The Living Archive by Rawasem Architecture Workshop, The Truman Brewery by Buckley Grey Yeoman, Nova (The New School Museum) by FractalView Studio, and Cologne Art Tower by TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten GmbH, all of whom creatively repurposed existing structures.

Finally, under Smart Cities, Broadway Malyan’s Muscat Structure Plan, Jieyang City Strategic Masterplan, Huilai County Concept Plan, and Morrow Architects and Planners’ Urban Design were recognised for strategic urban planning that drives future-ready cities.

The World Architecture Festival, set to take place in Miami, FL, USA from November 12 to 14, 2025, will feature presentations by all category winners. The festival will conclude with the announcement of the overall WAFX winner at the Gala Dinner, which will highlight the most influential design driving future possibilities in global architecture.

For more information, visit: https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/WorldArchitectureFestival2025/en/page/home