The World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2025 has announced its first day winners following the opening of what organizers describe as the world's largest international live-judged architectural event. The three-day festival is taking place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida, where over 460 live presentations from 2025 finalists are being delivered to an audience of more than 160 international judges.
The initial day of competition featured 22 award categories spanning Completed Buildings, Future Projects, and Interiors sections. Notable winners include prestigious firms such as WOW Architects, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Batlleiroig, and PerkinsWill. The winning projects demonstrate exceptional innovation, social impact, and architectural vision across various scales and contexts from around the globe.
In the Completed Buildings category, several standout winners emerged across diverse architectural types. The Holy Redeemer Church and Community Centre of Las Chumberas by Fernando Menis in La Laguna, Spain, claimed the Civic and Community award. Woods Bagot's Younghusband project in Melbourne, Australia, won the Creative Re-use category, while Studio Link-Arc's Shunde Yunlu Wetland Museum in Foshan, China, took home the Culture award.
Residential excellence was recognized in multiple categories, with Superkül's Ridge House in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, winning the House & Villa (Rural/Coastal) category supported by GROHE. The urban residential category went to Leckie Studio Architecture & Design Inc's Lantern House in Vancouver, Canada. The Housing category, also supported by GROHE, was awarded to Lorcan O'Herlihy Architects for their Isla Intersections Supportive Housing & Paseo project in Los Angeles, California.
Commercial and specialized building categories showcased innovative design approaches. Batlleiroig's T3 Diagonal Mar Offices in Barcelona, Spain, secured the Office category award. The Production, Energy and Logistics category was won by Atelier Sergio Rebelo's Quinta de Adorigo Winery in Tabuaço, Douro Valley, Portugal. BVN's Sirius Redevelopment in Sydney, Australia, claimed the Retrofit category, demonstrating excellence in adaptive reuse.
Educational and recreational facilities were also celebrated, with HIBINOSEKKEI & Youji no Shiro's FK Kindergarten and Nursery in Nagasaki City, Japan, winning the School category. The Shopping category went to stu/D/O Architects for Central Nakhon Pathom in Thailand, while Warren and Mahoney & MJMA Architecture & Design received the Sport award for Hiwa, Recreation Centre in Auckland, New Zealand.
The Future Projects section highlighted forward-thinking architectural visions across six categories. MJMA Architecture & Design & Acton Ostry Architects won the Civic category for their Vancouver Aquatic Centre in Canada. BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group secured the Infrastructure award for their ambitious Gelephu International Airport project in Bhutan. The Leisure-led Development category was awarded to Plontur Group for Luana Farms in Calaca City, Batangas, Philippines.
Urban planning and design excellence was recognized with Prior & Partners and Field Operations winning the Masterplanning category for Smithfield, Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Avally Design Studio claimed the Sport category for their Acclimated Sports & Multipurpose Hall in Davao City, Philippines. The Urban Design award went to LandLAB & SCAPE as part of the Toi Waihanga design collective for Te Ara Tukutuku in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, New Zealand.
The Interiors section celebrated exceptional interior design across hospitality and workplace environments. WOW Architects & Warner Wong design won the Hotels category for the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree in Singapore. Workplace design was recognized in two scales: ADND LLP received the Workplace (Small) award for ADND SILO in Mumbai, India, while PerkinsWill claimed the Workplace (Large) category for Acciona Campus in Madrid, Spain.
Following these initial announcements, the festival will continue with additional category winners being revealed at the Miami Beach Convention Center, bringing the total number of category prizes to 43. The competition will culminate on the final day when category winners compete against each other for the festival's most prestigious accolades: World Building of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and World Interior of the Year. These ultimate awards represent the pinnacle of international architectural achievement as judged by the industry's leading professionals.
