22-24 ottobre 2008

"The World Architecture Festival has revealed the names of the leading architectural experts who will sit on the super-jury at the inaugural event to be held in Barcelona from 22nd-24th October. Recognising “the best of the best” in design excellence, the super-jury will decide the world’s finest building (whether new, restored, rehabilitated or converted) completed between 1st January 2007 and 20th June 2008. The 17 WAF Awards category winners will be in the running for the World Building of the Year..

The super-jury of international architectural experts will be chaired by Lord Norman Foster, with other members including: Cecil Balmond, Deputy Chairman of Ove Arup & Partners, Richard Burdett, Centennial Professor in Architecture and Urbanism at the London School of Economics, Robert Stern, Dean of Yale School of Architecture and Suha Ozkan of the XXI Architecture Centre, Ankara.

In order to ensure absolute impartiality, Lord Foster has confirmed that should a building by Foster + Partners, the practice which he founded in 1967, win in its category* and therefore be eligible for the World Building of the Year, he will step down from the super-jury.

Buildings by such internationally renowned practices as Zaha Hadid Architects, Skidmore Owings Merrill, Kohn Pederson Fox, Nikken Sekkei, Denton Corker Marshall and Foster + Partners as well as smaller practices are represented among the shortlisted projects submitted in 17 different categories.

All shortlisted architects will present their work live to juries and audiences at the World Architecture Festival, over three days, from 22 - 24 October 2008 at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB). And all entries – over 700 in total - will be exhibited at the Festival in a huge gallery modelled on the Barcelona grid, and afterwards, on-line at the WAF website.Paul Finch, Editor of The Architectural Review and Programme Director of the World Architecture Festival, commented: “The inaugural World Architecture Festival has captured the interest and enthusiasm of the architectural community worldwide, with buildings of exceptional quality and diversity submitted by practices from over 60 countries. The jury will judge each building on its merits, irrespective of scale, location or prestige, and this presents a very real opportunity for less well known practices.”



The inaugural World Architecture Festival awards will showcase, compare and contrast an outstanding range of completed buildings created by a profession which has always looked beyond national borders to the wider world of architectural culture. The 17 awards categories are:



Civic

Office

Culture

Pleasure

Energy, waste & recycling

Private homes

Health

Production

Holiday

Religion & contemplation

Housing

Shopping

Learning

Sport

Nature

Transport

New & old



The aim of the World Architecture Festival is to reflect the increasingly international nature of architecture, while also celebrating its regional roots. In addition to the awards competition and gallery, other elements of the Festival include: a full seminar programme, a live student charrette for architecture schools, a curated exhibition of architect-nominated building products, city tours and social events and keynote addresses.

(Fonte: World Architecture Festival)