The WAF Awards is one of the world’s most prestigious architectural competitions. Today, the competition jury announced the finalists for WAF 2022 and we are delighted to have three shortlisted projects; Nodi in the category Completed Buildings – Mixed-Use, Oriel is finalist in Future Projects – Health category and Sara Cultural Centre in Completed Buildings – Culture.
The final places in the WAF Awards mean that the projects have a chance to take the top spots in the grand final of the competition, often referred to as the World Architecture Championships, which will take place in Lisbon at the end of the year. There, all three projects will be presented live to the internationally renowned jury.
High-quality wooden architecture that meets the requirements of a modern building, combined with brave choices and a well-run process. That is the recipe behind the successful Nodi project in Gothenburg, which continues to generate attention on the international architectural scene.
We are proud of the high architectural level we have been able to achieve all the way, from the big picture down to the fine details, where the materiality of the wood is in focus. I think the passion for the architecture and the whole project shines through all the way to the jury.
Oriel integrates world-class eye care and research for Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, within the high-tech setting of the King’s Cross & St Pancras Knowledge Quarter. Together with Penoyre & Prasad, we are part of AECOM’s team commissioned to design Oriel. Oriel is designed to actively foster knowledge exchange between leading care and research institutions to deliver the greatest benefits for patients. Drawing on White Arkitekter’s significant research into healing environments, light and materiality, our evidence-based design supports recovery, while forming a high-performance workplace for staff.
Oriel is set to transform how we provide the best levels of care for patients in the UK by strengthening collaboration between healthcare and academia. It is based on key design principles that consider the full spectrum of visual impairment and what that mean spatially.
Sara Cultural Centre in Skellefteå is one of the world’s tallest timber buildings and with its 20 floors it is the city’s new landmark. The carbon-negative building has put Skellefteå on the world map and become an international beacon for sustainable architecture and construction. It was selected as number one when The Guardian’s critics ranked the best architecture of 2021 and has also been recognised by the New European Bauhaus initiative as a project inspiring positive change around us.
It is an honor that Sara Cultural Centre has been shortlisted for WAF Awards, alongside so many other beautiful projects around the world. It is a proof of the hard work the project group has done to develop new innovative methods in wood construction, reaching a new level in sustainable construction. We are looking forward to presenting the project at the festival.