World Architecture Festival 2023 announces first finalists for the Special Prizes – Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore

[Text provided by World Architecture Festival 2023] World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the first of the 2023 Special Prize shortlists, ahead of this year’s festival which takes place at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore from 29 November – 1 December. The projects shortlisted for the Special Prizes are selected from across the greater WAF Awards shortlist to shine a light on the submissions that demonstrate architectural excellence in a particular area.

(Left: Casa Ward by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect; Right: Oman Across Ages Museum by COX Architecture)

The Royal Fine Art Commission Trust International Building Beauty Prize supported by Ballymore will be awarded to a completed building which ‘raises the spirits’ through architecture. The winner of Royal Fine Art Commission Trust UK Building Beauty Awards, which takes place later in the year, will also be added to the overall shortlist. The shortlisted projects are:

Oman Across Ages Museum by COX Architecture
Turrell Pavilion by Studio MK27
Casa Ward by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt Architect
CAPITASPRING by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati
Entegra offices in Barcelona by Batlleiroig Arquitectura
Angsila Oyster Scaffolding Pavilion by CHAT Architects
The Mosque of Light by Dabbagh Architects

The finalists for the Special Prizes will go on to compete live at WAF Lisbon and the overall winner of each will be revealed at the Gala Dinner. Other prizes to be announced at WAF include the inaugural Architecture Book of the Year Award, The Visualisation Prize, supported by Lumion, which celebrates this year’s best architectural render, WAFX, which celebrates the best of this year’s future projects, and The Architecture Drawing Prize, curated by Make Architects, Sir John Soane’s Museum and WAF, and supported by Iris Ceramica Group.