The Special Prizes presented annually within the World Architecture Festival (WAF) aim to highlight creative, innovative, and impactful projects across diverse areas of architecture.
These awards recognize outstanding achievements in categories such as material use, light and color integration, scale, aesthetic approach, sustainability, and water design, celebrating projects that make a difference in multiple dimensions of the discipline.
Each category seeks to spotlight exemplary works of architecture on a global scale and contribute to the ongoing development of the profession.
Below, you can explore the projects shortlisted for the 2025 Special Prizes Categories:
Shortlist | WAF 2025 Shortlist
Full list of Judges | WAF 2025 Judges
WAFX Prizes | WAFX 2025 Winners
Special Prizes | Categories & Projects
Best Use of Natural Light
Sponsored by:
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Health
AGNES Kantonsspital Baden
Nickl & Partner Architekten Schweiz AG
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Transport
Central Station
Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners
Lantern House | Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc
Lantern House
Leckie Studio Architecture + Design Inc
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Culture
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
Thomas Phifer and Partners
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Sport
New building for the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona
Batlleiroig
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Production Energy and Logistics
Quinta De Adorigo Winery
Atelier Sergio Rebelo
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: School
Redhill Early Learning Center
Hubo Studio
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Housing
Terrazas para la vida
Urbanitree
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Higher Education and Research
University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center in Paris
Studio Gang
Best Use of Stone
Sponsored by:
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Hotel and Leisure
Desert Rock
Oppenheim Architecture
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Office
Heartland Whole Health Institute
Marlon Blackwell Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Creative Re-use
Naxxar House
AP Valletta
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Hotel and Leisure
Ritual Space
GEOMIM
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Housing
SCREEN 504
SANJAY PURI ARCHITECTS
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: House & Villa (Urban/Suburban)
The Central Courtyard Villa
NextOffice (Studio of Architectural Research & Design)
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: House & Villa (Urban/Suburban)
Vourla House
GAD Architecture
The Sustainability Prize
Sponsored by:
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Office
1265 Borregas
MGA | Michael Green Architecture, SERA Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Health
AGNES Kantonsspital Baden
Nickl & Partner Architekten Schweiz AG
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Production energy and Logistics
Croton Drinking Water Filtration Plant
Grimshaw
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Creative Re-use
ROSEBERY ENGINE YARDS
GROUP GSA
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Office
T3 Diagonal Mar Offices in Barcelona
Batlleiroig
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Health
University of Rochester Medical Center, Saunders Center for Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Perkins&Will with SLAM Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Housing
urbanest Battersea
Allford Hall Monaghan Morris
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Creative Re-use
Younghusband
Woods Bagot
The American Beauty Prize
Sponsored by:
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Office
1265 Borregas
MGA | Michael Green Architecture, SERA Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Transport
CBMAA Campus Parking
Marlon Blackwell Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Housing
Isla Intersections Supportive Housing & Paseo
Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Civic and Community
NYPD 40th Precinct
BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Culture
Pritzker Military Archives Center
Jahn/
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Production Energy and Logistics
Wildflower Film Studios
BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group
Best Use of Colour
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Landscape
Alibaba Xixi Tech Campus Landscape
ASPECT Studios
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Sport
Blacktown Exercise and Sports Technology Hub (BEST)
ARM Architecture
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Health
Canberra Hospital Expansion
BVN
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Transport
CBMAA Campus Parking
Marlon Blackwell Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Shopping
Central Nakhon Pathom
stu/D/O Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: House and Villa - (Rural/Coastal)
Island Oasis
Architecture Joyce Owens LLC
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Higher Education and Research
Scaife Hall of Engineering
KieranTimberlake
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Shopping
Wuhan Snow World
CLOU architects
Best Use of Timber
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: School
Kreher Preserve & Nature Center Environmental Education Building
Leers Weinzapfel Associates, Architects Inc.
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Display
Osaka-Kansai Expo 2025 Japan Pavilion
NIKKEN SEKKEI LTD
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Production Energy and Logistics
Quinta De Adorigo Winery
Atelier Sergio Rebelo
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: House and Villa (Rural/Coastal)
Rancho del Bosque
Sordo Madaleno
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Retrofit
Retrofitting a Hotel in the Wood District
Baar-Baarenfels Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Production Energy and Logistics
RISE Bioeconomy Arena
Sweco Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Office
T3 Diagonal Mar Offices in Barcelona
Batlleiroig
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Higher Education and Research
University of Queensland Soundshell
Kirk Studio
Small Project of the Year
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Display
Chicken Hero Pavilion
RAD+ar (Research Artistic Design + architecture)
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Civic and Community
Courtyard35 – Hutong Cloudscape
WAY Studio
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Creative Re-use
DOM-INO HUB
atelier tho.A
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Transport
Garage for car collection
ATRIUM
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Transport
Old Street Station Entrance
WW+P Architects
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Civic and community
Shrine of Healing (Dambana ng Paghilom)
Nazareno Architecture + Design
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Civic and community
The Holy Redeemer Church and Community Centre of Las Chumberas
Fernando Menis
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Landscape
The Osona Viewpoint Network
Batlleiroig
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Completed Buildings: Higher Education and Research
University of Queensland Soundshell
Kirk Studio
The GROHE Water Prize
Sponsored by:
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
Cape Flats Aquifer Recharge Plant
SALT Architects, Pierre Marais
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
Decentralized Participative approach for Canal Rejuvenation
Inspiration Collective, Latha Raman Jaigopal
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
Living Green Community
UArchitects, Misak Terzibasiyan
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
Sponge by the Forks
University of Manitoba, Thy Nguyen
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
String Theory
Bartlett School of Architecture, Emily Salvi
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
WATER FORT. From military network to water infrastructure
AP Future Heritage Foundation Erica Giusta
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
Waterspaces
Rizoma del Agua, Diego Rivero Borrell
WAF 2025 Shortlist | Grohe Water Prize
