The winners of this year's World Architecture Festival Awards have been announced. More than 300 new building projects competed across 33 categories during the three-day festival, with the winners of each vying for the World Building of the Year award. The top prize has has been given to Wilkinson Eyre Architects for the design of Singapore's Cooled Conservatories, which is part of the Gardens by the Bay development. The 250-acre project forms a flagship role in the government's vision to transform Singapore into a "city in a garden". It features three waterfront gardens and a lattice-roofed "flower dome" (pictured).
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
Cloud house —
Cloud House, in Melbourne, was designed with the existing neighborhood in mind. While the street-side facade respects the original Edwardian appearance, the back of the house resembles a child-like impression of a cloud. Designed by: McBride Charles Ryan
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Wuxi Grand Theatre —
Built on the man-made peninsula of Taihi Lake in China, the Wuxi Grand Theatre was designed to have the appearance of a sculpture rising from the sea. Adding a touch of drama, the steel wings are dotted with thousands of LED lights that change color according to the character of the performances. Designed by: PES-Architects, Finland
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Belconnen police station —
The Station, a police station in the city of Belconnen, Australia, is wrapped around two courtyards, one private and one public. The architects' aim was to provide policemen with a sanctuary in the private courtyard, which forms the heart of the station. Designed by: BVN, Australia
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Triple V pavillion —
Since its construction in 2011, the Triple V Gallery has become an icon along the Dong Jiang Bay coastline in Tianjin China. The pointy pavilion houses a tourist information center, a permanent show gallery and a discussion lounge. Designed by: Ministry of Design, Singapore
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iGuizini headquarters —
Sandwiched between two highways, this golf ball-shaped building houses offices of Italian light-maker iGuizini. Its facade is covered by a fabric cloak to protect it from direct sunlight while at night, the building turns into a shining sphere. Designed by: Josep Miàs, Spain
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Liyuan library —
Located on the outskirts of Beijing, the single-storey Liyuan Library is cloaked in firewood so as to blend in with the surrounding tree life. Designed by: Li Xiaodong, China
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Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama —
The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, which opened to students last year, also utilizes interior panels of timber cladding as part of its $37m refurbishment. Designed by: BFLS, UK
Courtesy: Nick Guttridge
Keppel Bay —
Prominently situated at the entrance to Singapore's historic Keppel Harbor, Reflections at Keppel Bay is a two-million square-foot residential development composed of six high-rise towers. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the architect behind the original master plan for the World Trade Center redevelopment, it is set for completion in 2013. Designed by: Studio Daniel Libeskind, U.S.
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
Soweto theatre —
South Africa's glistening Soweto Theatre incorporates a top-heavy sloped curve to provide additional service space on the upper floors. Designed by: Afritects, South Africa
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki —
Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in Auckland, New Zealand has been praised for its natural forms and "moments of drama," such as the intricately crafted canopies over the atrium and forecourt. Designed by: Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp, Australia
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Hut on sleds —
This "hut on sleds" sits on the shore of a beach on New Zealand's Coromandel Peninsula. The site lies within the coastal erosion zone, where all building must be removable. As such, the building has been crafted on two thick wooden sleds for movement back up the site or across the beach and onto a barge.
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
Sven Harry's museum —
The Sven Harry's museum is clad in an alloy of copper, zinc, aluminium and tin. The architects claim that this gives it the golden lustre of brass without its tendency to darken when exposed to oxygen. Designed by: Wingardhs Architects, Sweden
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
The Hive —
The UK's Hive library, which also integrates with a university, derives its name from distinctive golden 'honeycomb' cladding.Designed by: Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, UK
Courtesy: World Architecture Festival 2012
Island retreat —
Perched on a hilltop facing New Zealand's Hauraki bay, the aptly named "Island Retreat" capitalizes on the area's extreme weather conditions, with extensive solar generation and a rainwater harvesting system. Designed by: Fearon Hay Architects, New Zealand