WAF Awards 2023: World’s best new buildings unveiled

A serene Dubai mosque, a Singapore skyscraper bursting with trees and a panda breeding research facility in Chengdu, China, have been named among the world’s best new buildings.

The eye-catching structures are among almost 250 completed projects shortlisted in this year’s World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards, which will culminate in one being named “World Building of the Year” in December.

Buildings will be judged across 18 categories spanning residential, commercial and cultural architecture. Category winners will then compete for the coveted overall prize, while other prizes will recognize the best in landscape architecture, proposed future projects and interior design.

The awards will be judged live by a 140-strong expert panel at this year’s WAF, which is being held in Singapore at the end of November. Other notable buildings on the shortlist include Newark Liberty International Airport’s recently opened Terminal A, Australia’s Holocaust Museum in Melbourne and new national stadiums in both Cambodia and Senegal.

Last year’s top prize went to Australia’s Quay Quarter Tower, an office building dubbed the world’s first “upcycled” skyscraper after Danish firm 3XN incorporated more than two-thirds of an existing 1970s structure into the new high-rise. Other recent winners have included a public library in the Netherlands and a Danish waste-to-energy power plant that doubles as an artificial ski and snowboard slope.

In a press statement, WAF’s program director Paul Finch said this year’s shortlist was “a reminder in a world experiencing numerous crises that architects continue to address both everyday and unusual challenges with skill and imagination.”

Scroll down to see a selection of this year’s nominees.