Earlier in July the shortlist for the 2016 World Architecture Festival (WAF) awards was announced. It is truly extensive, including a variety of projects from an array of sectors. One look at it and you can see just how broad the architectural industry is. Awards will be offered for completed buildings and future ones as well as landscape work and small projects.

There are some really incredible projects on the shortlist, including homes, commercial architecture, schools, and museums too. They showcase the astonishing talent of the architects and designers in the field and reflect the attitudes, philosophies and values they hold.

To determine who wins the prestigious awards there will be live judging during the course of the event. Over 100 judges will be present at the Festival to give their expert views on the projects. This means the winners are sure to be those that truly stand out or offer something special.

The World Architecture Festival will take place on 16th – 18th November at the Arena Berlin in Germany. It will consist of the awards ceremony for the projects that win recognition, a gallery of each project, three conferences, and an exhibition. Alongside these there will be all manner of fringe events to enjoy.

The WAF’s sister festival INSIDE will be held at the same time. It has become one of the most important interior events on the calendar. This year over 150 entries were received to take part. This is an unprecedented number and will make the show the largest it has even been. It also means there will be more opportunities to explore global interiors.

Both festivals are a celebration of architecture and design in many forms and will be attended by thousands of guests. Alongside enjoying designs it will also be a chance for people to explore ideas and seek collaborations.

At Coffey Architects we are excited to see the incredible designs and ideas that will be on show at the Festival. One of the things we will be looking for is how each different each architect and designer deals with the unique settings. This shows how they consider the environment and the impact of their project.