The World Architectural Festival recently announced a shortlist of over 400 architects competing for top prices in design categories such as World Building of the Year, Interior of the Year, and Future Project of the Year.
Alberto Lugo (aka Androsky Lugo), a professional architect with many years of experience designing commercial and public projects, offers his take on the festival and the potential winners listed by its judges.
Androsky Lugo was especially inspired by the fact that climate change was front and center at the festival as live event programs sought to explore the role architecture can play in combating climate change. Recent statistics show that buildings account for a whopping 40% of all energy usage and about half of all greenhouse gas emissions. Many of the most commonly-used building materials, such as concrete and chemical insulation, are incredibly bad for the environment.
For the last ten years, Andrsoky Lugo has focused on promoting sustainable architectural designs that protect natural habitats and design structures and projects that work with nature rather than against it, so it’s no surprise that he was inspired by designs such as the Yoo Forest House and El Nido, two projects shortlisted for the Completed Buildings award. These and other similar designs are becoming increasingly popular as architects and consumers alike look for ways to incorporate nature into their home designs.
Androsky Lugo also points out that the focus on climate change goes well with the WAF’s primary theme of Togetherness. The theme, designed to showcase ways in which architecture is responding to the renewal of collective life in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, fits in well with the blending of nature and construction to create livable, eco-friendly spaces in which people can relax and spend time with those they love without inadvertently spreading sickness. Indeed, many of the projects shortlisted for the landscape award fit in well with both themes. The Revitalization of Rasulbagh Children’s Park, for instance, inspires families to spend time with each other in a clean, natural environment.
What’s more, the project also includes a water management program that collects rainwater and delivers it to new public facilities in the local neighborhood. The Green Coverage of the Ronda de Dalt Highway is made using natural materials and connects city residents to the environment as well as each other, making it easy for residents to minimize the use of vehicles.
The World Architectural Festival was a highly-anticipated event this year as it was the first time the festival was conducted in person since the COVID-19 pandemic. Androsky Lugo notes the event did not disappoint, as the joint themes of togetherness and climate change have inspired architects the world over to showcase their cutting-edge sustainable creations and designs.
While only a few entries will be lucky enough to win a prize, Lugo anticipates that the shortlisted designs will enable architects that are promoting sustainable development to generate awareness of the need for such projects, and he looks forward to the influence these architects and designers will have on the industry as they strive to create designs that address two of the world’s most important challenges.
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