12 Pinoy Projects Shortlisted at the World Architecture Festival 2023

The record is broken yet again!

For 2023, the World Architecture Festival shows The Philippines love with a record-breaking 12 shortlist placements, a new achievement in terms of project number and participating firms. This year’s showing of 12 entries from 12 practices trounces last year’s ten entries and eight firms, which was, in turn, an increase over the number of shortlisted entries during the Philippines’ winningest year, 2021: The country reaped two WAFX category plums, the coveted WAFX Project of the Year honor, and three Highly Commended titles from the jury.

We are back INSIDE

Flying the flag solo for the Philippines’ return to INSIDE Festival of Interiors is Alero Design Studio. The Ortigas-based design practice has made the WAF shortlists twice (2019 and 2021) but is a debutant at INSIDE. The studio made the juror’s cut for the small office category with Rebel Base, the firm’s new space, which we have featured previously on Kanto. The Philippines has never netted more than one placement at INSIDE for the two previous years it has made a showing (2015, 2020), both times, it was through architecture practice Jorge Yulo and Associates.

More new names this 2023

2023’s crop of Pinoy entries is just as typologically diverse as last year’s: a micro home for ancestral domains, a reinvention of the barangay center, a farm resort, and a public market were among the projects that received the jurors’ nod.

Five participants from this year’s batch are new to the shortlist stage. Pampanga-based KJHP Design Group (La Terrain under the Future Projects, Leisure-led Development category), Archion Architects (Manta Corporate Plaza, Built Project, Office category), PDP Architects (Damosa Diamond Tower, Built Projects, Office category), Dominic Galicia Architects (Kilyawan Farm Resort, Built Project, Hotel and Leisure category) and Davao-based Laurence Angeles of MLA At Home (Microhomes for Ancestral Domains, Built Project, Housing category) will make their WAF crit stage debuts in Singapore.

The old guards show how it’s done

WAF veterans still make up most of the 2023 shortlist. Visionarch (Carbon Cebu Trade and Expo Center, Future Project, Commercial Mixed-Use) returns to the WAF after its first shortlist placement in 2017 for the One Ayala TOD. Carlo Calma Consultancy (Hotel Elizabeth Resorts and Villas, Built Project, Hotel and Leisure) makes a comeback after a successful stint back in 2021 where he nabbed the WAFX Food category win for Cagbalete Sand Clusters. WTA Architecture and Design Studio meanwhile continues their WAF shortlist streak with FEM Stadium under the Built Projects, Sport category.

Buensalido + Architects storms the Future Projects, Civic category with Pangasinan Barangay Centers. The firm last won Highly Commended plums back in 2021 for the Interweave project. Hospital architecture firm JRS + Partners last made the shortlist in 2019 for Sagip Kanlungan and makes a return to the WAF with the St. Luke’s Medical Center New Hospital Building (NHB), done in close collaboration with ARUP, under the Future, Healthcare category. DST Design + Build (Unfinished Basket under the Built Project, Hotel and Leisure category) keeps their WAF shortlist streak for a second year, which started with their debut entry, the Tree House project.

Another Pinoy makes the jury panel

Following last year’s juror turns by former WAF winners Benjamin Mendoza of BAAD (Sunken Shrine of Cabetican, Future Projects, Civic winner and Future Project of the Year, Highly Commended, 2018) and William Ti, Jr. (Horizon Manila, WAFX Future Project of the Year, 2020), Sudarshan Khadka of Leandro V. Locsin Partners (Streetlight Tagpuro, Small Project of the Year, 2017) joins the festival’s esteemed panel of jurors, tasked with the difficult challenge of ascertaining this year’s winners across 44 categories.

What’s next?

The journeys of our 12 WAF Pinoy entrants have now begun! As WAF media partner for a third straight year, Kanto will now spearhead a series of preparatory events and activities with our coverage partner to get our chosen 11 in tiptop shape come WAF (November 29 – December 1). The shortlisted entrants will then present their projects live to an international jury where each stands a chance to win either category, special and WAFX prizes, and the coveted World Building and Interior of the Year plums. Kanto readers get a front-seat view of all the exciting developments surrounding our 12 design heroes, from the shortlist stage to live crit stage in Singapore.

Stay tuned for our standalone features of the 12 Pinoy shortlisted projects in the coming months, where we check in with our shortlist candidates and take a deep dive into the projects representing the country at the WAF. View the full WAF shortlist here. •

You may view the WAF 2023 Festival Program below: