Words The Kanto Team
Images World Architecture Festival (WAFX Prize 2024)
The Philippines makes a rousing start to its World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2024 campaign, securing three wins, the most ever, from the WAFX Prize. Balai Ani by Pluszerotwo Architecture and Waste-Wise House by Bacungan Architects triumph in the Carbon and Climate category, while the Maguindanao del Norte Capitol by Swito Architecture Designs captures the Power and Justice WAFX Prize.
Launched in 2017 to celebrate WAF’s 10th year, the WAFX Prize is a global platform that honors projects using design and architecture to tackle major world issues such as the climate emergency, health, technology, and community resilience, showcasing the power of architecture to shape our world. You may view the full list of WAFX winners here.
Last year, the Philippines made its mark with Buensalido + Architects’ (now Barchan Architecture) Pangasinan Barangay Centers, which earned Highly Commended honors under the Civic Category of the main WAF competition. The Philippines is no stranger to the WAFX Prize section of the festival, having had its most successful year in 2021 with wins for the Food prize by Carlo Calma’s Cagbalete Sand Clusters and the Water prize by WTA Architecture and Design Studio’s Horizon Manila, which also won the coveted WAFX Project of the Year.
WAFX Prize recipients are in the running for the honor of the WAFX Project of the Year, to be announced at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore from November 6-8, 2024.
Let’s hear from our three winning studios as they reflect on their momentous achievements! Congratulations at mabuhay kayong lahat!
Power and Justice WAFX Prize:
Maguindanao del Norte Capitol by Swito Architecture Designs
It is such an honor to win the WAFX Power and Justice Category Award! As a Filipina and a Mindanaoan, I have always strived to design spaces that showcase the diversity and richness of our cultures and promote inclusivity and justice.
This recognition encourages me to continue advocating for meaningful architecture that promotes peace, empowers communities, and celebrates our shared heritage.
Thank you for this incredible honor!
– Arch. Gloryrose Dy-Metilla, principal architect, Swito Architecture Designs
Carbon and Climate WAFX Prize:
Balai Ani by Pluszerotwo Architecture
We are incredibly honored to win the Carbon and Climate category for WAFX at the World Architecture Festival 2024. As architects, we often sketch visions of the future, but today, we celebrate a commitment to our planet’s well-being. Our mantra is that good design can make a difference, and we strive to create spaces that improve quality of life for all. Achieving this was no small feat, given that our team is just my partner and me. Balancing this project with our architectural practice, postgraduate studies, and my duties as a college professor was a high-wire act.
Our vision was to redefine middle-cost housing, avoiding design clichés. We aimed to create a solution for the typical Filipino household, respecting traditional passive building systems and innovating them for contemporary use. Our goal was to design spaces that are affordable, sustainable, beautiful, and tailored to our community’s needs. This project reflects our dedication to enhancing both aesthetic and practical aspects of housing.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to the jury for recognizing our vision, our client for believing in our mission, and our dedicated team of two who worked tirelessly, often battling architectural challenges and time zone differences. Thank you for this incredible honor. Let’s look forward to a greener, more sustainable world by designing for the present and reimagining the past to build the future.
– Arch. Enzo Belandres, co-principal, Pluszerotwo Architecture
Carbon and Climate WAFX Prize:
Waste-Wise House by Bacungan Architects
When I received the email at 12:30 AM on Friday informing me that Bacungan Architects had won the WAFX Award, I was shocked and incredibly grateful. This award not only amplifies the voice of young architects from the Philippines but also represents an opportunity to help shape a better world. We aim to make a significant impact within the community at the World Architecture Festival, using this platform to address global issues.
Our victory is a testament to our dedication to causes greater than ourselves. Since 2018, I’ve closely followed Philippine entries at WAF, always wondering how I could be among them. Winning the WAFX Award is a tremendous honor, and we are humbled and proud to be recognized as a young architectural design firm. Our project, the Waste Wise House, addresses pressing concerns of waste management and pollution, pushing us to innovate and collaborate. This project is one of many initiatives through which we aim to make a positive impact on global challenges like climate change.
Participating in competitions is integral to our learning culture, pushing our creativity and benchmarking our work against the best. Our project “Waste-Wise House” was recognized as one of the top 50 entries at the Tiny House Architecture Design Competition in March 2024, showcased at UAP NatCon 49 in April 2024, and shortlisted for Concept Design of the Year at the UAP Design Awards in June 2024. These recognitions led us to participate on a much bigger stage at WAF, where we believe we can bring our mission to the global stage.
– Arch. Rocksty James Bacungan, principal architect, Bacungan Architects
#ReadyforSingapore
And the journey to Singapore begins! This is Kanto’s fourth straight year as Philippine WAF media partner, and we start our coverage by publishing standalone features of the 8 Pinoy shortlisted projects in the coming months. With our coverage partner, we will organize a series of preparatory events and activities to get our chosen 8 in fighting form come WAF in November. Kanto readers will get a front-row seat to all the exciting developments surrounding our Pinoy entrants, from the shortlist to the live crit stage in Singapore. Let’s get #KantoWAF2024 started! •
