Entries for the annual World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2022 are now open, including the Best Use of Certified Timber prize supported by the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
The WAF Awards are for work completed, end date 30 Jun 2022, or started since January 2021. The entry deadline is 6 May 2022. This year, the WAF will be held in Lisbon from 30 Nov–2 Dec 2022.
Now in its 15th year, the WAF prizes have become some of the most highly regarded and significant architectural prizes in the world and are judged by some of the biggest names in architecture. Shortlisted entrants are expected to present their projects live to the jury in front of an audience of peers.
Winning a WAF award is said to give the architect’s practice a business boost and elevate their global reputation as leading low carbon architects and sustainable building designers. Plus, all entries will be featured on the World Buildings Directory.
2022 will be the fourth year that PEFC has sponsored the Best Use of Certified Timber prize. Last year, 22 projects from around the world made the shortlist, with eight making it to the final judging stage. The Best Use of Certified Timber Prize shortlist will be chosen from the main WAF shortlist.
The Best Use of Certified Timber prize recognises architects and project teams for their use of certified timber as a key material for buildings, which combine aesthetics with sustainability, innovation and quality. A special jury, including a PEFC representative, will identify entries which have used certified timber in this way.
PEFC-certified timber – including engineered wood products such as CLT and glulam – means that the forest is being sustainably managed in line with 140 demanding criteria. These requirements include biodiversity enhancement, soil protection, maintenance of watercourses and the rights of forest workers and local communities.
The 2021 WAF Best Use of Certified Timber Prize Winner was ‘Te Whare Nui o Tuteata’, the Scion Innovation hub in Rotorua, New Zealand, which used PEFC-certified laminated veneer lumber (LVL) and cross laminated timber (CLT), from certified forests in New Zealand.
Shortlisted architects will be contacted to confirm that the timber specified and used on the project originates from certified sources. Architects who are submitting a project which has used certified timber for a WAF Award can enter it for the Best Use of Certified Timber prize as well with no additional fee required, according to PEFC.
For more information on the WAF Best Use of Certified Timber prize visit: https://worldarchitecturefestival.com/live/en/page/special-prizes
