2025 World Architecture Festival shortlist announced
The World Architecture Festival awards programme released its shortlist for 2025 yesterday, with 11 projects from nine Aotearoa practices making the cut.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) shortlist celebrates the best new completed buildings and landscapes as well as the most compelling future architectural concepts and interior designs worldwide, across categories ranging from civic, to residential, transport and retrofit.
The overall shortlist of 460 projects comprises 235 completed buildings, 157 future projects and 64 interior designs from more than 350 unique practices.
The live judging event for the 18th edition of the global awards programme will take place in Miami, Florida from 12–14 November this year.
Congratulations to the following New Zealand projects that have made the 2025 WAF shortlist:
Completed buildings
Civic and community
Archives New Zealand, Warren and Mahoney in association with Tihei

Sport
Hiwa, Recreation Centre, Warren and Mahoney and MJMA Architecture & Design

House and Villa - (Rural/Coastal)
Bunker House, Chris Tate Architecture

School
Toi Manawa, Patterson Associates

Display
Whare Waka, DCA Architects of Transformation

Future project
Leisure Led Development
Rōhi, Monk Mackenzie

House
Dune House, Monk Mackenzie

Urban Design
Te Ara Tukutuku, LandLAB and SCAPE

Interiors
Bars and Restaurants
LDK Noodle Co, Office AIO

Sugarloaf, Hierachy Group

Graham Residence, Hierachy Group

This year, our New Zealand finalists will be presenting alongside entries from renowned international practices, including Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), Foster + Partners, Studio Gang, Grimshaw, Nikken Sekkei, Mario Cucinella Architects and Perkins&Will.
164 judges representing 37 countries will be judging their peers across the first two days of the Festival and all category winners will then go on to present to the Super Jury on the final day.
Learn more at worldarchitecturefestival.com.