After three days of the Worlld Architecture Festival in Singapore, the festival's super-jury has awarded the World Building of the Year award to The Chapel, Vietnam, designed by a21studio. Working to the model of a traditional Vietnamese neighbourhood building, a21studio created this multi-purpose community space and youth centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
The Chapel is a community space in a new urban ward on the outskirt of Hochiminh city, Vietnam. As the result of estate crisis, the surrounding area is lacking of communal centres; therefore, the Chapel is designed to be the place for people, especially the youth, to participate in activities such as conferences, weddings, exhibitions or enjoying a light coffee and snack.
The steel frame and metal sheets used to build the structure were leftovers from the owner's previous projects, allowing the building to be constructed on a tight budget. Three layers of printed fabric cover the windows, creating a rainbow of light around the interior, while a tree shaped steel column supports the roof.
Three other major awards were awarded during awards ceremony to mark the culmination of WAF 2014:
- Future Project of the Year.- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada, designed by 5468796 Architecture + number TEN architectural.
- Landscape Project of the Year.- National Arboretum Canberra, Australia, designed by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer.
- Small Project of the Year.- The Pinch, China, designed by Olivier Ottevaere and John Lin / The University of Hong Kong .
Two inaugural prizes were also awarded:
- Colour Prize.- Departments of Law and Central Administration, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria, designed by Cook Robotham Architectural Bureau
- Wood Excellence Prize.- Alex Monroe Studio, Snowfields, UK, designed by DSDH.
