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The Holy Redeemer Church and Community Centre of Las Chumberas, designed by Fernando Menis in Barcelona, Spain, has been awarded the title of World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival 2025. Meanwhile, the Fractal Chapel project at State Hospital Graz in Austria, designed by Innocad Architecture, has been recognized as the World Interior of the Year. The Landscape of the Year award went to Embracing Flood: Xinjiang River Ecological Corridor by Turenscape in Shangrao, Jiangxi Province, China.
The Future Project of the Year recognition was awarded to the Gelephu International Airport by BIG–Bjarke Ingels Group in Bhutan. Finally, the Regenerative Tree skyscraper by Nikken Sekkei in Tokyo is the overall winner of WAFX, the WAF section that celebrates international proposals embracing cutting-edge design addressing major global challenges, from the climate emergency to community resilience.
The overall winners of WAF 2025 were announced at the final event of the three-day festival's 18th edition, held in Miami from 12 to 14 November.
>>> Discover the winners of all 43 WAF 2025 categories and the Special Prizes
The project helps regenerate a peripheral neighborhood by introducing a gathering space for local residents. The complex includes a church, a community center, and a public square. Inspired by the volcanic landscape, it features massive forms defined by raw, textured surfaces.
Natural light is a key element of the design: filtering through narrow slits, it shapes an introverted and austere space that invites reflection. Devoid of windows, the church interior is illuminated by the cross and by zenithal light. Throughout the day, shifting light conditions highlight different areas, guiding visitors in their inner exploration.
From a material standpoint, the undisputed protagonist is concrete: chosen for its versatility, it performs structural, formal, tactile, and acoustic functions. Mixed with volcanic stones, and combined with smooth or rough exposed-concrete surfaces, it ensures acoustic control comparable to that of an opera house.
The Fractal Chapel, located within a state hospital in Graz and operated by the Protestant Church, offers a serene refuge for patients, staff, and visitors. Designed by INNOCAD architecture, the project is grounded in the latest research in neuroscience and environmental psychology, integrating biophilic elements and fractal patterns to create a calm and emotionally engaging space.
Developed through a collaboration between the designers and scientists from the University of Oregon / Fractals Research, these patterns draw inspiration from the geometry of nature and were generated using a custom software program that combines artistic input with scientific analysis.
The floor, ceiling, and benches are made of wood, as is the altar—the heart of the chapel—crafted by an Austrian sculptor from the inverted stump of a walnut tree. Surrounded by fractal surfaces and enhanced by carefully designed lighting, it invites moments of introspection and contemplation.
The Xinjiang River Ecological Corridor in the Chinese city of Shangrao rehabilitates a 102-hectare floodplain, transforming it into an ecological and recreational space. Applying the principles of the sponge city, an urban-planning model developed in China in the early 2000s, the project enhances flood resilience, restores native habitats, and ensures year-round public access to the area.
As the project name Embracing Flood suggests, the idea is not to resist seasonal flooding but rather to welcome water as a dynamic force, integrating it into the landscape to support biodiversity and urban resilience.
Strategically located near the border with India and the Paitha River, the Gelephu International Airport will become Bhutan’s second international gateway, scheduled to open in 2029. Blending traditional craftsmanship with contemporary innovation, BIG’s design celebrates Bhutanese culture: the terminal’s diagrid structure, built using locally sourced timber, is adorned with traditional Bhutanese carvings. The painted façade recalls the Kachen, a sacred structural wooden pillar, merging spiritual symbolism with architectural heritage.
Travelers will be welcomed by a dramatic triple-height entrance and will have access to both indoor and outdoor lounges featuring spaces for yoga, gong bathing, and meditation. The gates—located on the upper level alongside retail and dining areas—will offer panoramic views of the Himalayas. Skylights and floor-to-ceiling glazing will allow abundant natural light; ventilated roofs and courtyards will promote airflow; and generous overhangs will provide shade and protection from monsoon rains.
The overall winner of the WAFX is the Regenerative Tree Tower in Tokyo, a next-generation skyscraper designed by Nikken Sekkei. The building is conceived to reduce the whole-life carbon cycle by 40% through a series of integrated design strategies. These include structural optimization to reduce steel usage; the application of biomimetic technologies to enhance the environmental performance of MEP systems; internal transit systems designed to lower energy consumption; and flexible floor layouts featuring planting schemes that can accommodate different workstyles and enable changes in use throughout the building’s lifecycle.
