Retail Latin America: The Best New Buildings Of The Year

Each year, more than 2,000 architects from 60 countries around the world gather to attend the World Architecture Festival, which features the largest and most prestigious annual awards ceremony for the industry.

The festival took place October 2nd - 4th at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, which was also once a WAF Award-winning design.

These 29 incredible designs were winners in their respective categories, which included Housing, Villa, and Office. Among the winners are repurposed public spaces, brand-new constructions, and even buildings that have yet to be started. Completed buildings were finished between January 1, 2012 and June 1, 2013. There is no time restriction on buildings in the "future projects" categories.

BEST HOUSE: This Australian house was created when a tiny caretaker's cottage was recycled and expanded to remove unused space.

Cox Rayner Architects, Casey and Rebekah Vallance

Winner in House category: 'The Left-Over-Space House" by Cox Rayner Architects, Australia

BEST IN HOUSING: The architects of this Los Angeles apartment complex restored and expanded on what used to be a YMCA in the 1920s.

Koning Eizenberg Architecture

Winner in Housing category: "28th Street Apartments" by Koning Eizenberg Architecture, USA

BEST OFFICE: This Norwegian building is made up of five layers of offices stacked on top of each other.

A-Lab

Winner in Office category: "Statoil Regional and International Offices" by A-Lab, Norway

BEST IN HIGHER ED/RESEARCH: This UK building and its piazzas blend into the surrounding hillside, giving students a pleasant open space for studying and relaxation.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Winner in Higher Education & Research category: "University of Exeter: Forum Project" by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, U.K.

BEST IN DISPLAY: The new home of the Denmark National Aquarium is covered in 33,000 aluminum shingles and looks just like a whirlpool.

3XN

Winner in Display category: "The Blue Planet" by 3XN, Denmark

BEST IN RELIGION: This cave-like mosque blends into its surrounding Turkish landscape. The main part of the space is located below the canopy seen here.

EAA - Emre Arolat Architects

Winner in Religion category: "Sancaklar Mosque" by EAA–Emre Arolat Architects, Turkey

BEST SCHOOL: The ground floor of this athletic complex in the Netherlands is completely transparent, making for an airy and freeing work-out experience.

Mecanoo International

Winner in Schools category: "Fontys Sports College" by Mecanoo International, Netherlands

BEST IN SHOPPING: This Swedish building contains offices, housing, and shops and has a publicly accessible roof with grassy hills.

Wingardh Arkitektkontor

Winner in Shopping category: "Emporia" by Wingardh Arkitektkontor, Sweden

BEST IN CIVIC/COMMUNITY: This miniature village was designed in collaboration with Women for Women International as an effort to rebuild infrastructure and create economic opportunity in Rwanda. The complex includes a demonstration kitchen where women learn to produce and market their own goods.

Sharon Davis Design

Winner in Civic & Community category: "Women's Opportunity Centre" by Sharon Davis Design, Rwanda

BEST VILLA: This Singaporean villa is basically two houses in one, connected to each other by a passageway that looks like a folding camera.

Chang Architects

Winner in Villa category: "Namly House" by Chang Architects, Singapore

BEST IN HEALTH: Located in Chicago, this 386-bed medical complex is the largest LEED Gold-NC certified hospital in the world.

Perkins+Will

Winner in Health category: "Rush University Medical Center New Hospital Tower" by Perkins+Will, USA

BEST IN ENERGY/RECYCLING: This Singaporean building's veil is able to simultaneously protect occupants from harsh tropical sunlight and provide great view of the park nearby.

Pencil Office

Winner in Production, Energy, and Recycling category: "A Simple Factory Building" by Pencil Office, Singapore

BEST HOTEL: This London hotel's beautiful inner courtyard brings natural light into the rooms and provides guests with a space to relax and socialize.

Concrete

Winner in Hotel & Leisure: "Citizen M London Bankside" by Concrete, U.K.

BEST IN SPORT: This UK building's fluid design reflects the complex's many swimming pools.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects

Winner in Sport: "Splashpoint Leisure Centre" by Wilkinson Eyre Architects, U.K.

BEST IN 'OLD & NEW': This Austrian palace was originally built for a Russian ambassador in the 19th century, but it has been updated to include a modern steel support system and an underground parking garage.

Baar Baarenfels Architeken

Winner in New & Old category: "Conversion of the Palais Rasumofsky" by Baar-Baarenfels Architekten, Austria

BEST IN TRANSPORT: This updated terminal in Australia was the site of the world's first international shipping service.

Johnson Pilton Walker Architects

Winner in Transport category: "Sydney Cruise Terminal" by Johnson Pilton Walker Architects, Australia

BEST IN CULTURE: This renovated art gallery in New Zealand, which won the award for World Building of the Year, mimics the surrounding hills and forests.

Frances-Jones Morehen Thorp and Archimedia

Winner of World Building of the Year award and in Culture category: "Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki" by Frances-Jones Morehen Thorp and Archimedia, New Zealand

BEST LANDSCAPE: This botanical garden is dedicated to Australian flora and contains some 170,000 plants of 1,700 different species.

Taylor Cullity Lethlean

Winner in Landscape category: "The Australian Garden" by Taylor Cullity Lethlean + Paul Thompson, Australia

BEST IN HEALTH (future project): Inner courtyards will bring light into this medical center in Kuwait while still preserving the necessary privacy and security.

AGI Architects

Winner in Future Projects–Health category: "New Sulaibikhat Medical Center" by AGI Architects, Kuwait

BEST HOUSE (future project): This spiritual site in Lebanon looks like a fallen boulder and will offer fantastic views of the neighboring forests and seaside.

MZ Architects

Winner in Future Projects–House category: "Meditation House" by MZ Architects, Lebanon

BEST IN COMMERCIAL/MIXED-USE (future project): A glassed-roof atrium will bring an abundance of light into this retail and office building in the UK.

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris

Winner in Future Projects–Commercial Mixed Use category: "New Office in Central London" by Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, U.K.

BEST OFFICE (future project): The headquarters for this Turkish pharmaceutical company are made up of seven separate houses connected to each other by gardens or patios.

Tabanlioglu Architects

Winner in Future Projects–Office category: "Selcuk Ecza Headquarters" by Tabanlioglu Architects, Turkey

BEST LEISURE DEVELOPMENT (future project): Located on a waterfront site of more than 80 acres, this massive building in Singapore will house a wide range of sporting, entertainment, retail, and leisure facilities.

Singapore Sports Hub Design Team (AECOM, DP Architects and Arup associates)

Winner in Future Projects–Leisure-Led Development: "Singapore Sports Hub" by Singapore Sports Hub Design Team, Singapore

BEST IN MASTERPLANNING (future project): This design calls for the creation of a whole new neighborhood in West London, complete with a sustainable housing community, offices, and a new shopping area.

Farrells

Winner in Future Projects–Masterplanning category: "Earls Court Masterplan" by Farrells, U.K.

BEST IN INFRASTRUCTURE (future project): This new construction will create what architects hope is a flood-proof terminal to replace the one destroyed in Brisbane in 2011.

Cox Rayner Architects

Winner in the Future Projects–Infrastructure category: "Brisbane Ferry Terminals Post-Flood Recovery" by Cox Rayner Architects, Australia

BEST IN EDUCATION (future project): This project in Denmark combines the construction of a new school district and sports complex with the renovation of historic buildings and plazas.

EFFEKT & RUBOW

Winner in the Future Projects–Education category: "The Urban School in Elsinore" by EFFEKT & RUBOW, Denmark

BEST IN RESIDENTIAL (future project): The unique design of these townhouses in Thailand allows for natural light and ventilation.

Somdoon Architects

Winner in Future Projects–Residential category: "Siamese Blossom" by Somdoon Architects Ltd., Thailand

BEST EXPERIMENTAL BUILDING (future project): With huge windows and wide open spaces, this futuristic office space in the UK takes its inspiration from industrial-era factories.