Is this the best building designed in 2014?
This year’s world Architecture Festival has named The Chapel in Vietnam – a community centre made largely of re-used materials – World Building of the Year.
Rejecting the many skyscrapers and flashy cultural building that have been completed this year, the jury at this year's World Architecture Festival, which takes place annual in Singapore, has named a simple and unassuming community centre on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City World Building of the Year.
The Chapel, designed by a21studio, is a made largely of corrugated steel and metal panels and has coloured translucent windows, which reflect sunlight during the day and glow after dark when they are backlit by the building's internal lights.
The project is in a new urban ward on the outskirt of Ho Chi Minh City, an area that has a dearth of community buildings. The Chapel is used for community activities such as conferences, weddings and exhibitions.
The project was selected by a panel of judges including some of the world's leading architects and designers; led by renowned British architect Richard Rogers, it included Rocco Yim (Hong Kong), Julie Eizenberg (USA), Enric Ruiz Geli (Spain) and Peter Rich (South Africa).
As well as World building of the Year, there were also ---- other category winners:
World Colour Prize: Departments of Law and Central Administration, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Austria
Landscape Project of the Year: National Arboretum Canberra, Australia, by Taylor Cullity Lethlean and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
Small Project of the Year: The Pinch, China, designed by Olivier Ottevaere and John Lin of The University of Hong Kong
Wood Excellence Prize: Alex Monroe Studio, Snowsfields, London, by DSDHA
Future Project of the Year: Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Canada, designed by 5468796 Architecture + number TEN architectural group
