Now in their 17th year, the global WAN Awards are intended to celebrate outstanding architecture on an international scale. Get started on your entry today and take advantage of the last week of the standard entry rate.
Every project entered in the WAN Awards is assessed by an expert panel of senior industry judges from across the world.
Architect Raymond Hoe is a Regional Director of BDP's operations in Singapore and the wider Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. With a career spanning more than two decades, his vision is to create timeless, sustainable and beautiful environments that are aspirational to clients and communities driven by commercial intelligence and critical design thinking. A former WAN Award winner himself for his design for modern tropical living in Singapore's "Strata House" he is keen to see both “vision and rigour” among the entries in order to “mutually spur one another to design better for the future of the built-environment.”
He says: “Being recognised by our peers in the industry affirms one's continuous path of seeding new ideas towards building inquisitive minds and making a difference in our built environment.”
Veteran Czech-born architect Eva Jiricna (pictured above left) was based in London from 1968 with notable worke on the Brighton Marina project and on Lloyd's Building. She started her own practice in 1982 and became well known for the interiors of shops and residential projects as well as her work in the Victoria and Albert Museum and Canada Water Bus Station. She opened another practice, AI DESIGN in Prague in 1999, and completed many projects including hotels, University buildings, Multipurpose Auditorium amongst others.
She is keen for entries to show clarity and ease of understanding to allow the judges to “understand perfectly any submitted entry”.
She adds: “All projects will profit from clear logical and as brief as possible description to start with. After that more detailed information could follow with interesting thoughts and details.”
She believes the WAN Awards are crucial to inform the general public as well as other architects and designers.
“It’s interesting for the general public to know what architects and designers are doing and achieving and for architects/designers it's important to see themselves in the context of a wide section of other professionals,” she says.
Viktorie Souckova is Managing Director of Bogle Architects' Prague office. After graduating from UMPRUM Prague in 2000 where she studied under Eva Jiricná she worked at Foster + Partners in London on projects including the 'Metropolitan Warsaw' building in Poland and the Newbury Racecourse Grandstand in the UK. In 2007, Viktorie moved back to Prague where she has worked on the masterplan for Nákladové nádrazí Zizkov and the ELI Beamlines International Laser Research Centre in Dolni Brezany. Viktorie continues to expand the Prague office - current projects include the luxury Vokovický Dvur residential scheme and several commercial developments.
She urges entrants to “Be clear and innovative with your thoughts you put into projects” and believes the WAN Awards are worth entering because of the “recognition” they offer.