Leisure architecture was a big winner on the opening day (15 November) of the World Architecture Festival (WAF) in Berlin, with a number of cultural buildings triumphing in the first stage of the prestigious WAF Awards.

The Culture category, which consisted of 15 completed projects, was won by Heneghan Peng Architects for the Palestinian Museum. The judging panel commended the studio for “working with the contours of Palestine”, adding that “like the place and culture where it is situated, this building will define its purpose over time”.

Another museum, this time existing only on paper, won the Future Project award in the Competition Entries category. Designed by architects Pilbrow & Partners, the archaeological museum proposed for Nicosia, Cyprus is conceived as a floating deck set atop a hill offering panoramic views and protecting an archeological site below. The judges praised the versatility and simplicity of the design.

Alison Brooks Architects’ landmark public installation, The Smile, won the Display - Completed Buildings Display category. Designed as a temporary installation for the London Design Festival, the judges described The Smile as “a small build with a big impact, a simple and powerful concept which overcomes big technical challenges to deliver a delightful installation.”

Finally, the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis by HKS Architects was the winner of the Sport - Completed Buildings category for providing a great venue for sporting and cultural events, while also offering plazas, parks and an observation platform connecting with the surrounding urban environment which can be used all year-round.

The arrival of WAF has seen architects and designers from around the world descending on Arena Berlin to debate issues facing the industry and to celebrate the world’s best recently completed and future architectural projects. The three-day event is the only global festival that combines conferences, networking and awards.

WAF is being held alongside the INSIDE World Festival celebrating global interiors. The winners of each of WAF's 35 competition categories and INSIDE's nine categories will be announced by the end of tomorrow. These triumphant practices will then pitch their projects again on 17 November to a super jury, with the overall winner named World Building of the Year.

A star-studded line-up of architects, designers and urbanists, including Rafael Viñoly, Pierre de Meuron, Alison Brooks, Sir Peter Cook and WOHA founders Richard Hassell and Wong Mun Summ, are among those who have delivered or will deliver seminar talks on topics related to this year’s festival theme, ‘Performance’.

CLADmag managing editor Magali Robathan and news editor Kim Megson will be reporting from the festival throughout the week.