Winners – WAN – "Urban Design Awards 2011"

From the article:

“Both juries commend bravery of 2011 WAN AWARDS Urban Design winners

For the first time in WAN AWARD history, this year’s Urban Design jury sessions were held in adjoining rooms on the same day, adding to the enthusiasm and competition between our professional judges. Despite being separated by a (acoustically secure) dividing wall, both juries appeared to select their chosen winners for similar reasons – bravery in design and artistic conceptualisation.

The unbuilt jury was immediately enraptured by Code: arkitektur as’s halo-shaped viewing platform teetering on the edge of Vøringsfossen waterfalls in Eidfjord, Norway, Clive Dutton, Executive Director for Regeneration, Planning and Property at the London Borough of Newham exclaiming: “For me this is the winner – it’s the best by a country mile because it is so different and has a real wow factor to it. Not different in a crass way, but it’s imaginative.”

On the other side of the wall the completed jury was less decisive in their verdict, reducing the concise shortlist to two competing schemes. After much indecision it was concluded that Office of Architecture in Barcelona’s psychedelic Benidorm Waterfront scheme should take this year’s title with Martha Schwarz, Principal of Martha Schwartz Partners Ltd, declaring: “This is brilliant – this is one of the best things ever built – ever! In my humble opinion…””

To continue reading the article…

To view the shortlist in the unbuilt category…

To view the shortlist in the completed category…

(Source: World Architecture News)