
Architectural Photography Awards 2018 – Long Museum West Bund Shanghai China by Atelier Deshaus. © Pawel Paniczko.
WAF 2018 – Images of dereliction and abandonment, sport activity complexes, highly abstract architectural patterns as well as landmark monuments and pavilions and are among the 20 shortlisted photographs which will compete for the The Architectural Photography Awards 2018 and will be exhibited at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam, from 28th-30th November.
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Supported by the WAF and PICSEL and sponsored by Sto and Dornbracht, the competition and exhibition features finalists from 47 countries in the 4 main categories: Exteriors, Interiors, Sense of Place and Buildings in Use.
In the new Portfolio category, judges will assess entries of four-six photographs relating to one architectural project. In the Mobile category for photographs taken on a mobile device, there will be two winners – the judges’ choice and a public choice. Cast your vote until 12pm Friday 30th November HERE. The winners will be revealed the very same day!
Unusually, two entries featured the same building – The Hive, designed by Wolfgang Buttress which debuted as the British Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015. Omer Kanipak’s image of children peering in was shortlisted in the ‘Buildings in Use’ category while Jeff Eden’s picturesque photo of The Hive in the snow was shortlisted in the Sense of Place category.
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The widely eclectic entries varied from historic buildings such as the Piazza Duomo in Milan captured by Marco Tagliarino of Italy from the neighbouring Museo del 900, to images of brand new buildings such as Foster + Partners’ Bloomberg headquarters.

The Piazza Duomo from the Arengario Balconi of the Palazzo dell’Arengario Museo del 900 in Milan Italy by Italo Rota and Fabio Fornasari. © Marco Tagliarino.
For the latter, James Newton’s beautiful photograph of the timber-clad ‘Vortex’ lobby was shortlisted in the Interior category. On show also Laurian Ghinitoiu’s shots of the Asif Khan’s Vantablack pavilion framing glimpses of outer space at the PyeongChang winter Olympics.
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Images of dereliction and abandonment are particularly poignant. In Ryan Koopmans’s photograph of a Soviet-era Sanatorium in the town of Tskaltubo, Georgia, the abandoned building has been turned into a rubbish dump, with a stray dog the only sign of life.

An abandoned Soviet-era Sanatorium with a stray dog and rubbish in the town of Tskaltubo in Georgia designed by architect Kalashniko – © Ryan Koopmans.
Roman Robroek’s photograph of a semiabandoned power station in Kelenfold, Budapest is a sharp contrast, with the deserted control room still pristine with its magnificent glass ceiling intact.
While most of the shortlisted images are devoid of inhabitants, a few have combined architectural themes with human interest. Zhu Wenqiao’s image, shortlisted in the Sense of Place category, contrasts swimmers on the riverside in Chongqing, China with the construction in the background of the high-rise Raffles City by Safdie Architects.

Swimmers on the riverside opposite the construction of Raffles City Chongqing, China by Sadfie Architects. © Zhu Wenqiao.
Two of the photographs shortlisted in the Buildings in Use category depict sporting activity – runners on an indoor track at Auburn University, in Alabama, photographed by Brad Feinknopf, and Aldo Amoretti’s image of athletes training at Azur Arena in Antibes, France.
Several highly abstract images including Sufaj Garg’s ceiling detail shot of Santiago Calatrava’s LiègeGuillemins station in Belgium contrast with views showing the buildings in the context of their location. These include the Seashore Chapel in Qinhuangdao, China designed by Vector Architects and pictured by Ai Qing from afar.
World Architecture Festival is the world’s largest annual, international, live architectural event. It includes the biggest international architectural awards programme in the world, dedicated to celebrating excellence via live presentations to an audience of high-profile delegates and international juries.
All photos of The Architectural Photography Awards 2018: courtesy of World Architecture Festival.

Architectural Photography Awards 2018 – Ext – Apartment building in Yaiza, Lanzarote. © Marius Liukevicius.