WAN AWARDS 2010 Urban Design sector, Editorial, world architecture news, architecture jobs

61 become 6 as Urban Design longlist is whittled down by esteemed jury panel

This crucial sector - also encompassing master-planning, landscaping and transport - always creates a buzz. Partly because we are all affected by the intricate design of our cities and partly because as populations and densities continue to rise, so the challenges correspondingly grow in scale and complexity. This squeeze on space inevitably focuses passionate discussions on urban context and public space and ensures that these are always hot topics in the WAN AWARDS jury sessions…

This week saw two of the most highly qualified juries in architecture come together in London to analyse and rank the merits of some of the most exciting developments both built and on the drawing board today.

WAN’s mission in this venture is to bring new architects and projects to the table from a wide range of countries to compete with higher profile practices and the more familiar schemes. This year was no exception with a mix of plazas, bridges, landscape designs, airports and master-plans from Sydney, Vancouver, New York, Rio de Janeirio, Beijing, Kosovo, Heidelberg, Nicosia, Graz, Mexico City and many more. One of the judges, Sherin Aminossehe, VP for the planning team in HOK London summed this up nicely exclaiming, “I’m stunned by the diversity…”