Denver's groundbreaking architectural marvel has landed a spot among the world's most awe-inspiring structures
In an exciting development for the global architectural community, the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2025 has announced its shortlist, showcasing over 460 projects spanning completed buildings, future projects, interiors, and landscapes. The festival, scheduled to take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center from 12-14 November 2025, promises to be a celebration of architectural design excellence from around the world.
The shortlist features a diverse range of projects, with examples such as a film studio in New York, pavilions for Expo 2025, a new airport for Athens, a telescope enclosure in Chile, a rainforest hotel in Singapore, a public plaza in London’s Canary Wharf, and a wildlife eco-park in Bhabua, India.
Notable architectural firms on the shortlist include Bjarke Ingels Group, Foster + Partners, Studio Gang, Grimshaw, Nikken Sekkei, Mario Cucinella Architects, and Perkins&Will, alongside emerging studios. The United States has the largest share of projects on the shortlist, followed by China, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Canada, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and Japan.
One of the five most spectacular finalists is Populus, an American hotel located in Denver, Colorado. Designed by Studio Gang, led by architect Jeanne Gang, Populus is a 13-storey building that pays homage to the quaking aspen, an iconic tree in Colorado. The hotel's design feels organic and sculptural, as if shaped by nature itself.
Populus's striking, snow-white silhouette is easily recognizable, with a facade featuring a series of irregular, ovoid windows, some reaching up to nine metres tall. The hotel houses 265 rooms, along with two restaurants, one on the ground floor and another on the rooftop garden, offering breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains.
Populus aims to become the nation's first carbon-positive hotel. To achieve this status, every stage of the project, from material sourcing to construction, is carefully analysed to assess its carbon footprint. In addition, over 70,000 trees will be planted in connection with the hotel, with plans to plant more in the future, with the goal of growing into a forest spanning over 5,000 hectares.
The WAF 2025 winners will be announced in four months, on 12 November in Miami. The full detailed shortlist for 2025, including all finalist projects by category and country, can be viewed on the official WAF website and ArchDaily. This year's event is set to be an exciting showcase of architectural design from around the world, and we can't wait to see who will take home the top honours.
[1] World Architecture Festival 2025 Shortlist: https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/shortlist [3] World Architecture Festival 2025 Categories: https://www.worldarchitecturefestival.com/categories [5] Notable Architectural Firms on WAF 2025 Shortlist: https://www.archdaily.com/972691/world-architecture-festival-2025-notable-architectural-firms-on-the-shortlist
- The diverse projects on the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2025 shortlist include Populus, a carbon-positive home-and-garden development designed by Studio Gang, located in Denver, Colorado, that aims to grow into a large forest.
- In addition to established firms like Studio Gang, the WAF 2025 shortlist showcases various home-and-garden lifestyle projects, such as a rooftop garden in Populus hotel offering stunning views of the Rocky Mountains.
