Six construction projects in Qatar have been shortlisted for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2011 (WAF Awards), the Gulf Times said on Thursday. The world's biggest architecture contest, now in its fourth year, has attracted 704 entries from 59 countries, its highest number of entries so far, the newspaper said. The festival will be held in Barcelona, Spain, on November 2-4 this year, the Gulf Times said. For the first time, it said, architecture and design enthusiasts will get the opportunity to have their say on which project should be named the World Building of the Year 2011. Qatar's 281 shortlisted projects include Qatar Showcase, a 500-seat zero-carbon football stadium built to showcase technologies to be used in the World Cup 2022; Al-Shaqab Equestrian Arena, designed to represent a traditional desert tent with indoor and outdoor facilities; Stadi City, a self-contained mini-city and stadium that can be used as a port for ocean liners; Musheireb Cultural Forum, taking inspiration from Qatari Courtyard House, the building and forum are based on monolithic black stone. WAF Award entries came from as far as Tasmania to the Arctic Circle in Norway, with new countries such Haiti and Cambodia in participation alongside the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Japan, Spain, and Scandinavia. The awards are divided into three main sections: Completed Buildings, Structural Design, and Future Projects (for designs in progress). Each section includes up to 16 categories.
