FJC Studio have made global architecture history, winning their second World Building of the Year award at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore.

The firm was awarded the prestigious accolade for the Darlington Public School in 2024 and for Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki in 2013. This makes FJC Studio the first practice in WAF history to win the top award twice.

On behalf of the jury, Paul Finch, the programme director of WAF, said the design team behind the winning project not only explored but also expanded the client’s formal programme to encompass the perspectives and experiences of the local community and various users.

“The result of the project is poetic, a building in which topography and landscape, inside and outside, form and materials flow seamlessly in an unexpectedly delightful way. It is also an inspirational proposition about the acknowledgement and reconciliation of historic difference – a pointer to brighter, better futures for all.”

The jury tasked with awarding the World Building of the Year was chaired by Sonali Rastogi and included Emre Arolat, Mario Cucinella and Ian Ritchie.