CAA Wins 2020 Versailles Architecture Award in France as the Only Chinese Firm Recognized

Recently, the Casa Talia restaurant project, designed by CAA Architecture under the leadership of Liu Haowei, received the prestigious French Versailles Architecture Award. This award is jointly presented by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA)!

△ Casa Talia © CAAarchitects

△ Casa Talia © CAAarchitects

Known as the “Olympics” of the architecture world, this award selects only one global winner per category, making the odds of winning less than 1%. Initially, CAA’s work stood out among contenders from 72 subregions across six major global regions. It advanced to the global finals alongside Kengo Kuma Architects’ “Cliff” restaurant in Mikuni Izukogen and Studio8’s Charcohol restaurant.

△ Casa Talia © CAAarchitects

The final winners were selected by an independent jury at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. CAA, the sole Chinese international architectural firm in the competition, earned the indoor special award in the restaurant category at the 2020 Versailles Architecture Awards. The outdoor special award in this category was given to the Under underwater restaurant by Snøhetta in Norway.

Underwater restaurant “Under” / Snøhetta Architecture Firm, Outdoor Special Award for Restaurant Category © Ivar Kvaal

Casa Talia was also one of only two projects from China to win at this year’s Versailles Architecture Awards. The other was the Beijing Daxing International Airport designed by Zaha Hadid Architects.

Beijing Daxing International Airport / Zaha Hadid Architects, Versailles Award for Airport Category © Hufton+Crow

Below are highlights of Casa Talia’s achievement in the restaurant category at the 2020 Versailles Architecture Awards Global Finals.

The previous award ceremony was traditionally held at UNESCO’s Paris headquarters; however, due to the 2020 pandemic, the ceremony was held online.

△ 2019 Global Finals Awards Presentation at UNESCO Paris Headquarters

About The Prix Versailles Architecture Award

Established in 2015, the Prix Versailles is a global competition jointly organized by UNESCO and the International Union of Architects (UIA).

The award recognizes outstanding commercial buildings worldwide, focusing on shops, shopping centers, hotels, and restaurants. Its goal is to promote cultural and economic exchange through exceptional architectural projects.

The annual competition features four main categories: Shops & Stores, Shopping Malls, Hotels, and Restaurants. For each category, the award presents one Grand Prize along with two Special Prizes (indoor and outdoor), plus 72 subregional awards. The competition spans six major regions: Africa & West Asia; Central America, South America & the Caribbean; North America; Central & Northeast Asia; South Asia & the Pacific; and Europe.

Here are some of the 2020 Versailles Architecture Award winners:

Isenberg School of Management Business Innovation Center / BIG Architecture Firm, Campus Outdoor Special Award © Max Touhey

Doha’s First Subway Stations / UNStudio, Indoor Passenger Station Special Award © Hufton+Crow

△ The Exchange Exchange / Kengo Kuma Architects, Shopping Center Category © Martin Mischkulnig

△ Qatar National Museum Store / Koichi Takada Architects, Store Category © Tom Ferguson

Singapore Changi International Airport / Safdie Architects, Shopping Center Interior Special Award © Safdie Architects

Since its debut, Casa Talia has earned recognition from five international awards:

• Prix Versailles, French Versailles Architecture Award
• GFDA Global Future Design Award
• WDA World Design Award
• GDA German National Design Award
• IES Global Lighting Design Award

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