The Chapel is a community space in a new urban ward on the outskirts of HCM City. It is designed as a place for people, especially the youth, to participate in activities such as conferences, weddings, exhibitions or enjoy light coffee and snacks. — Photo dezeen.com

HA NOI (VNS) — The Chapel, a communal building made of recycled materials in HCM City's Binh Chanh District, has won the World Building of the Year Award.

The building has been designed by architect Nguyen Hoa Hiep from the HCM City-based A21 Studio. The award was announced last Friday at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore.

According to Hiep, as a result of the land crisis, the area lacked community centres. Therefore, The Chapel has been designed as a community centre, especially for the youth, where people can participate in activities such as conferences, weddings, exhibitions or enjoy light coffee and snacks.

The steel frame and metal sheets, used to build the 140-square-metre structure, were leftovers from the owner's previous projects, allowing the building to be constructed on a tight budget.

Three layers of printed fabric cover the windows, creating a rainbow of light inside, while a tree-shaped steel column supports the roof.

The building accommodates a cafe, and has recycled furniture. The kitchen and utility areas occupy a triangular space along one side.

The project beat 16 other category winners announced on the first two days of the World Architecture Festival, including a church in Spain built from raw materials and an apostrophe-shaped bridge in a British industrial city.

Last year, the World Building of the Year award went to the Auckland Art Gallery, built as an extension and refurbishment of an existing building, by Australian studio Frances-Jones Morehen Thorp.

At this year's World Architecture Festival, the Vo Trong Nghia Architects company won three prizes in the education category (FPT University Building in Ha Noi), house category (the House for Trees in Tan Binh District, HCM City) and the hotel and leisure category (Son La Restaurant).

Students from the HCM City Architecture University won the first prize in the student category with their building for the future, entitled Restoring Nature Life.

At the same event, the copper orange colour was announced as the colour of the year 2015. — VNS