A bamboo structure in Bali, a 2010 Winter Olympic speed skating venue in Vancouver, an indoor sports hall in Zagreb and a tower with a modern twist in Japan are among the projects that have been shortlisted in a new WAF Award this year for outstanding Structural Design.

Eight international structural design projects are among the 272 building projects that have made it onto this year’s shortlist for the world’s biggest architecture contest - the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Awards.

Other projects shortlisted in the WAF Awards range from a terraced ticket booth in Times Square to an international train terminal in Beijing, and will compete at this year’s Festival which, in a reflection of the current global climate is themed around ‘Less Does More’ and will examine the challenges facing architects to produce more value for less cost.

Shortlisted projects in the WAF Awards hail from 67 different countries including emerging markets such as Iran, Syria, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Ghana, South Korea, and India, as well as countries such as Canada, Australia, USA, UK, China, Russia and Scandinavia, which all have strong representation on the shortlist.

The WAF Awards are designed to celebrate and showcase the work of the international architectural community. Unlike other schemes, the WAF Awards involve shortlisted architects presenting their schemes live to the public as well as an international star studded judging panel. In addition to the 15 categories in the World Building of the Year, for buildings completed in the last year, this year’s Awards feature three new sections - Structural Design, Interiors and Fit-out, and Future Projects, which celebrates excellence in design for projects still on the drawing board.

Confirmed jurors this year include Rafael Vinoly, Farshid Moussavi, Vittorio Lampugnani, Sir Peter Cook, Kengo Kuma, Will Alsop, Roger Zogolovitch, and Nabil Gholam, plus architectural media editors from around the world.

WAF programme director Paul Finch said: “In what is becoming the acid test of global architecture, the wide geographical range and the outstanding quality of this year’s shortlisted designs provide a true indicator of the current condition and diversity of world architecture. With even more sections to judge this year, the Awards will be fiercely contested in Barcelona, as the shortlisted architects take to the stage to give public presentations. This will make for an inspirational event.”

The WAF Awards will take place during World Architecture Festival, which takes place in Barcelona at the Centre Convencions International Barcelona (CCIB) from 4th to 6th November 2009.

A jury of distinguished architects and renowned industry figures from around the world will judge the competition’s 45 Awards. The 15 category winners in the Building of the Year Award will be pitted against each other as a star studded ‘super-jury’ makes the final decision on the World Building of the Year Award on 6th November in Barcelona at the end of the three day event.

Every design entered for the Awards will be exhibited in the Awards gallery at the Festival, which will also feature a packed programme of presentations, seminars, exhibitions, and keynote addresses from prominent architects.