( CNN ) -- Zaha Hadid 's spaceship-like Dongdaemun Design Plaza , an avant-garde new home for Singapore 's oldest Buddhist Temple , and a private bunker sprawling on top of a lake are some of the shortlisted entries competing for architectural honors at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore this week . Now it its seventh year , the event is the world 's biggest celebration of building design . Hundreds of firms from more than 50 countries will be presenting and competing across 27 categories ( Hotel and Leisure , Education and Display , others ) in the three-day event . Winners in each category will compete for the grand prizes -- World Building of the Year and Future Project of the Year . Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki , designed by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp , was the Building of the Year in 2013 . Future Project of the Year 2013 went to the National Maritime Museum of China , designed by Australia-based Cox Rayner Architects . Two new awards have been added to this year 's program . The Exterior Color Prize recognizes creative use of color , while the Wood Excellence Prize awards the most exceptional timber project . Rise in Asia entries . Participants include well known firms including Zaha Hadid Architects , Foster & Partners , and Aedas . A surge in entries from Asia marks this year 's event . Submissions from China , Malaysia and Vietnam are up on last year by 87 % , 71 % and 140 % respectively . In addition to its prestigious award ceremony , the World Architecture Festival hosts conferences and lectures . The image gallery above highlights some of the shortlisted projects . World Architecture Festival , October 1-3 , 2014 , Marina Bay Sands , Singapore .
World Architecture Festival opens three-day with entries from 27 countries . Asian announced for more than 50 categories and grand prizes in the three-day event . Festival is seeing dramatic rise in entries from Shortlist countries .