İzmir’s Spirit to Take the Stage in Florida
The Güzelbahçe Campus project of İzmir University of Economics (IUE) has achieved significant international recognition by becoming a finalist in two separate categories at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2026, one of the world’s most prestigious events in the field of architecture.
The Güzelbahçe Campus was the only project from Türkiye to reach the finals in the “Education” category, while it was selected as one of only two Turkish finalists in the “Masterplanning” category. The other Turkish finalist in this category was the İGA Istanbul project, which is planned as an airport city.
The finalist projects will be presented live to an international jury during the festival, which will take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, from 18 to 20 November 2026. The category winners and the most outstanding projects of the year will be announced following the live jury evaluations.
FINALIST IN TWO SEPARATE CATEGORIES
Designed by MAS MIMLAB as the new campus of İzmir University of Economics with the aim of creating a state-of-the-art educational environment for İzmir, the Güzelbahçe Campus was selected as a finalist in both the “Education” and “Masterplanning” categories under the Future Projects section of the World Architecture Festival 2026.
ÖZGENER: “AN IMPORTANT INDICATION THAT OUR VISION HAS RECEIVED INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION”
Mahmut Özgener, Chairperson of the İzmir Chamber of Commerce and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of İzmir University of Economics, stated that this achievement demonstrates that the University’s vision for the future has received international recognition. Özgener said: “The selection of İzmir University of Economics’ Güzelbahçe Campus as a finalist in two separate categories at the World Architecture Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious architectural award programmes, is a tremendous source of pride for us. This achievement is an important indication that not only the strength of the architectural design, but also our vision centred on the future of education, sustainability and innovative approaches, has been recognised at an international level. We are designing our new campus as a contemporary and inspiring living environment that supports the academic and social development of our students while remaining in harmony with nature. The fact that this project, which will add value to both İzmir and Türkiye, has achieved such significant recognition on an international platform confirms that we are moving in the right direction. I sincerely congratulate all stakeholders who have contributed to the project, particularly the MAS MIMLAB team, and I wholeheartedly believe that our University will represent our country in the best possible way during the final stage.”
ABACIOĞLU: “IT WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE”
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu, Rector of İzmir University of Economics, emphasised that the Güzelbahçe Campus is one of the largest educational investments undertaken in Türkiye. Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu said: “When designing our Güzelbahçe Campus, our foremost priority was to create a living environment that would support the academic, social and personal development of young people in a holistic manner. With this objective in mind, we considered every detail meticulously and developed the project in line with the expectations and needs of our students. At our new campus, education will not be limited to the classroom. Every part of the campus, from laboratories and collaborative workspaces to social and cultural venues and outdoor areas, will enrich our students’ learning experience. I wholeheartedly believe that the Güzelbahçe Campus will encourage our students to dream bigger, develop their talents and prepare them strongly for an evolving and rapidly transforming world. The international recognition achieved by our Güzelbahçe Campus clearly demonstrates that we are on the right path and highlights the importance of this project.”
ABOUT WAF 2026
Recognised as one of the world’s most prestigious events in the field of architecture, the World Architecture Festival evaluates completed buildings, future projects, interior design projects and landscape projects before an international jury each year. Of the 636 projects submitted from around the world to WAF 2026, only 414 were selected as finalists.
In the Future Projects section, 115 of the 229 projects evaluated advanced to the finals. In the Masterplanning category, 15 of the 24 competing projects were selected as finalists, while only 10 of the 15 projects competing in the Education category qualified for the final stage.
The WAF 2026 finalists include some of the world’s leading architectural practices from numerous countries, including the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, India, Singapore, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Canada.
