SINGAPORE - The housing development Kampung Admiralty by Woha Architects has won Building of the Year at this year's World Architecture Festival.

The entry beat 535 projects from 57 countries to snag the top prize at the awards, considered the Oscars of the architectural world.

The same project had received the Best Commercial Mixed-Use Future Project award at the 2016 edition of the festival.

The list of award winners was announced at a gala dinner last Friday (Nov 30) in Amsterdam.

The 11-storey Kampung Admiralty is the first Housing Board project to co-locate childcare and senior centres in one integrated development, aimed at encouraging inter-generational bonding, reported The Straits Times in May when it was officially opened.

There is a medical centre on the third and fourth floor, a sheltered plaza for community activities like weekly fitness exercises, and a rooftop community farm with over 30 species of tropical plants such as longan and chiku trees.

"The judges admired the project for the way in which it dealt with the universal condition of longevity and health treatments, social housing provision, and commercial space, which enabled substantial public realm benefits," said Mr Paul Finch, programme director of the World Architecture Festival.

"This hybrid building also incorporates a huge amount of greenery (more than 100 per cent of its footprint) in a series of layered levels which have generated welcome biodiversity."

The winner was selected by a "super-jury" of four highly respected representatives of the global architectural community - Mr Li Xiadong, Ms Nathalie de Vries, Mr Frederick Cooper Llosa and Ms Lesley Lokko.

This is not Singapore's first accolade at the architectural awards. In 2015, it won Building of the Year for The Interlace condominium in Depot Road by OMA and Ole Scheeren. The cooled conservatories at Gardens by the Bay clinched the same title at the festival when it was held here for the first time in 2012.