From November 12 to 14, 2025, the prestigious World Architecture Festival (WAF) will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center in the United States, marking its first-ever edition in America. Previously, WAF has been hosted in global design hubs including Singapore, Lisbon, Barcelona, and Berlin. The Miami Beach Convention Center, redesigned by Fenwick Architects in 2018, itself embodies the innovative spirit championed by the festival. In early 2025, the Bath Art Museum hosted a preview event where industry leaders, including Festival Project Director Paul Finch, shared insights, offering a glimpse into the upcoming festival and bridging global design perspectives with North American architectural trends.
Fusing Hearts and Minds in Design
Centered on the theme “Hearts and Minds,” this conference emphasizes the integration of rationality (mind) and emotion (heart) in architectural design, exploring how technology, materials, and space respond to human perception and experience. It delves into how architecture can strike a balance between rational design strategies and emotional resonance. Official WAF materials also indicate that this Miami edition will not only continue its live judging system, exhibitions, and forums but will also incorporate more local architectural tours and fringe events. This allows participants to move from theory into the local context.
Diverse Landscape of Architectural Innovation
The festival’s core highlights stem from its globally oriented project selection and rigorous judging process. Over 780 submissions were received, with 460 projects ultimately shortlisted across 45 categories including completed buildings, future proposals, interior design, and landscape architecture. The shortlisted projects span a wide geographic range, with American architects contributing the highest proportion, while design forces from China, the UK, Australia, India, and other nations also made notable contributions. The entries featured works from renowned firms like Bjarke Ingels Group and Foster + Partners, alongside innovative attempts from emerging studios. Project types ranged from a film studio in New York and a new-generation airport proposal for Athens to the Rainforest Hotel in Singapore, the interior design of a noodle restaurant in Chongqing, and the landscape of Canary Wharf Public Square in London, showcasing the rich creativity of the global architectural community.
The World Architecture Festival makes its debut on the American stage, a strategic move that presents both challenges in cultural adaptation and opportunities for expanded influence. Miami’s unique Art Deco heritage, coastal climate, and North American design standards offer a fresh context for global architectural innovation. The festival’s lineup, led by American firms, alongside growing participation from Latin America, is fostering a deeper integration of regional design forces with a global perspective.
Guided by the theme “Heart and Mind,” this edition highlights the discipline’s evolving focus on merging emotional experience with technological innovation. New categories and expanded sustainable design projects collectively underscore the industry’s deepened emphasis on ecological resilience, material innovation, and human-centered experiences. This cross-cultural dialogue not only provides a showcase for architectural practice but will also propel the global architectural community toward collectively charting a trajectory for the future.
