The World Architecture Festival Chooses Miami for Inaugural U.S. Edition

The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced it will come to Miami this fall.

Hosting its first-ever edition in the United States with the theme of "Hearts and Minds," the event will take over the Miami Beach Convention Center from November 12 to 14, 2025. According to a statement, the program includes keynote talks, exhibitions, fringe events, and more.

The festival will also hand out awards for completed and future projects, landscapes, and interiors in categories such as culture, health, housing, and creative reuse. There are 45 categories in total, chosen by a panel of international judges, and past winners have included famous names such as Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. Top honors include World Building of the Year, Landscape of the Year, Future Project of the Year, and Interior of the Year. In a change likely motivated by Miami's maritime tourism industry, the organization will also add categories for yacht and ship design.

Founded in 2008, WAF is considered one of the most prestigious events in the architecture and design industries. Past editions have been hosted in global cities such as Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Lisbon. The 2024 edition was held in Singapore. WAF held a launch event at the Bass Museum in Miami Beach on Wednesday, February 5.

"We are delighted to be bringing the World Architecture Festival to Miami," Paul Finch, program director for WAF, said in a statement. "We hope that the locational change, which is intended to generate extra interest from Central and South America, as well as from the [U.S.] and Canada, will be a stimulus to our regular award entrants.”

It makes sense that WAF would choose a city like Miami. Beyond its status as a crossroads of the Americas, the city has its own unique architectural legacy that continues to serve as a staging ground for major buildings. Miami Beach in particular is, of course, known for its Art Deco historic district, and Mediterranean Revival landmarks like Vizcaya are also celebrated. The area is home to iconic buildings by major architects, including Gehry (the New World Center), Hadid (One Thousand Museum), Philip Johnson (Miami Cultural Center), and Herzog & de Meuron (Pérez Art Museum Miami).

The city is also in the middle of a building boom, with major projects by starchitects such as Kengo Kuma (Aman Miami Beach) and Foster + Partners (1201 Brickell Bay Drive) in progress. And Miami's local architecture firms, such as Arquitectonica and MOSS, continue to produce important work.

Information on ticketing and programs will be announced at a later date. Award entries are currently being accepted until April 25 via worldarchitecturefestival.com, with a competition shortlist to be announced in July.

World Architecture Festival 2025. Wednesday, November 12, through Friday, November 14, at Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Dr., Miami Beach; worldarchitecturefestival.com.