Meet the international architecture practitioners who will share their ideas and perspectives at WAF Stage 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The World Architecture Festival (WAF) 2026 will bring together a number of international architects and practitioners for a series of discussions at WAF Stage, taking place from 18–20 November 2026 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. This year, WAF explores the theme Water, examining how water influences the development of architecture and cities, from building design to efforts to address climate change.
Through WAF Stage, the theme will be explored from various perspectives, including the influence of water on building form, the relationship between architecture and landscape, and more resilient environmental planning. Speakers will share their ideas and experiences through their projects, highlighting different approaches to addressing the role of water in architecture.
Exploring the Relationship Between Water and Architecture
On Wednesday, 18 November 2026, WAF Stage will host the Form Follows... panel, led by John Jennifer Marx, Chief Artistic Officer at Form4 Architecture. He will be joined by Mary Bowman, Founding Partner of Gustafson Porter + Bowman; Viviana Muscettola, Director at Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA); and Sanjay Puri, Principal Architect at Sanjay Puri Architects. The discussion will explore the relationship between architecture and the physical form of buildings
Michael Berkowitz from the Climate Resilience Institute at the University of Miami will also discuss the importance of integrated planning in building communities that are more resilient to climate change. Meanwhile, David Eskenazi of d.esk will explore the use of simple, flexible materials to create water-focused public spaces.
Ted Givens of 10 Design will present the Pier Sixty-Six Phase II project in a session titled Water as a Design Force: Architecture for a Changing Climate. Through this project, he will discuss how water can become an integral part of architectural design rather than simply an element to be managed or anticipated.
Meanwhile, Cazú Zegers of Cazú Zegers Architecture will present Think Like Water: When Water Shapes Architecture. Drawing on her residential and hospitality projects, Zegers explores how water and landscape can serve as sources of inspiration for creating architecture that harmonizes with its surroundings.
Exploring Architectural History and a Sustainable Future
On Thursday, 19 November 2026, John Stuart of Florida International University will discuss Mar-a-Lago in a session titled Between Sea and Lake: Mar-a-Lago as Architectural Narrative. Located between the Atlantic Ocean and Lake Worth Lagoon, the building has an architectural history dating back to the 1920s. Stuart will explore how framed views and the use of materials from different places have shaped the building’s character.
Andrew Whalley of Grimshaw will present Regenerative Design: Ten Questions for Architecture's Future. The session will explore the practice’s evolving commitment to achieving net zero, while introducing ten questions for designers seeking to adopt a regenerative design approach.
Also from Grimshaw, Jolyon Brewis will present Oriental Eden: The Water of Life, exploring the development of the new Eden Project in Qingdao, China. Spanning 200 acres, the project centers on water and features the world’s largest indoor tropical rainforest.
Benedetta Tagliabue of EMBT Architects will round out the discussions with Water Draws Always in Plural. Taking its title from a work by poet Octavio Paz, the session will explore the role of water in shaping cities and everyday spaces, as well as its connection to human memory.
Elizabeth Diller Explores Interdisciplinary Architectural Practice
WAF Stage will conclude on Friday, 20 November 2026, with Elizabeth Diller, co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). In her session, Architecture, Not Architecture, Diller will discuss the studio’s interdisciplinary practice, which brings together architecture, installation, and performance art, highlighting projects such as the High Line and the recently completed V&A East Storehouse.
Diller’s participation rounds out the WAF Stage 2026 discussions, bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences from international architecture practitioners.
