The 2026 theme

'Water' will be the theme for the 2026 edition of World Architecture Festival. It will be held, appropriately, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida – which has 165 miles of inland waterways, and is known as the 'Venice of America'. WAF Stage speakers will address how water plays a key part in the creation and management of our built environment: from energy generation to food production; the different forms water can take (steam, ice); the challenges of glut (flood) and dearth (desert); health and hygiene; and the way that architecture and infrastructure both influence and respond to the world of water, of which we ourselves are an integral and inevitable part.

The stages

The WAF Stage hosts our keynote speakers and lively panel discussions, built around this year's theme of 'Water'. On the final day of the Festival, the World Building of the Year live judging takes place, where all finalists present live to our super jurors.

The Festival Hall Stage will host presentations from the WAFX Winners, highlighting future projects that use cutting-edge design to tackle major global issues including health, climate change, technology, ethics, and values. You'll also find technical talks and showcases on this stage.

WAF also has hundreds of live judging sessions taking place across all three days in 'crit rooms'. View the live judging schedule here.

Schedule