Miami Beach served as the host city for the 2025 World Architecture Festival (WAF), one of the world’s premier gathering of architects, designers and innovators. The selection reflected Miami’s rising status as a global hub for contemporary architecture, home to landmark projects by Zaha Hadid Architects, Gehry Partners, Herzog & de Meuron, BIG, OMA, and other leading firms.
Among the distinguished speakers was FIU Professor Neil Leach, who was invited to present on the rapidly evolving relationship between artificial intelligence and architectural practice. His participation highlighted not only his individual scholarship but also the broader leadership of FIU’s School of Architecture in shaping international conversations around AI-driven design.
In recent years, FIU has emerged as one of the world’s most prolific academic centers for research and publishing on architecture and AI. School of Architecture faculty and doctoral students can now claim authorship of multiple books—across original works and translations—focused on AI’s impact on design, with additional titles forthcoming.
These publications include the first mainstream English-language introduction to the topic, Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to AI for Architects, now in it second edition, authored by Leach; Machine Hallucinations; Architecture and AI, co-edited by Leach and Matias del Campo; as well as AI-Driven Architecture: A New Paradigm for Design, the first modern-era book on AI and architecture published in Chinese by FIU Doctor of Design graduate Wanyu He. They are joined by Professor Thomas Spiegelhalter’s recent volume, Analog to AI Futures: Pioneering SynBio Nexus Design, which examines the intersection of synthetic biology, climate resilience, and computational design in architecture.
Henry Rueda, Chair of the Department of Architecture, reflected on the university’s presence at the festival: “attending the World Architecture Festival offered a remarkable overview of current global conversations in architecture, design, and urban innovation. I was honored to be invited by Circular Steel for a full day of presentations that brought together engineers, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners reshaping the future of steel and sustainable design in the UK and the US. Beyond the workshops, the festival also provided valuable moments to reconnect with colleagues from around the world, an experience that enriches our global perspective at the FIU Department of Architecture.” To watch a recap of the workshop, click here.
Together, these contributions further solidify FIU’s position as a global leader in advancing architectural education and research. As the international design community gathered in Miami Beach for WAF 2025, FIU scholars played a prominent role—helping shape the future of innovation in architecture worldwide.
