What does the World Architecture Festival coming to Miami mean for architects and designers in the Americas and beyond? What should the global community expect from this region?

The World Architecture Festival coming to Miami is both a moment of recognition and a powerful opportunity for the Americas. This region has long been a source of bold ideas, cultural fusion, and design innovation, yet it hasn’t always had the platform to match its potential. That changes now.

With WAF on our doorstep, architects and designers across the Americas can showcase how they’re responding to real-world challenges with creativity, purpose, and impact. It’s a chance to shift perceptions and show the world that this region is not only contributing to the global conversation, we’re helping to lead it. As a long-time and founding partner of WAF, GROHE is proud to stand alongside the A&D community in championing the voices, visions, and values that will define the next era of design.

Image: GROHE stand at WAF 2024, Singapore.

From your perspective, how does WAF uniquely foster meaningful progress in architecture and design?

WAF is more than a celebration of great design. It is a catalyst for progress and a platform for shaping what comes next. What sets it apart is the way it brings real conversations to the forefront. Through live judging, panel debates, and open dialogue, it creates space for ideas to be tested, challenged, and refined. That kind of exchange is essential in the day-to-day work of architects and designers who are constantly navigating complex demands to deliver smarter, more sustainable solutions. The end result is a space where individual items and products better engrain sustainability in function, look and feel - elevating spaces into something that truly captures the user’s heart and mind.

Image: GROHE stand at WAF 2024, Singapore.

What are some global trends you see resonating in the Americas? How will that be brought to life at WAF?

Wellness, personalization, and sustainability aren’t just global trends, they’re urgent, local realities here in the Americas. We see it in the prolonged droughts impacting the U.S. Southwest, the growing needs of aging populations in Canada, and the fast-paced urbanization reshaping cities across Latin America. What sets this region apart is how designers are turning these challenges into opportunities for innovation, blending global insight with regional nuance. With WAF coming to Miami, we have the chance to spotlight these solutions on a global stage. Through interactive panels, live demos, and immersive exhibits, we’ll see how these trends come to life and how the Americas are shaping the future of architecture and design in bold, meaningful ways.

How do you see GROHE’s design philosophy - rooted in the pure joy of water - supporting the needs of today’s architects and designers?

GROHE is grounded in the belief that “Pure Freude an Wasser” is not just a feeling, it’s a promise to make every interaction with water better. This begins with one simple but powerful principle: listen first. Meaningful design starts by understanding the people who use our products and the professionals who bring them to life. That is why we stay closely connected to the architecture and design community through constant, open dialogue. Whether it is through our global network of experience centers, co-creation workshops, or long-standing industry partnerships, we are committed to hearing firsthand what matters most to designers and end users alike.

That feedback is foundational in shaping how we think, how we design, and how we evolve. GROHE collections are rooted in quality, technology, design and sustainability, but just as importantly, they reflect a deep understanding of how people live, move, and interact with water in their daily lives to elevate the human experience. This consumer-centric approach allows us to develop solutions that provide tangible human benefits, enabling our A&D partners to create spaces that have a real impact.

We’re proud to support the global A & D community with design forward solutions that respond, adapt, and inspire.

Image: GROHE SPA Bathroom

What do you hope the A&D community walks away with from this year’s event, whether attending in person or following from afar?

I hope the A&D community walks away from this year’s WAF with a deeper sense of possibility and a renewed connection to purpose. This is more than an opportunity to showcase beautiful work. It is a global gathering where we challenge assumptions, share bold ideas, and reimagine how design can shape a better future for people, places, and the planet. At a time when the world is facing urgent and complex challenges, architects and designers are uniquely positioned to lead—not only through form and function, but through empathy, responsibility, and vision.

Whether you are attending in person or following from afar, I hope the conversations, the creative energy, and the breakthrough thinking at WAF spark unexpected inspiration. I hope it reignites curiosity and reminds us all why we do what we do.

GROHE is proud to support these essential conversations and to stand alongside a community that never stops pushing boundaries. When design begins with purpose and grows through collaboration, we do more than move forward—we elevate what is possible. And I believe what emerges from this year’s WAF will shape the future of design in ways we are only beginning to imagine.