Based between Berlin and Vienna, Miwa Negoro brings a transcultural and transdisciplinary perspective to her role at ArchDaily, shaped by her architectural training and professional experiences across East Asia and Europe. Her work explores how built environments both reflect and challenge sociocultural contexts, positioning architecture as a dynamic dialogue between history, society, and future possibilities.
Miwa's curatorial approach emphasizes the interplay between regional context, design processes, and social relevance, alongside material and aesthetic considerations. She seeks projects that resonate beyond their immediate surroundings, offering insights that engage broader architectural discourse. By championing a diverse range of building types, scales, and geographic origins, Miwa actively works to broaden the scope of voices and narratives represented within the field.
Her editorial interests center on architecture that addresses pressing social concerns—community spaces, educational and care facilities, and public interventions—that combine spatial poetry with environmental sensitivity. Miwa is particularly drawn to adaptive reuse, recognizing it as a means to reimagine histories embedded in place, and she advocates for greater attention to creators from underrepresented regions who challenge conventional narratives of architectural progress.
Currently, Miwa closely follows global shifts toward ecological awareness, material reuse, participatory design, and biophilic principles. She is particularly interested in how different cultures understand nature and spatial boundaries, believing these diverse perspectives can challenge and enrich standardized architectural approaches.
Through her editorial work, Miwa has seen how media powerfully shapes architectural narratives and values across contexts. She encourages architects and editors alike to engage deeply with spaces of all scales, from subtle interventions to monumental works, to sharpen their understanding of spatial qualities and conceptual intent. Miwa envisions architectural media as a platform that inspires, elevates underrepresented voices, fosters cross-cultural exchange, and equips communities to imagine more inclusive and sustainable built environments.
Read on to learn more about Miwa's perspective and journey.
What first sparked your interest in architecture — and what led you to editorial work?
My interest in architecture began with an inquiry into how built environments reflect sociocultural contexts and shape the landscape around them. With training in architecture and curating, as well as professional experiences in East Asia and Europe, I've developed a transcultural, transdisciplinary perspective. This trajectory allows me to see architecture as a representation that mirrors societal norms and, in turn, holds the potential to challenge them from within. Editorial work became an extension of this inquiry as a way to engage with aesthetic explorations, technical challenges, and critical discourse, exploring how spatial practices mediate relationality, histories, and future landscapes.
What do you look for when deciding whether a project or topic is worth publishing?
I consider the regional context, conceptual background, design process, and social relevance of projects, from local and global perspectives, as equally important to their aesthetics and materiality. I ask whether projects offer insights that resonate beyond their immediate context. I also strive to feature a variety of building types, scales, and design approaches from diverse regions and communities. While nothing replaces experiencing a space in person, I believe architectural media plays a vital role in shaping how knowledge circulates, offering methodologies, critical perspectives, and future-oriented thinking in more accessible ways.
Is there a project or story you've published that particularly resonated with you — and why?
I'm drawn to projects that address social issues — community-led spaces, educational and care facilities, and public interventions — that also propose spatial poetry with environmental awareness. Recurring themes I return to also include adaptive reuse, which centers on the repair and reimagination of histories associated with the place. I also believe creations from underrepresented regions and practitioners working outside dominant architectural centers deserve far more attention to go beyond conventional narratives of architectural progress.
What shifts or emerging trends in architecture are you paying close attention to right now?
There is an encouraging shift toward ecological awareness in relation to biodiversity, land management, and urban density, with more attention to material cycles, sourcing, and reuse. I'm closely following renovation projects and adaptive reuse. Participatory design is gaining ground, democratizing architectural knowledge and expanding who shapes space. The transdisciplinary approach to science and the arts evolves, and biophilic design and earthy materials are more present globally. I'm interested in how different regions conceptualize nature and spatial boundaries—between public, common, private, intimate, and so on—that may shift standardized design principles.
What's something you've learned from your editorial work that continues to shape how you see architecture?
The role of media in shaping architectural narratives is immense. It influences how we perceive spatial practice and what we value across contexts. Through editorial work, I've learned the richness of diverse voices — vernacular practices, indigenous wisdom, material innovation, and region-specific priorities in their conditions. My advice is to engage deeply with spaces of all scales, from subtle interventions to monumental works. The more we experience, the sharper we become in spatial qualities, textures, and conceptual intent. I hope architectural media continues to inspire, amplify underrepresented voices, foster cross-cultural dialogue, and provide tools to envision future built environments.
This profile is part of the series "Voices of ArchDaily," a dedicated space highlighting the people behind our content team—their interests, experiences, and professional journeys.
