Ivan Mirkovski is an architect, urbanist, and educator whose career serves as a sophisticated synthesis of professional practice, academic research, and international cultural diplomacy. Currently a Professor of Urban Design at University American College Skopje (UACS), Mirkovski’s doctoral research at the Institute of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy, investigates the intersection of social morphology and the built environment, exploring the ethical responsibility of the architect within the shifting landscapes.

Mirkovski’s intellectual foundation was established during a twelve-year tenure in Vienna, where he earned his Master’s degree and served as a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the Technical University of Vienna (TU Wien) under Professors Dr. Erich Raith and Christoph Luchsinger. This deep immersion in the “Viennese School” of architecture evolved into a lifelong role as a cultural conduit between Austria and Macedonia. His commitment to this bilateral synergy was formally recognized in 2025, when he was awarded the Golder Order for Services to the Republic of Austria (Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) by the President Alexander Van der Bellen—a distinction that underscores his significant contributions to the cultural and academic ties between the two nations.

In 2010, Mirkovski co-founded the architectural studio Superblock and the design platform Smart Living, institutions that translate his theoretical frameworks into impactful spatial realities. His professional excellence was recognized at the highest level in 2015 with the Grand Prize for Architecture, presented by the President of the Republic. A tireless advocate for architectural discourse, he founded Forum Skopje and Skopje Architecture Week, and continues to influence as President of the Biennial of Macedonian Contemporary Architecture (BIMAS); in 2025, Mirkovski steered the nation’s most significant architectural forum toward the critical theme of “Collective Solidarity and New Architectural Paradigms.” This curatorial vision sought to reevaluate the relevance of the profession in an age of overproduction, advocating for an architecture of adaptation and social responsibility. By bridging his sociological research, Mirkovski remains dedicated to an “architecture of relevance”—one that views the built environment not as a collection of isolated objects, but as a profound reflection of collective social imagination.

BIG SEE Perspectives Nominations

2026: Angela Banchotova