Obra Blanca, the exhibition of finishes and design products for architecture, will celebrate its seventh edition from October 13 to 15, 2026, at Expo Santa Fe in Mexico City. Conceived for the architecture and interior design community, this initiative combines an innovation showcase with an international lecture program to shape the Obra Blanca Experience: three days of connection, knowledge, and immersion in the architectural finishes and design products sector.
The Activities Agenda for the seventh edition of Obra Blanca holds particular significance for the architecture and interior design community. Its strength lies in collaboration: a program co-designed with 32 strategic partners—including professional associations, business chambers, specialized media, and industry leaders—bringing diverse voices and perspectives to offer a broad and pluralistic view of the architecture and interior design landscape in Mexico.
Held in the Grand Auditorium of Obra Blanca, in partnership with Arquine, this year's international lecture program will gather prominent figures in contemporary architecture. On Tuesday, October 13, the program will feature Carme Pinós, founder of Estudio Carme Pinós, renowned for an architecture that integrates public space, context, and social dimension in projects such as the Escola Massana and the Art and Design Center in Barcelona. On Wednesday, October 14, the focus turns to Colombian architect Daniel Bonilla of Taller de Arquitectura de Bogotá (TAB >|), whose work is distinguished by exploring the relationship between architecture, landscape, and the city, seen in projects like the El Tintal Public Library in Bogotá. Finally, on Thursday, October 15, the schedule will close with 2012 Pritzker Prize laureate Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu, founders of Amateur Architecture Studio and curators of the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale, whose work focuses on reclaiming traditional Chinese construction techniques and materials, as exemplified by the Ningbo History Museum.
This international lecture panel is integrated into an Activities Agenda organized around three Content Tracks:
- Habitable Space Track, Tuesday, October 13: This includes the Fourth National Housing Forum, titled "City and Housing: Heritage and Rights," in partnership with the Federation of Architects' Associations of the Mexican Republic (FCARM), CANADEVI Valle de México, and the Mejor Ciudad Association, with the support of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC) Mexico City Delegation; the Third Corporate Interior Design Forum, "Design, Strategy, and Innovation for the Workspace," in partnership with the Mexican Association of Corporate Interior Design (AMIC); the lecture "Beyond Spaces: The Power of Design in Daily Life," in partnership with Glocal Design Magazine; and Architecture Insiders, featuring the lecture "THE AI ERA, Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence," in partnership with the Nuevo León Association of Architects (CANL).
- Sustainability and Innovation Track, Wednesday, October 14: This day features the Third Sustainability Forum, "Materials, Nature, and Technology for the Next Generation of Buildings," in partnership with ECOStudio XV; the lecture "The Construction Industry in Mexico 2026: Current Landscape, Trends, and Outlook," in partnership with BIMSA Reports; and the lecture "Architecture Shaped by Place: Espacio Común on Practice, People, and Context," presented by ArchDaily's Editor-in-Chief, Christele Harrouk.
- Lighting Track, Thursday, October 15: This track presents the Fourth Lighting Forum, titled "Thinking Light: A Dialogue Between Lighting, Architecture, and Interior Design," in partnership with Iluminet and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) Mexico—a space dedicated to exploring lighting through its relationship with design, architecture, and the spatial experience.
The lecture "Architecture Shaped by Place: Espacio Común on Practice, People, and Context," by ArchDaily Editor-in-Chief Christele Harrouk, will take place on Wednesday, October 14 at 3:30 p.m. in the main auditorium. The session will feature Paula Villa Pastor, co-founder of Espacio Común, a Peruvian practice she co-directs with Daniel Canchán.
Starting with the Main Floating Stage for Muyunafest 2025 designed by Espacio Común—winner of ArchDaily's 2026 Building of the Year—this conversation explores how architecture can emerge from the conditions, knowledge, and ways of life of a specific place. Designed in response to the fluctuating waters and local building traditions of the Peruvian Amazon, the project serves as the starting point for a broader discussion on architectural practice: how architects read a context before intervening, how local knowledge and collaboration influence design decisions, and how ingenuity and adaptation can become architectural tools. Moving from this project to the broader portfolio of Espacio Común, the discussion will examine what it means to practice architecture from and within a particular context, among other themes. The conversation will also reflect on what happens when a local project reaches a global audience, and what its selection by ArchDaily readers as Building of the Year reveals about the kind of architecture that resonates with people today.
Throughout the three-day event, visitors will be able to experience the Obra Blanca Space, designed for this edition by architect Augusto Quijano Axle. His proposal conceives the exhibition as a living journey, presented as a tribute to continuity, movement, and fluidity. This space will host interviews, panel discussions, and the display of the Obra Blanca 2027 CMF Dynamic: *La tendencia es emocionar* (The Trend is to Evoke Emotion), an exercise developed in partnership with La Jabonera Centro de Diseño. In this showcase, a new Creative Team comprising 12 architecture and interior design firms from Guanajuato, Querétaro, and San Luis Potosí reviews the trends of the Obra Blanca 2027 CMF Forecast: *Fractured Beauty*, *Living Matter*, and *Multisensory Sanctuary*.
"From its inception, the vision of Obra Blanca has been to create a space for shared growth. Today, this vision materializes in an exhibition that elevates the quality of its offering year after year, and in an Activities Agenda that spans from major international figures to key discussion forums. It is this union of industry, knowledge, and community that shapes and defines the Obra Blanca Experience."—Fernando Lozano Assad, President of Obra Blanca and Director of TCNA Mexico (Tile Council of North America-Mexico)
Complementing this Activities Agenda, attendees can participate in various technical talks hosted by exhibitors, as well as explore three exhibitions linked to key biennials: the Nuevo León Architecture Biennale, the Sixth Ibero-American Lighting Design Biennale, and the XIX National Biennale of Mexican Architecture by the Federation of Architects' Associations of the Mexican Republic (FCARM). This expands the experience with new spaces for learning, inspiration, and reflection on architecture, design, and lighting.
Partner organizations include the National Academy of Architecture of Mexico, the American Institute of Architects Mexico (AIA Mexico), ArchDaily, the Association of Companies for Energy Saving in Buildings (ALENER), the ExATec Architects Association, the Mexican Association of Women Architects and Urbanists (AMAU), the Mexican Corporate Interior Design Association (AMIC), the Mexican Association of Professionals in Fairs, Exhibitions, Congresses, and Conventions (AMPROFEC), Arquine, Arquitectas MX, the KNX Mexico Association, the Mexican Association of Urbanists (AMU), Bimsa Reports, the Chamber of the Housing Development and Promotion Industry of the Valley of Mexico (CANADEVI Valle de México), the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry, Mexico City Delegation (CMIC), the Mexico City Association of Architects and Society of Mexican Architects (CAM SAM), the Nuevo León Association of Architects (CANL), Design Week Mexico, ECOStudio XV, the Federation of Architects' Associations of the Mexican Republic (FCARM), the Flooring Sustainability Summit (FSS), the Mejor Ciudad Foundation, Glocal Design Magazine, Hazlo con Cerámicos, the Illuminating Engineering Society Mexico (IES Mexico), Iluminet, Mextrópoli, Podio, Sustainability for Mexico (SUMe), and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).
The diversity of these organizations reflects the multidisciplinary character of Obra Blanca and its ability to bridge the finishes and design products sector with architecture, interior design, lighting, urban planning, sustainability, and design in Mexico. The longevity and growth of this ecosystem of partnerships foster the exchange of ideas, create new opportunities, and connect specialists. Through these synergies, the event opens pathways into different market niches, expands horizons, and reaffirms its role as a catalyst for growth, innovation, and professional integration.
For more information on Obra Blanca 2026, please visit the link below or follow their social media channels.
