The World Architecture Festival (WAF) has announced the shortlist for its 2026 Awards, recognizing completed buildings, future projects, interiors, and landscape works from around the world. The finalists, selected from hundreds of submissions, will compete at this year's festival, taking place at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from November 18–20, 2026. During the first two days of the event, shortlisted teams will present their projects live to international judging panels, with category winners advancing to the festival's Super Jury for the final awards.

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Al Maha Island is a 230,000 m² human-made island located off the coast of Lusail, Qatar. Built as an entertainment and leisure destination north of Doha, it opened in 2022, just ahead of the FIFA World Cup. In 2024, Qatar Museums released renderings of the future Lusail Museum, designed by Swiss architecture office Herzog & de Meuron and located on the southern tip of the island. Most recently, the firm revealed updated images of the island masterplan and the museum's exterior design. The new Lusail Museum will house a collection of Orientalist art, exploring the movement of people and ideas across the globe, past and present, and will offer opportunities for study and debate on contemporary global issues. It is expected to become the cultural anchor of Lusail City, in a building conceived by Jacques Herzog as "a vertically layered souk, or miniature city contained within a single building."

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In June 2026, the refurbished Teatro Mauri reopened its doors on Cerro Bellavista in Valparaíso, formerly Chile's main port. The building forms part of Latin America's modernist legacy and stands adjacent to La Sebastiana, one of the renowned residences of the poet Pablo Neruda. It was designed by architect Alfredo Vargas Stoller, author of other icons of modern architecture in Valparaíso, such as the Edificio Cooperativa Vitalicia and the Conjunto de Viviendas Vargas in Viña del Mar. Teatro Mauri opened in 1951 as a venue for performances and cinema. Following a fire in the early 1990s, it fell into disrepair, serving only sporadically as a venue for local parties and events. In 2015, it was purchased by the Sociedad Chilena de Autores e Intérpretes (SCD), which commissioned its restoration from architects Laura Garrido and Gregorio Garretón.

Every year on July 11, World Population Day draws attention to the demographic trends reshaping societies around the globe. In 2026, the United Nations marks the occasion under the theme, "Realizing the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future," highlighting how young people's decisions about education, employment, housing, relationships, and family life are increasingly influenced by the cities they inhabit. Drawing on Lives, Choices and Futures, a global survey of more than 108,000 young adults across 73 countries, this year's campaign underscores the close relationship between demographic change and the social, economic, and spatial conditions of cities.

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The Museum of Modern Art in New York inaugurated the exhibition Architects of Liberation: Modernism in Western Africa on July 5, 2026, on view through January 2, 2027. The exhibition examines African modern architecture from the late 1950s through the early 1980s in the context of political independence in the region. Works span seven countries: Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. The display is organised around anchor projects selected as "entry points" into categories such as cityscapes, education, and housing. It is curated by Martino Stierli, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, and Ikem Stanley Okoye, guest curator and associate professor at the University of Delaware, with Mallory Cohen, curatorial associate in the Department of Architecture and Design.

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Photographer Paul Clemence has documented West Bund Orbit, Heatherwick Studio's public exhibition hall on Shanghai's West Bund waterfront, in a photo series exploring the project's evolving architectural identity. Located in Xuhui District along the Huangpu River, the building was conceived as a cultural destination within the area's emerging Financial Hub while extending the network of public spaces that define the redeveloped riverfront. Rather than focusing solely on the building as an object, Clemence's photographs examine the relationship between architecture, circulation, and landscape, revealing how the project's interconnected pathways and layered form engage both the waterfront and the surrounding city.

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This week belonged to the arts, with cultural architecture dominating headlines across the globe. Landmark buildings for major institutions advanced through important construction and design milestones, from the Shanghai Opera House to Abu Dhabi's new performing arts center, while two new museum commissions were announced following international competitions. Architecture also took centre stage as a subject of exhibition itself, with the Sharjah Architecture Triennial revealing its participant list and Austria unveiling its proposal for the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale. Beyond these developments, this week's news compilation includes three upcoming urban design projects: in Seoul, South Korea, a new riverside neighbourhood in the Apgujeong district weaves residential towers around parkland connecting the city to the Han River; in Cardiff, Wales, a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Taff links waterfront neighbourhoods to new housing along the water's edge; and in Bengaluru, South India, the Museum of Art and Photography is expanding its public campus, adding new civic and cultural facilities alongside a major new sculpture park set within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Tamil Nadu.

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Studio Campo Baeza, based in Madrid, together with Quito-based Maoda, has won the international competition to design the new National Museum of Ecuador (MUNA) in Quito. Their proposal, titled Echoes of the Sun, was selected by a national and international jury from 17 finalist entries in the second phase of the competition. The public competition initially attracted 148 teams from around the world, with 20 shortlisted to develop design proposals before the winning scheme was announced during a public ceremony in Quito on July 6, 2026.

A new space dedicated to contemporary art on the Île Seguin, in the Greater Paris area, is opening in October 2026. The new cultural institution, named "Large," will be housed in a building designed by Catalan architects and Pritzker Prize recipients RCR Arquitectes, the studio's first project in Paris. It is situated on La Pointe des Arts, a large-scale redevelopment of the Île Seguin's former industrial area into a mixed-use complex spanning more than 53,000 m² and focused on arts and culture. The project's architectural massing follows the stratification concept set out in the masterplan by Ateliers Jean Nouvel. The institution will open with the exhibition "Imaginary Engine: From Masterpieces of the Collection Renault to Artists of Today," bringing together 55 artists from 23 countries to explore the relationship between humanity and machines, in tribute to the site's industrial history and Renault's decades-long collaboration with artists.

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MVRDV has been selected to design Inaura, a mixed-use hotel and residential tower in Downtown Dubai, developed by Arada. The project will rise to 210 meters on a site located between Downtown Dubai and Business Bay, with views toward the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain. Following the competition, MVRDV will continue its involvement as design guardian, while Dubai-based Dewan Architects + Engineers will act as lead consultant. The interiors will be developed based on a concept by MVRDV, aligned with the developer's focus on fitness, wellness, and lifestyle-related programs.

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Architecture is typically understood through principles such as order, clarity, and functionality. In O Livro dos Labirintos, Francesco Perrotta-Bosch proposes another entry point: thinking about the discipline through the labyrinth—a structure that, since its mythical origins, has operated through detours, ambiguity, and disorientation.

Drawing on the Labyrinth of Crete, attributed to Daedalus in Greek mythology, the author shifts the discussion on the origins of architecture to a realm less associated with constructive rationality and closer to spatial experience. The book's guiding question is direct: why would architecture have begun with a form that subverts linearity and legibility?

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During each edition of the Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, the Ibero-American Prize for Architecture and Urbanism is awarded to landmark professional careers within the architectural and urban planning fields in Ibero-America. Aligned with the theme “Habitar al Margen” (Living on the Margins), the XII BIAU honors individuals who have made significant contributions to housing and urban habitability. These recipients serve as active agents of change through their connections with associations, collectives, communities, or political, academic, or social action groups, as well as their work in architectural dissemination, theory, and criticism that supports marginal practices, among other criteria.

The Provincial Preliminary Project Competition for the remodeling of Plaza Gral. Manuel Belgrano in the city of Villa Allende, Córdoba, Argentina, was organized by the Association of Architects of the Province of Córdoba (CAPC) and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architecture Entities (FADEA). As a binding competition, the Municipality of Villa Allende will contract the winning team to develop the project, which includes construction drawings, details, and technical specifications.

From April 21 to June 19, the PUCP Architecture Archive presents “José García Bryce: Recollections for a History of Peruvian Architecture” at the PUCP Cultural Center. This exhibition approaches the work of Peruvian architect José García Bryce through seven of his creations, arranged in a chronological narrative that offers insight into the evolution of his thought.

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This November, REDBAAL will mark its first decade of activity, a milestone celebrated alongside four editions of the Oscar Niemeyer Award for Latin American Architecture (ON Award). Over these years, more than 350 projects have been submitted, all of which share the distinction of having been previously recognized at the most prestigious architectural biennials across Latin America.

The TAC! Urban Architecture Festival is an initiative led by the General Directorate for Urban Agenda and Architecture of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda (MITMA), in collaboration with the Arquia Foundation. It is aimed at young architects to design and build a temporary pavilion that will host exhibitions, meetings, and activities.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, through the National Cultural Heritage Service (SNPC), launched the bidding process for the design of the Valparaíso Regional Archive. The future building not only aims to preserve historical documents and collections and promote research and access to information, but also represents a major opportunity to value and reactivate the ruins of the historic Palacio Subercaseaux in Valparaíso's Barrio Puerto, Chile. 

Following an evaluation of the 13 accepted bids, the winning proposal was submitted by architects Cecilia Puga, Paula Velasco, and their team. Their design defends and protects the urban profile, showing us how to connect the new with the old. Below, discover the winning project in detail, along with the other awarded entries.

In 2019, the Governing Council of the URJC (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos) approved an infrastructure plan to remodel several of the university's campus buildings, including the classroom and departmental building on the Madrid-Vicálvaro Campus. This led to an agreement with the COAM (Official Association of Architects of Madrid) to organize an ideas competition to select the final design for the building, which was launched in February 2022.

In the district of Miraflores, the tourist heart of Lima (the capital of Peru), the San Ramón Gastronomic Market opened in December 2021. It is located on the boulevard of the same name, in the picturesque district's well-known former Calle de las Pizzas. Open to the public, the project by the firm Arquitectura Verde aims to promote the enjoyment and awareness of the wide variety and richness of Peruvian gastronomy.

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To promote Peruvian modern architecture internationally, the exhibition of the “Modern Movement Architecture Catalog of Peru (CAMMP)” opened on March 31 at the headquarters of the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM) in Spain. The research, conducted by architects Alejandra Acevedo and Michelle Llona, was supported by the Architecture Program at the University of Lima and the Scientific Research Institute (IDIC), and will be open to the public until April 30 of this year.

Architect Benjamín Cadena, founder of Studio Cadena, has designed a bold and playful space for an ice cream and donut shop in Bogotá, Colombia.

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Recently opened in December 2021, the Plaza de Toros Real de San Carlos has been restored and repurposed to become a multi-purpose performance venue with a capacity for around 2,500 spectators in the stands and over 2,000 in the arena. Located in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay, this work, originally built by architect Josip Marković and engineer Dupuy, adopted a Neo-Mudéjar style, echoing the Spanish bullrings of that era.

To promote the key, transformative role of architecture in improving quality of life and contributing to a better world, the Higher Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) is revamping the awards it has presented since 1981 with the launch of the first edition of the ARQUITECTURA Awards.

Organized by the Colombian Society of Architects - Bogotá and Cundinamarca Chapter (SCA BC) and the Administrative Department of the Public Space Ombudsman (DADEP), the II Bogotá Public Space Biennial 2021 (BEP BOG) aims to recognize and showcase projects that contribute to the creation, recovery, and sustainability of public space in the city of Bogotá.