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More than six years have passed since n´UNDO launched its manifesto, which, through its 11 points, advocates for and promotes a new way of approaching architectural action based on non-construction and reuse. This approach is grounded in the re-architecture of territory and the city through subtraction and renunciation. 

Since November 11, 2011, n`UNDO has built a highly active and compelling track record through urban and territorial intervention plans aimed at the social, cultural, environmental, and physical improvement and recovery of our surroundings. In addition, they have participated in several competitions, earning numerous awards and accolades, and have carried out extensive educational work through workshops, courses, lectures, and conferences. Notable among these was the symposium “Empty Space, Subtraction, and Silence: Subtraction and Renunciation in the Creative Process. An Interdisciplinary Perspective,” held in Madrid in November 2016. 

Under the slogan Madrid in October is Architecture, details have been announced for the fourth edition of the Open House Madrid architecture and city festival. Led by architects Paloma Gómez Marín and Pati Núñez, this year's event will feature the most extensive program of any edition to date. 

During the weekend of September 29 and 30, more than 120 buildings that are usually closed to the public will open their doors. In addition, over 30 activities have been organized throughout October, making this festival one of the most important cultural events of the year in the Spanish capital. 

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Yesterday, June 13, marked the opening of the 5th International Congress of Architecture and Society, an event presided over by King Felipe VI for the second consecutive edition. The President of the Government of Navarra, Uxue Barkos, and the Minister of Development, José Luis Ábalos, also participated in the official opening.

Architect Francisco Mangado was responsible for opening the event, which in its fifth edition will focus on cities and the challenges architecture faces in addressing urban demands. The architect from Navarra stated that “Architecture is not an isolated event of personal preferences; it is a profoundly cultural and social act, linked to the city as a reality that belongs to the common good,” adding that “the quality of architecture and the city is not a luxury, it is a right for all citizens.”

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On November 24, 2016, the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) awarded the Gold Medal of Spanish Architecture to architects Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra and Víctor López Cotelo. This would have been routine, were it not for the complete absence of women architects among the winners, nominees, finalists, jury members, and the presenting panel.

This discrepancy was highlighted in a petition on Change.org addressed to Jordi Ludevid, then-president of the CSCAE, in which the signing architects called for greater active participation of women at all stages of the process, seeking equal representation with their male colleagues.

On March 8 and 9, 2018, Barcelona hosted the European BIM Summit, an annual international congress on Building Information Modeling (BIM). The event focused on promoting best practices in BIM use, sharing methodologies, and fostering international alignment.

During the summit, Ana Rojo, Director General of Production and Engineering at Ineco, announced that public building construction projects in Spain must use BIM methodology by the end of 2018. Ineco is part of the European Public Administration Group and has been commissioned to draft the Manual of Common Practices for BIM implementation. Along with the es.BIM commission, the organization is responsible for implementing this methodology across all processes carried out by Spain's Ministry of Development.

Spain is the European country with the most "Good Practices" recognized by the URBACT program. In total, 17 good practices have been recognized across 15 cities and municipalities throughout Spain. The themes addressed by these municipalities are highly diverse, ranging from the issues chosen for intervention to the methods of implementation and the solutions proposed.  

The European URBACT program was established to foster sustainable urban development and urban innovation in municipalities across Europe. As such, any city or municipality, regardless of its size, can participate in the program. Currently, 550 cities from 29 different countries and 7,000 active local stakeholders are participating.

Yesterday, the Official Association of Architects of Madrid and the COAM Architecture Foundation presented the "Arquitectura de Madrid" mobile app, developed with the support of the Madrid City Council and the Foro de Empresas por Madrid.

This is arguably one of the most important and ambitious initiatives undertaken by COAM in recent years in a clear effort to connect architecture with society. In today's fully digitalized context, this app serves as a useful and powerful tool to promote Madrid's architecture, easily accessible to any citizen, student, professional, or visitor to the Spanish capital.

The “Welcome Mother Nature” project, winner of the June 2016 international competition to redesign Madrid's Plaza España, will ultimately not be allowed to alter the position of the Cervantes monument as initially planned.

The Community of Madrid announced at the Local Heritage Commission its intention to fast-track the declaration of the complex as an Asset of Heritage Interest (BIP). Consequently, the project designed by architects Fernando Porras Isla-Fernández, Aranzazu La Casta Muñoa, and Lorenzo Fernández-Ordóñez Hernández will not be allowed to rotate the statue of the Spanish writer to face the Edificio España, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El País.

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Dampness from water ingress, condensation, or leaking and burst pipes; cracks and fissures in partition walls, facades, columns, or beams; corrosion, deformation, and spalling are some of the most common building pathologies that can affect a structure throughout its lifespan. Detecting these issues is essential to address them, keep the building in good condition, and prevent accidents or structural failures.

To address this, the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM) has launched its first public awareness campaign, titled ‘Arquitecto de la Casa’ (House Architect). The initiative aims to raise awareness about the necessity and benefits of ongoing building maintenance, highlighting specialized architects as the most qualified professionals for the job.

The city of Barcelona remains firm in its fight against speculation and gentrification, which are currently widening the inequality of opportunity for residents seeking access to decent and affordable housing.

To address this, Barcelona's Commission for Ecology, Urbanism, and Mobility has initially approved two new urban planning tools to tackle the housing accessibility crisis and protect the social balance of its neighborhoods. These measures respond to the demands of organizations such as the Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Barcelona (FAVB), the Mortgage Affected People's Platform (PAH), the DESC Observatory, the Neighborhood Assembly for Sustainable Tourism (ABTS), and the Tenants Union. 

Once again, architecture will play a significant role in the upcoming edition of the Hay Festival, Spain's largest event for ideas, which celebrates its thirteenth edition in Segovia from September 10 to 23.

Joining the previously announced Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—founders of the firm SANAA and 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates—, Martha Thorne, Executive Director of the Pritzker Prize and Dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design, and László Baán, Director of the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, are Lars Lerup, a Swedish architect and global expert on cities, former Dean of the Rice School of Architecture in Texas; Ricardo Devesa, architect and editor-in-chief of Actar Publishers and UrbanNext; and Walter Mariotti, editorial director of DOMUS. The festival will also feature Hannah Rothschild, a prominent figure in the international art world, collector, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery.

Titled "Less Architecture, More City," the 5th edition of the International Congress of Architecture and Society will focus on the city to reflect on new forms of urbanism, exploring dimensions such as ecology, sustainable mobility, and the humanization of public spaces.

As in the four previous editions, the Baluarte-Palacio de Congresos y Auditorio de Navarra will once again host this international event on June 13 and 14. While previous editions were more focused on architecture and architects—having featured renowned international figures such as Álvaro Siza, Alejandro Aravena, David Chipperfield, and Rem Koolhaas, and gathering up to 10 Pritzker Prize winners—this year marks a shift. In fact, from its first edition, titled "More for Less," to the most recent one in 2016, "Climate Change," the event has hosted major international figures in the field.

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The École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) is launching a new online course via the edX platform, focusing on the design possibilities of underground architecture in our cities. The course provides the fundamental skills necessary for conceptualizing underground architectural projects.

Joining instructors Richard Nguyen, Ignacio Ferrer Rizzo, and Juan Fernández Andrino is architect Dominique Perrault, who founded SubLab in 2013—a platform at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne dedicated to researching the subterranean layers of our cities.

On Thursday, May 24, at 7:00 PM, the Espai Alfaro will host the opening of the exhibition AlfaroSiza: Ideas encontradas, which brings together and exhibits, for the first time, works by architect Álvaro Siza and sculptor Andreu Alfaro. The explorations of both in sculpture, drawing, and architecture, along with the undeniable and striking relationship between their creations, serve as the exhibition's main draw.

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Whether you are an architecture student or already practicing in the field, you are likely aware of the growing importance of BIM methodology in the design and construction sector over the last few years. In countries like Spain, efforts are already underway to make its implementation as "natural" as possible, making it essential to provide educational resources so that both public administrations and private firms can make the "leap to BIM" and begin to reap the benefits that these new technologies offer the architectural sector.

In this regard, many experts in the field are doing important outreach work through their YouTube channels, creating and sharing high-quality content. This content is easily accessible and—in most cases—free, allowing both students and professionals to stay constantly up to date.

To continue learning about BIM, we have compiled some of the best YouTube channels to help you either take your first steps or stay current with the latest developments in this new methodology, which is already changing and revolutionizing the way we work and collaborate.

The College of Architects of Madrid (COAM) has made the initial digitization process of their Architecture Journal public, making one of the most important and influential Spanish architectural publications of the twentieth century available to everyone. COAM is a publication known as a platform for debate, thought, and a vital resource for architects, urban planners, and professionals from other closely related sectors.

Founded in 1918 as the official publication of the Central Society of Architects, the journal ARQUITECTURA, became the first publication of the Spanish architectural press. However, the Spanish Civil War would halt its normal development, transforming the magazine, as was required by the new times, into the National Journal of Architecture. It was edited until 1946 by the Directorate General of Architecture, then eventually placed in the hands of the Ministry of the Interior.

Earlier this month, in a conference held by the City of Arts and Sciences (Valencia) the winner of a private architecture competition to build the new CaixaForum Valencia was announced. The future cultural center in the Spanish city will be located inside one of Santiago Calatrava's building.

Of the nine proposals presented, architect Enric Ruiz-Geli (Figueres, 1968) from Studio Cloud 9 was chosen as the winner. An investment of around 18 million euros is expected to be needed to make the CaixaForum Valencia project a reality. In addition, about 5 million euros will be allocated annually for the maintenance, programming and operation of the center.

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Last October 23, in the small Galician city of Ares (Spain), the "Guide of colors and materials" was publicly presented, with which the administration of the Galician community - in collaboration with the Galicia College of Architects (COAG) - aims to establish aesthetic criteria and recommendations in the search for a better image and urban quality of Galician populations. 

This document is composed of fourteen volumes and its publication was made possible by a laborious process in which, for a year, architects, historians, and graduates of Fine Arts, had analyzed more than 3,800 buildings in rural, urban and peri-urban areas, as well as in industrial properties in the four Galician provinces.