Craft & Care at IE School of Architecture & Design
This year’s lecture series CRAFT&CARE at IE School of Architecture and Design, curated by Grazielle Bruscato, invites students to reflect on how making, maintaining and repairing—across architecture, fashion and design—can be a transformative practice of attention, commitment and responsibility. The series highlights the resurgence of craft as both contemporary practices and cultural heritage, celebrating voices from across the globe, embracing diverse material traditions and design processes, and affirming care as a transversal force that fosters well-being, social cohesion and ecological sustainability.
Otto Wagner (1841–1918) is one of the internationally most influential figures of early modern architecture. Many of his buildings – for instance, the Vienna City Railway, the Postal Savings Bank and the Church at Steinhof – are now considered key works of twentieth-century architecture because they shed their historical stylistic trappings and speak instead a language appropriate to “modern life”, based on purpose, materials, and construction.
Meet the architects and designers of the future as their newest work comes together, and take a peek behind the doors of the world's #1 university for art and design.
The ATN Summit is a bold new conference at the intersection of architecture, technology, and entrepreneurship. Taking place in London on 18–19 March 2026, the summit brings together leading architects, technologists, innovators, and AEC influencers for two days of visionary talks, hands-on workshops, and meaningful networking.
The UIA World Congress of Architects is an international event for architectural dialogue organised by the International Union of Architects (UIA, by its French acronym), a non-governmental organisation that unites national associations of architects from over 100 countries, representing more than one million professionals. The first UIA Congress of Architects, which also marked the institution's founding, was held in Lausanne in 1948 during the post-war reconstruction period. Since then, UIA congresses have been held every three years in a different city within a member country, serving as the organisation's main recurring event. In 2026, the Congress will be held in Barcelona, and UNESCO has consequently designated the city as the World Capital of Architecture 2026. Each Congress focuses on a key topic relevant to the profession, articulated through a central theme. Recent themes include Copenhagen 2023: "Sustainable Futures. Leave no one behind." and Rio 2020–2021: "All the worlds. Just one World." The topic for 2026 is "Becoming. Architectures for a Planet in Transition," welcoming renowned figures in contemporary architectural thought and practice for a broad and critical overview of the possible futures of architecture.
Organized by ASF with Susan Chin of DesignConnects, in collaboration with the American Institute of Architects New York, and American Institute of Architects Continental Europe, Nordic American Connections: Conversations on Architecture and Design is a four-part series that presents prominent architects, critics and scholars to reflect on Scandinavian and Nordic design’s enduring impact in shaping modern American design since the 19th century.
Open House Europe Annual Summit "Future Heritage", courtesy of Architektūros fondas.
Open House Europe will hold its third Annual Summit in Athens on January 9–10, 2026. Hosted by Open House Athens, co-hosted by Open House Slovenia and Open House Thessaloniki, and coordinated by Architektūros fondas, the Summit will once again convene festival organisers, architecture professionals, students, enthusiasts, and partners from across the continent and beyond for shared reflection, exchange, and dialogue.
4 Design Days 2026 is the jubilee 10th edition of one of the most important events for the architecture, design, and real estate sectors in Poland. On 22–23 January 2026, the International Congress Centre in Katowice will host architects, designers, investors, developers, manufacturers, representatives of local authorities, and experts who actively shape the directions of contemporary spatial development.
LUMA Arles / Gehry Partners. Photography by Iwan Baan. Image Courtesy of Gehry Partners
This week's news reflects architecture's simultaneous engagement with cultural reflection, professional legacy, and the material realities of building cities. The passing of Frank Gehry prompted a broader reassessment of late 20th- and early 21st-century architectural practice, while Shigeru Ban's selection as the recipient of the 2026 AIA Gold Medal brought renewed attention to socially driven design and the profession's public responsibilities. These milestones unfolded alongside wider conversations sparked by Human Rights Day, examining architecture's role in equity, housing access, and safety worldwide, and forward-looking discussions setting the architectural agenda for 2026 through major international events and cultural programs. At the scale of the built environment, these themes are echoed in three projects shaping future urban conditions: Powerhouse Company's transformation of a former limestone quarry into a mixed-use neighbourhood in Bærum, near Oslo; the groundbreaking of Riverside Wharf, a hospitality-led development contributing to the regeneration of Miami's River District; and Foster + Partners' approved retrofit of 1 St James's Square in London, focused on structural retention and long-term urban resilience.
Image of an Open House Miami attendee. Image credit: MCAD.
Open House Miami (OHMIA) returns for its third year, February 27–March 1, 2026, offering special access to the architecture, culture, and design of Greater Miami & Miami Beach through free experiences and events—tours, workshops, and more.
Attention art and design lovers! The 16th annual DesignTO Festival returns January 23 - February 1, 2026. Join us at multiple venues across Toronto for 10 days of inspiring exhibitions, installations, and events.
Courtesy of The Royal Commission for AlUla | Rana Haddad + Pascal Hachem Reveries, Desert X AlUla 2024
Architecture and design enter 2026 in a moment of renewed experimentation, urgent environmental reflection, and an expanded global dialogue on the built environment. As cities confront the pressures of climate adaptation, demographic shifts, and technological transformation, this year's international calendar offers a lens into how the discipline is responding, creatively, critically, and collectively. From long-standing biennials to newly established platforms, the events of 2026 spotlight architecture's evolving role as both a record of our changing world and a driver of more equitable, sustainable futures.
Join us in Berlin to explore how water shapes urban life. Over two weeks, students and experts in design, ecology, and urban studies will investigate Berlin's water systems and their role in shaping cities. Through site visits and collaborative work, we will study water as a connector, resource, and driver of change. Discover new ways to rethink urban resilience through the lens of water.
Mr. Modernism’s Neighborhood - Free Self Guided Architectural Trail Map
Each month, Friends of Residential Treasures Los Angeles (FORT: LA) curates a new self-guided trail, inviting Angelenos to explore the city’s rich architectural heritage. These immersive experiences highlight significant homes, hidden gems, and the designers who have shaped Los Angeles' built environment.
We are pleased to announce an evening conversation hosted by the Pan-African Biennale (PAB), in collaboration with Black Females in Architecture (BFA), a collective that advocates for greater representation, support, and visibility for Black women working across architecture and the built environment.
Call for Project Submissions: Shared stewardship for nature
What’s That Green? Governance Lab is excited to launch an open call for projects that demonstrate good practice in the long-term co-care and co-maintenance of urban green spaces together with civil society. We are not looking for governance models where green spaces are solely managed by public or private actors, nor where citizens are acting entirely on their own. Our focus is on blended stewardship models - where cities, private organizations, and civil society care for green spaces together.
Angeleno architects and curators made their mark at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale — with installations featured in the U.S., China, and Iceland Pavilions, among others.
Boulder, 2025. Photo by Izzy Leung. Courtesy of Friedman Benda.
From November 7 to December 19, Friedman Benda presents "Adam Pendleton: Who Owns Geometry Anyway?", marking the gallery’s first collaboration with the artist and Pendleton’s inaugural exploration of furniture typologies. Pendleton’s works, stemming from the seeds of simple geometric figures, explore themes of the historical avant-garde that influenced modern and contemporary aesthetics.
India has a strong tradition of films that explore cities as characters in themselves — their social dynamics, architecture, chaos, and contradictions. Over three days, the Nagari Film Festival presents a curated lineup of Indian films and discussions that engage with urban life through fiction, documentary, and experimental cinema. The festival opens with the Nagari 2025 Award Ceremony, premiering this year’s anthology of short films and initiating a dialogue on the role of the public realm in our cities. The following days feature themed screenings and conversations exploring how cinema reflects, critiques, and reimagines the urban experience. The Nagari Film Festival is supported by a generous grant from the Tata Trusts.
