Terraces of the Colegio Mayor Argentino Nuestra Señora de Luján. Source: Gustavo Brandariz private collection. Author of the image: Brandariz, Gustavo. Image processing: Black and white. Image via Digital Image Archive of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism of the University of Buenos Aires (AID-FADU-UBA).
Being a reference in the Argentine Modern Movement, the Colegio Mayor Argentino Nuestra Señora de Luján (CMANSL) is located in the University City of Madrid, Spain. Designed by Horacio Baliero and Carmen Córdova, with the collaboration of Javier Feduchi as the works director and Jesús García Vela as the clerk of works, the building emerged as a result of the competition called by the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Argentine Republic in September 1963. Inaugurated in 1971, it represents an example of modern and organic architecture that, based on a traditional construction system, is capable of addressing the functional and expressive needs of a modern 20th-century building, adapting to the surrounding environment where it stands.
Åvontuura Founder Karl van Es with his Architecture Guide to Toronto
Karl van Es spent twenty years as a practicing architect before walking away to solve a problem every architect faces: the resources to travel like a professional simply do not exist. Mainstream guidebooks and travel apps rarely highlight the buildings that truly matter to the architectural community. Åvontuurawas born from that frustration — an independent publisher of illustrated architecture guides created by an architect, for architects. Its latest release, Madrid, maps 70 of the city's most significant buildings, representing a mission to bridge the gap between architectural interest and travel logistics.
Public space is often designed around a narrow idea of how people move, interact, and respond to their surroundings. ParkTEA starts from a different position. The city can also make room for those who experience space through different sensory and social conditions.
Developed by Ignacio Martínez Pardo at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid (ETSAM), the project was conceived within the Master's thesis (Graduate-MHab) program during the 2024 to 2025 academic year, under the guidance of Héctor Fernández Elorza, Jesús Aparicio, Carlos García Fernández, and Jaime Daroca Guerrero. Recognized as one of the winners of the first edition of the ArchDaily Student Project Awards, ParkTEA engages the theme of coexistence through a proposal that brings together care, infrastructure, and urban life.
The role of heritage rehabilitation in the contemporary architectural landscape is shaped by a wide range of research, beliefs, memories, and efforts aimed at redefining and strengthening our built environment. When undertaking a transformation, renovation, or preservation project, architects can employ diverse strategies and tools to encourage a meaningful coexistence between what already exists and what is newly introduced. Together with three Madrid-based architecture practices—SOLAR, Pachón-Paredes, and BA-RRO—we set out to engage in conversation and explore their creative processes and ideals, recognizing the complexity and value of historic buildings as repositories of materials, structures, and construction techniques from other eras.
