Over the last two weeks, the ArchDaily en Español community submitted more than 17,000 nominations, yielding 15 finalists that represent some of the most emblematic architectural works of the past year. Decided by its community, the 2026 Building of the Year Award—the most significant architecture prize in the Spanish-speaking world—exists to recognize the best of architecture across Spanish-speaking countries.

These 15 finalists, chosen by public vote in this 17th edition, showcase the breadth of recent Ibero-American production while highlighting shared shifts in contemporary practice: an architecture that prioritizes clear construction choices, operates within real-world constraints, and understands design as a way of adapting to specific contexts.

Over the past two weeks, the ArchDaily Brasil community has nominated more than 14,000 projects, resulting in 15 finalists representing some of the most iconic architectural works published over the last year. Now in its 10th edition, the Obra do Ano Award recognizes the best of architecture in Portuguese-speaking countries, chosen by the readers themselves. The finalists offer a snapshot of the current state of architecture, spanning residential, urban, cultural, and other programs.

Representing Brazil and Portugal, the 15 projects reflect the needs of their specific contexts through creative solutions proposed by local architects. From interior renovations to large-scale urban interventions, and from single-family homes to community projects, the selection is diverse, yet united by a common thread: recognition from the public, who seek to see their own aspirations represented.

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?

+ 3

The world of architecture is evolving rapidly. Faced with technological transformation, environmental urgency, and growing cultural complexity, architects must combine creativity with technical expertise, cultural sensitivity, analytical skills, and the ability to work across multiple disciplines. The Master's Degree in Architecture at CEU Cardenal Herrera University responds to these demands through a transformative academic experience.

Another year, another successful ArchDaily China Building of the Year Awards! Once more, the award has proved to be the largest architecture prize centered around people's opinion. Crowdsourced, the most relevant projects of the year were nominated and selected by our readers.

The 2026 China Building of the Year Awards is brought to you thanks to Dornbracht, renowned for leading designs for architecture, which can be found internationally in bathrooms and kitchens.

In the field of architecture, wood was one of the first materials used by humans in construction, evolving and facing various challenges over the years. From the integration of new technologies in industrial production processes to ancestral techniques and materials reinterpreted in contemporary ways, timber construction continues to capture the interest of architecture and design professionals. Beyond its versatility, strength, appearance, and sustainability, cross-laminated timber, known as CLT, presents a promising future for the industry.

There are only two days left to vote for the winners of ArchDaily en Español's 2026 Obra del Año Award. The three winners will be announced on April 16, following three weeks of public voting. The 15 finalists chosen by the public showcase the breadth of recent Ibero-American architectural production, spanning Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay.

Discover the 15 finalists and help choose the three most significant projects of the past year in Spanish-speaking countries. In this final stage, users can vote for one project per day until April 15 at 6:00 PM (GMT-4).

The announcement of the 2026 Obra do Ano Award is drawing near, with only two days left until the close of the final selection stage. The three winners will be announced on April 16, following three weeks of public voting. The 15 finalists paint a portrait of the current state of architecture according to the public, who have been voting for their favorite projects.

View the 15 finalists and join an unbiased network of jurors responsible for choosing the most relevant projects built in Portuguese-speaking countries over the past year. In this final stage, each person can vote for one project per day until April 15 at 7:00 PM (Brasília time).

Three projects have been chosen by the ArchDaily en Español community as the winners of the 2026 Obra del Año Award. Representing Peru and Ecuador, the winners were selected after three weeks of public voting from a pool of over 800 projects. The award recognizes the best of architecture in Latin America and Spain, as decided by its community.

Three Brazilian projects have been chosen as the winners of the 2026 Obra do Ano Award by ArchDaily Brasil's readers. After three weeks of public voting, more than 700 projects were narrowed down to 15 finalists, concluding the process with three grand winners that represent the very best of Lusophone architecture.

Videos

Work no longer happens in a single place; it is fluid, fragmented, and adaptable. It might begin in an office, move to an acoustic pod, transition to a shared space, and end at home. Throughout this journey, the laptop remains a constant fixture. As work becomes increasingly mobile, spatial configurations must adapt to support this fluidity.

Heimtextil Colombia 2026 brings together an international showcase and a knowledge program that highlight a shift in value toward the home and hospitality sectors, where Colombian and Latin American designers are expanding their creative DNA to move up the value pyramid, diversify revenue, and compete in global markets.

Videos

Work is no longer confined to a single place. It moves. It changes. It adapts. Today, it can begin in an office, continue in an acoustic booth, pass through a shared space, and end at home. In this transition, the laptop has become a constant fixture. As work becomes increasingly mobile, spatial needs change as well.

p>Understanding play as a social catalyst and an influential factor in defining public space, urban life is shaped by diverse individuals of different ages, cultures, ideologies, interests, classes, and social groups. Thinking about how play inhabits cities means thinking about all generations, and about the need to build public spaces with urban equipment designed to last and be maintained over time.

The performance of play structures invites us to review the different stages of their life cycle alongside their impact on shaping the urban environment. Analyzing the life cycle of urban play equipment involves understanding everything from materials, durability, and maintenance to the role of certifications and technologies applied in their production process, within environments that are increasingly conscious of their environmental impact.

+ 15

+ 4

Videos

It is eight in the morning, and the car's dashboard display reads 36°C on the streets of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The sky is almost clear: an intense blue with a few bright, drifting clouds. The air conditioning in the cars—all with tinted windows—makes you forget that upon stepping out, the warm, humid air will immediately weigh on your shoulders and break a sweat.

Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean coast is too far away for a quick dip, but in the neighborhood of Armenta, the eponymous river flows almost silently down from the Sierra del Merendón, running from west to east through gray stones. On the northern bank, tall, leafy trees along the upper edge of the ravine shade a long, dry, and dusty plaza, while thick, exposed roots give texture to the ground. The sun is less punishing.

+ 11

Architects, designers, psychologists, and sociologists alike recognize that aesthetics and their underlying philosophy have the power to change how we perceive the world around us. Consequently, a deeper understanding of what is beautiful has the power to shift how people respond to their environment. Exploring the different meanings of aesthetics in architecture—from 'form follows function' to the new aesthetics of the metaverse—can help us understand the potential of our physical and virtual environments on the path toward a better world.

Much has been written on the subject, from Alberto Pérez-Gómez's Lo bello y lo justo en la arquitectura to Pablo Caldera's El fracaso de lo bello. However, we wanted to open the debate to our readers to share their views on what makes a building or a city beautiful.

After reading and compiling around 300 comments from construction professionals, students, and architecture enthusiasts alike, it was a pleasant surprise to find common ground regarding the importance of collective beauty, referencing both the urban and natural contexts.

“Reading for Life” is the name of the pavilion of the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá designed by Yemail Arquitectura for this latest edition of the Bogotá International Book Fair (FILBO). Welcoming over 30,000 visitors, the pavilion made a significant impact by presenting a narrative that allowed visitors to understand the Colombian capital from different perspectives. It took into account the city’s rural composition while proposing a future with a more organic connection, where the diversity of the neighborhood, water, air, land, and all the cities found in reading, community, and nature coexist in a single space.

This article by Jheisson Joseph Lasso Imbachi was originally published under the title "Habitar tras el destierro: Desplazamiento forzado y retorno como configurador de nuevos hábitats en el Putumayo" in the 30th issue of Dearq journal on May 1, 2021 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq30.2021.05).

It explores migration processes in the south of the country, a consequence of extractive economies that have shaped territorial organization and caused exile, forced displacement, and two lesser-studied phenomena: the settlement and permanence of the population in a host territory and the return to their place of origin. To this end, documentary and testimonial sources were studied, analyzed, and interpreted, allowing a direct approach to the community displaced by violence, in order to analyze the diverse ways of living after displacement and conclude with some considerations for future rural housing proposals that are easily accessible to the victim population.

Below, we present it as part of a joint collaboration to contribute to the dissemination of research, analysis, and opinions developed by the national and international academic community on architecture, urban issues, and related fields.

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.

Darío Emmanuel López is an architect from the University of Buenos Aires and a technical advisor on building systems at the Ministry of Health (GCBA). He is also the co-founder and chief operating officer of the BIMCABA team—which coordinates the implementation of the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology across all ministries of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires, allowing departments that manage projects, public works, and built assets to work in a unified and efficient manner.

He is currently focused on sharing the BIM initiatives taking place within the Argentine government, helping inform students, architects, and engineers who want to know what happens behind closed doors in the public sector and these "BIM Ministries." To that end, this interview with Darío Emmanuel López details how building information modeling is being implemented within the government of the City of Buenos Aires.

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.

+ 11

+ 6

As part of the programming for Mexico City Art Week, CAPITALES presents its fifth exhibition, titled "Objetos Arquitectónicos" ("Architectural Objects"), from February 8 to 13, 2022, at Frontera 88, Roma Norte. Produced in collaboration with Manada Architectural Boundaries, the exhibition features 27 studios, including Alejandro Tapia, Ariel Rojo, Blanca Arcos, Carlos Bedoya, Carlos Candia, Carlos Torre Hütt, Chuen Mx, Déjate Querer, Dosa Studio, EDAA, Enrique Rosas, Estudio Atemporal, Fernando Polidura, Jimena Hogrebe, Julia Reyes Retana C, Lanza Atelier, Lupe Toys, María Santibáñez, Martacarmela, Onnis Luque, PRODUCTORA, PLECA, Rafael Rodríguez, Roberto Michelsen, Unidad de Protocolos, and Vera Primavera.