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Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), Saraiva + Associados
Landscape Architects: LJ-Group Landscape Architecture - Area: 37000 m²
- Year: 2025
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Manufacturers: Amop, Toscca, Unni


How heavy is a city, and what does that weight mean for our collective future? This provocative question guides the 7th edition of the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, which proposes an inquiry into the transformations of urban life and the material, social, and environmental consequences of inhabiting the planet today. From October 2 to December 8, Lisbon will once again host one of Europe's most significant architectural events.
Curated by Ann-Sofi Rönnskog and John Palmesino, founders of the practice Territorial Agency, the Triennale investigates the magnitude of contemporary cities and their planetary impact. Composed of nearly 30 trillion tons of materials, global cities form a dense and intricate web of continuously evolving structures. To unpack these complexities, the Triennale opens itself as a space of learning, curiosity, imagination, and debate — a meeting ground for architects, researchers, artists, and the wider public.

All materials come from somewhere, embedded in a chain of extraction, supply, production, and disposal that, depending on its scale, leaves more or less significant marks on the environment. In architecture, we usually approach this trajectory through the lens of materials' circularity, considering how they can re-enter production cycles rather than become waste. Yet, broadening our view to unexpected places reveals parallel systems where by-products from one industry become resources for another. This approach has found fertile ground in organic waste transformed into biomaterials, with one of the most recent examples being the work of Fahrenheit 180º. Through their installation, "From the Tagus to the Tile", they repurpose oyster shells initially discarded by food systems to create a reinterpretation of Lisbon's iconic tiles.

Populous has unveiled the design for a new master plan for the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon, in collaboration with Lisbon-based architecture firm Saraiva + Associados. Commissioned by S.L. Benfica, the project aims to upgrade the stadium and introduce new mixed-use and public facilities within the surrounding precinct. Populous describes the project as part of a wider trend in stadium-led urban development, referencing parallels with venues like Wembley Stadium and the Etihad Campus. According to the firm, the design responds to the stadium's existing context while supporting future expansion and new forms of public engagement. Completion is expected in alignment with upcoming international sporting events, including the 2030 FIFA World Cup.


