On November 20, 2025, the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) confirmed the purchase of Fountainhead, a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1948 and completed in 1954. The renowned modernist architect designed the residence and its furnishings for oil businessman J. Willis Hughes, who lived there with his family until 1980. Established in 1911, the MMA is the largest art museum in the state of Mississippi, offering exhibitions, public programs, artistic and community partnerships, educational initiatives, and opportunities for exchange year-round through a permanent collection of paintings, photography, multimedia works, and sculpture. The purchase is part of the Museum's goal to embed itself in neighborhoods across the city in ways that support its community-building priorities, making the architectural landmark available to the public for tours with reservations. The initiative is inspired by institutions such as the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which acquired the Wright-designed Bachman-Wilson House in 2015.
Today, on the first Monday of October, we celebrate World Architecture Day. This year, the International Union of Architects (UIA) has set the theme "Design for Strength," a powerful call to action that resonates deeply with the UN's focus on urban crisis response. In a world facing unprecedented environmental and social disruptions, this theme challenges us to move beyond temporary fixes. It asks: How can our buildings and cities not only withstand shocks but also foster equity, continuity, and resilience?
While the concept of strength in architecture can easily evoke images of reinforced concrete and steel, a more profound interpretation is emerging, one that defines strength not as mere rigidity, but as a holistic capacity to endure and adapt. This includes many facets, from ecological resilience and stewardship to long-lasting concepts of social resilience or the long-lasting conservation of existing urban structures, all contributing to a built environment more able to respond to the multitude of crises faced by cities worldwide.
Monasticism emerged from a deep impulse to withdraw—a radical pursuit of spirituality and transcendence. The word itself comes from the Greek μόνος (mónos), meaning “alone,” reflecting the ideal of the holy hermit who retreats from the world to dedicate life entirely to the divine. By the late 3rd century, in Egypt and Palestine, the first Christian monks began to follow this path, creating ways of life that would later give rise to a distinct architecture centered on seclusion.
Near the center of Helsinki, Finland, in the Töölö neighborhood, one can find the Temppeliaukio Church, an unusual-looking Lutheran church nestled between granite rocks. Approaching the square from Fredrikinkatu street, the church appears subtly, a flat dome barely rising above its surrounding landscape. An unassuming entrance, flanked by concrete walls, leads visitors through a dark hallway, and into the light-filled sanctuary carved directly into the bedrock. The exposed rock walls earned it the alternative name “The Church of the Rock.” To contrast the heaviness of the materials, skylights surrounding the dome create a play of light and shadows and a feeling of airiness.
The church is the result of an architectural competition won by the architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen in 1961. Their original solution was recognized not only for its creativity but also for the respect it showed to the competition’s goal: “to include the organization plan for the whole Temppeliaukio Square, taking into attention that as great part as possible of the rock outcrop of the square to be preserved.” The winning proposal achieves this by embedding the church inside the rock and placing parish facilities on the edges of the hillock. This article explores the story behind the Temppeliaukio Church both narratively and visually, through the lens of Aleksandra Kostadinovska, a professional photographer from Skopje.
The Getty Foundation's Conserving Black Modernism initiative was launched in 2022 as a grant program to preserve and ensure the legacy of African American architects within the Modernist movement across the United States. In partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, it supports conservation efforts, training, and educational initiatives to address the historical oversight of significant architectural landmarks and their designers' contribution. For its third funding cycle in 2025, five new buildings will receive critical support, expanding the initiative's reach into new communities with the first projects in Chicago and the Pacific Northwest.
Amidst global economic adjustments and a domestic focus on high-quality development, Shanghai has implemented a strategic shift in its urban development approach—moving from 'incremental expansion' to 'connotative enhancement.' Guided by the concept of a "people-oriented city", Shanghai has elevated urban construction from mere physical space aggregation to a comprehensive endeavor aimed at optimizing functional quality, revitalizing spatial vitality, and boosting residential resilience through urban renewal initiatives. This transformation is framed not merely as a response to resource constraints but also as an intentional approach to urban development principles. Its core proposition lies in: under the policy framework of strictly controlling incremental land use, how to unleash development potential through the "reproduction" of existing spaces.
Jonas Salk Institute for Biological Sciences (1959-65). Image Courtesy of Form Portfolios
In the history of modern architecture, Louis I. Kahn is regarded as the undisputed master of monumentality in the United States. At the height of his career, Kahn managed to create a unique type of architecture, often awe-inspiring, but avoiding overdone grandiosity, expressing its constructive system, yet avoiding structural exhibitionism, steeped in history but developed with a new language and system of forms. His interest in light as a functional element and the specific qualities of materials extended beyond his buildings, in all the objects he created to populate them following their intrinsic spirit. To celebrate this legacy, Form Portfolios has now launched "Monumental Modernism," the first collection of lighting, objects, and furniture modeled after those discovered in Louis I. Kahn's buildings.
The residential project Villa San Luis, originally named Villa Compañero Ministro Carlos Cortés, was built between 1971 and 1972 on land that today lies in one of the highest-income areas of Santiago, Chile. Initially designed as an urban center for 60,000 middle-income residents, with staggered buildings and a civic center covering 3.4 of its 50 hectares, the project was redefined in the 1970s to accommodate the unhoused population in the eastern sector of the Chilean capital. The process was not without conflict. During the dictatorship, the new residents of the complex were evicted, and the land was acquired by the military. From then on, the complex entered a process of reappropriation and resignification that now appears to be reaching a new milestone: the conversion of one of its buildings into a memorial site and museum, through a project by UMWELT and Plan Común.
The twentieth century marked a definitive shift in the realm of architecture, as the Modernist movement broke from traditional building styles and encouraged experimentation and innovation. With the help of new materials and technologies, these times represent a crucial moment in the history of architecture as both cities and building styles evolved at an unprecedented rate. The structures that stand testament to this day are, however, nearing the age of a hundred years old. Their stark design features are not always embraced by the public, while the functionalist principles often hinder the adaptability of their interior spaces. Given that they also often occupy central positions within the city, there is increasing pressure to demolish these structures and redevelop the area in its entirety.
As Syria is emerging from over a decade of conflict at the time of writing, it is an opportunity to rediscover its architectural gems. Just to the north of the country's principal port city of Latakia is a Modernist creation that is the Center for Marine Research. Its pyramidal structure is situated on a prominent headland surrounded by sea on three sides. To the east is a bay with hotels and beaches while to the north and west is the open Mediterranean Sea reaching Turkey and Cyprus beyond. Despite its importance both as a research institution and as a piece of architecture, it lies abandoned and isolated today.
The demolition of Hotel Jugoslavija, a notable example of modernist architecture in Belgrade, has begun, making way for new development in the city's rapidly changing urban landscape. Constructed in 1969 in New Belgrade, the hotel was once among the largest and most prominent in Europe, reflecting the aspirations of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) during its peak. Designed by Zagreb architect Lavoslav Horvat, the eight-story hotel was a key project under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito. It showcased the modernist principles of the time, combining functionality with imposing architectural forms. Its interiors featured luxurious details, including a Swarovski chandelier comprised of 40,000 crystals, which underscored the building's significance as a flagship of Yugoslavia's international presence.
Deir Ez-Zor Heritage Library team on site. Image Courtesy of Deir Ez-Zor Heritage Library
It is common for states to have legislation and institutions that protect their built heritage. It is also common for there to be gaps in the laws themselves or their implementation while certain circumstances may place a country's heritage under specific vulnerabilities. Thus, alongside state institutions, there are locally based architects and researchers establishing independent initiatives to document and conserve aspects of their built heritage. Syria is one example of a place with an extensive history of monuments and buildings of interest as well as active groups of independent conservators.
The City of London Corporation has approved a £191 million funding package for the first phase of the Barbican Centre's five-year renewal program. The initiative is aimed at addressing critical repairs and upgrades to this Grade II-listed venue, including improvements to accessibility, energy efficiency, and overall functionality of its aging infrastructure. The Barbican Renewal began in 2021 with an international competition for the multi-disciplinary design team to lead the efforts. In 2022, Allies and Morrison, Asif Khan Studio, and Buro Happold were selected, in collaboration with specialists in sustainability, heritage, landscaping, lighting design, acoustics, and more.
As, one by one, the African nations gained their independence in the middle of the twentieth century, building programs were central to the process of nation-building. In several of those countries, this included the construction of the state's institutions such as their respective national assembly. These buildings not only facilitate the legislative process but also symbolize the new nation's governance, identity, and aspirations. The period of independence movements also coincided with the introduction of the Modern Movement across the continent, which was associated with progress and a break from the colonial past. Across Africa, some national assemblies were constructed early and were part of the nationalization process that preceded independence, while some were constructed long after.
The Centenary Building at the University of Salford, Greater Manchester, was designed by Hodder Associates in 1994-95 to accommodate the Spatial, Graphic, and Industrial Design courses at the University. One year after its inauguration, in 1995, the building was named the winner of the inaugural RIBA Stirling Prize, one of Britain's most prestigious awards. Now, less than 30 years after its completion, the award-winning building is set to be demolished, sparking criticism and debates regarding the attitudes towards recent works of architecture.
The middle of the Twentieth Century saw the independence of most countries on the African continent. Those euphoric times brought forward-looking sentiments and a wish to break with the past. As an architectural movement, Modernism was ideal for the day, and newly independent countries had extensive building programs to assert themselves as fully functioning nations.
Hotels are one type of building that illustrates the complex architectural and political history of the times. Some were built specifically to host international delegations, others to boost tourism, while some were built as strong leaders' wishes. Although a marginal building type, several hotels across Africa stand as physical records of important parts of their respective country's history. Following an exploration of the histories of West Africa's Modernist Hotels, this second article turns to East Africa to uncover the ways in which this understated typology relates to larger histories of independence and national identity.
