United Nations: The Latest Architecture and News

The United Nations General Assembly has voted to promote the use of world map projections that more accurately represent the relative size of continents. The resolution was presented during a session at the UN headquarters in New York on September 4 and received 164 votes in favor, with one country voting against and six abstaining. Sponsored by Togo, the resolution encourages governments, educational institutions, international organizations, and technology companies to use equal-area projections when geographic scale is relevant. The resolution does not formally replace or prohibit the use of the Mercator projection, which has been widely used since the 16th century. Instead, it calls for greater use of projections that preserve the relative area of landmasses and encourages education about the limitations of representing the Earth's curved surface on a two-dimensional map. The 2018 Equal Earth projection is identified as one example of a map that more accurately represents continental scale.

+ 3

sauerbruch hutton and Studio Gang have been selected to renovate the German House in New York following an international competition organized by the Federal Republic of Germany. Located on United Nations Plaza in Manhattan, the building houses the Consulate General of Germany, the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations, and several affiliated cultural institutions. The project marks the first collaboration between the two practices. Berlin-based sauerbruch hutton will serve as Lead Designer, while Studio Gang will act as General Planner and Architect of Record, overseeing project delivery and implementation. The proposal focuses on adapting the existing building, with the stated goal of extending its lifespan while improving its operational and environmental performance.

Every year on August 9, and since 1994, UNESCO has commemorated the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The United Nations has not yet adopted an official definition for the term 'Indigenous peoples,' but considers, for social recognition, self-identified non-dominant groups of society, with distinct language, culture, and beliefs, organized in separate social, economic, and political systems. From a territorial perspective, the UN understands the term through historical continuity with pre-colonial or pre-settler societies, and the group's strong links to territories and surrounding natural resources. The persistence in maintaining and reproducing ancestral environments and systems is also recognized as an element of identity, encompassing other designations such as first peoples/nations, aboriginals, or ethnic groups. Following the occasion's aim to raise awareness, in this article we present contemporary reflections, regional cases, and interviews about ancestral constructive knowledge and how it can build the future.

+ 13

There is a standard way of telling the history of architecture and food. It begins with the human decision to cultivate, to store, to distribute, to consume, and ends with the building that decision produced. In this version of events, food is the occasion and architecture is the response.

But what if the story runs differently? What if the tomato built Almería? What if the cod redesigned the North Atlantic? What if the soybean is, at this moment, constructing a port in Santos and demolishing a forest in the Cerrado simultaneously, and the architect has simply not been told? These are descriptions of processes already complete, or well underway, that have produced some of the most spatially consequential contemporary landscapes. Much of the built environment is shaped by the pressures, metabolisms, and territorial ambitions of what we eat. Architecture, in this, is often less a project than a consequence, and the discipline has been telling its own story from the wrong end.

+ 23

The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) concludes today, May 22, in Baku, Azerbaijan, after six days of discussions, exhibitions, and international exchanges centered on the theme "Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities." Co-organized by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan, the forum marked the first time the event was held in the Caucasus region, bringing together policymakers, architects, urban planners, academics, and civil society representatives from around the world.

+ 2

During a ceremony held at the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 20, 2026, the International Union of Architects (UIA) and UN-Habitat announced the winners of the third cycle of the UIA 2030 Award. The biennial award recognizes built projects that make meaningful contributions to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Architects were invited to submit architecture, landscape, and urban design projects addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges across six categories: sustainable water management, the promotion of safe working environments, adequate and affordable housing, efficient and inclusive planning, access to green and public space, and climate resilience.

The third cycle launched in July 2025, and regional finalists from the UIA's five global regions were announced in January. In the final stage, the jury selected winning, highly commended, and commended projects in each category, recognizing works in China, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Spain, Kenya, Morocco, and the United States.

+ 119

Co-organized by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan, the thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum 13 will take place in Baku from May 17 to 22, 2026, under the theme "Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities." Convened every two years by UN-Habitat, the World Urban Forum is considered one of the leading international conferences dedicated to urbanization and the future of cities. Bringing together architects, planners, policymakers, researchers, local governments, and civil society organizations, the forum serves as a platform for discussing the challenges shaping contemporary urban environments and the strategies needed to address them.

+ 1

Observed annually on April 22, International Mother Earth Day frames this week's architectural discourse through an urgent call to rethink the relationship between the built environment and natural systems, foregrounding themes such as urban rewilding, the restoration of aquatic ecosystems, and the integration of ancestral knowledge into contemporary design practices. On another note, the opening of Salone del Mobile.Milano 2026 and Milan Design Week 2026 seek to reinforce the global relevance of design as a platform for exchange and experimentation, activating the city of Milan through a network of exhibitions and installations that engage both industry and public audiences. Among the announcements of award-winning architectural projects this week, the United Nations' House of No Waste (HØW) Competition highlights emerging architectural responses to climate and resource challenges. The awarded projects demonstrate scalable strategies for reducing material waste and embodied carbon while promoting adaptable, socially responsive, and resource-conscious public infrastructure.

+ 36

The United Nations' International Mother Earth Day, observed annually on April 22, aims to "promote harmony with nature and the Earth." In light of the urgency posed by climate change, it seeks to raise awareness of the challenges of preserving all forms of life supported by the planet. It is a call to the global community to safeguard biodiversity while striving to balance economic, social, and ecological systems. Crimes against biodiversity include large-scale practices such as deforestation, land-use change, intensified agriculture, livestock production, and illegal wildlife trade, all considered by the UN to be accelerating factors in the destruction of the planet.

+ 6

World Monuments Fund (WMF) is an independent organization dedicated to safeguarding significant places that enrich people's lives and foster mutual understanding across cultures and communities. Since 2008, the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize has been a biennial award recognizing outstanding achievements in the conservation of buildings emblematic of the modernist architectural movement. The prize honors individuals and organizations that revitalize modern built heritage through innovative and sensitive architectural interventions.

On January 22, 2026, WMF and Knoll announced the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus as the recipient of the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for its conservation of the United Nations' Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The jury recognized the project for reestablishing a significant work of African modernism as an active venue for diplomacy and cultural exchange. In addition to the main prize, the jury also awarded Paul Rudolph's Umbrella House in Sarasota, Florida, United States, with the Stewardship Award for Modernist Homes.

+ 13

President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order declaring 2026 the "Year of Urban Planning and Architecture" in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The decision establishes a national framework focused on urban planning policy, architectural culture, and sustainable development, aligning with Azerbaijan's preparations to host the 13th World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku in May 2026. According to the order, the designation aims to preserve Azerbaijan's centuries-old traditions while integrating contemporary approaches that respond to current social, environmental, and spatial challenges. The President's Administration will now prepare and submit a comprehensive action plan for the year within one month.

December 18 marks the United Nations' International Migrants Day, which aims to highlight the need for safer, fairer, and more inclusive migration systems. Proclaimed on December 4, 2000, the day seeks to recognize the multiple dimensions of migration beyond its economic and humanitarian aspects. According to the UN, mounting evidence indicates that international migration is beneficial for both countries of origin and destination. In this sense, International Migrants Day offers an opportunity to spotlight the value of the possibility to migrate and the contributions of millions of migrants worldwide to the cities and cultures in which they are integrated.

Aligned with this perspective, the UN's 2025 theme, "My Great Story: Cultures and Development," emphasizes how human mobility drives growth, enriches societies, and helps communities connect, adapt, and support one another. At the same time, International Migrants Day also acknowledges the increasingly complex environment in which migration occurs. Conflicts, climate-related disasters, and economic pressures continue to force millions of people from their homes in search of safety or opportunity. From both perspectives, it is essential to recognize the role of architecture in building integrated, multicultural communities and in responding to the conditions that lead people to migrate from their territories in the first place.

+ 6

Human Rights Day is observed annually on 10 December worldwide. It commemorates the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. Drafted by representatives with diverse legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions, the Declaration was proclaimed as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. For the first time, the document set out fundamental human rights to be universally protected and inalienable, entitling every human being to them regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status. Today, the Declaration serves as a global blueprint for international, national, and local laws and policies. Available in 577 languages, it is the most translated document in the world. The United Nations has set the theme for this year's observance as "Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials," aiming to "reaffirm the values of human rights and show that they remain a winning proposition for humanity."

+ 12

As cultural institutions advanced major preservation projects and new demographic data reframed understandings of urban growth, this week's architectural discussions centred on how cities and museums adapt to evolving social, environmental, and infrastructural conditions. Efforts to safeguard modern heritage, developments in long-term urban planning, and reflections on architectural legacy intersect with global observances such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, highlighting the ongoing need for more inclusive and accessible environments within the built landscape.

+ 4

Jakarta has become the world's most populous city, according to the World Urbanization Prospects 2025 released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). Using an updated and harmonized method for defining urban areas, the report estimates Jakarta's population at nearly 42 million, placing it ahead of Dhaka, which is about 40 million, and Tokyo, 33 million. The revised ranking illustrates how updated measurement criteria and continued demographic growth are reshaping understandings of urban scale in Asia and globally.

Playgrounds are spatial instruments through which society projects its expectations on childhood, testing the boundaries between control and autonomy, exposure and protection. They regulate how children relate to space, to others, and their bodies — encoding, often invisibly, social norms, fears, and aspirations. In this sense, playgrounds are not peripheral spaces of leisure; they are political constructs shaped by specific ideologies about what childhood is and how it should unfold. Since 1989, the right to play has been formally recognised in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, affirming that play is a fundamental part of human development. To design a playground is not only to draw lines on a plan or to install equipment in a park; it is to define the conditions under which play is permitted, imagined, or constrained.

+ 21

Nigerian-born architect Blossom Eromosele has developed AllSpace, a modular housing design inspired by traditional African architecture. The design was created as part of the Swarovski Foundation's fourth edition of the Creatives for Our Future global mentorship and grant program, developed in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. Among the six selected projects, AllSpace seeks to respond to the current Nigerian refugee crisis with a low-cost, solar-powered housing solution for camps.

In an increasingly diverse world, the emergence of multi-faith spaces represents a significant shift in architectural design, reflecting the evolving religious landscape of contemporary society. These spaces, which began to be formally established in the 1950s in public buildings like airports and hospitals, serve as microcosms of social transformation and peaceful coexistence. They allow various traditions to harmoniously share environments, embodying principles of inclusivity, flexibility, and adaptability.

As communities grow more multicultural and increasingly diverse, these spaces serve as physical manifestations of religious inclusion, encouraging the acceptance of religious and ethnic minorities within multicultural landscapes. Their proliferation reflects a growing need for inclusive environments that cater to diverse spiritual needs while promoting interfaith understanding. However, designing and implementing these spaces presents complex challenges, often sparking debates about representation, neutrality, and the very nature of sacred space. These discussions underscore the delicate balance architects must strike in creating spaces that are both universally welcoming and spiritually meaningful.

+ 24