This article is part of our new Opinion section, a format for argument-driven essays on critical questions shaping our field.
We find ourselves in the heartland, in a location surrounded by forest, fields and vineyards in the Penedés region. A small town that, in recent times, has been given new life and seen its population swell thanks to the alternative educational projects of its schools.
In Trensacq, a small village in the Landes de Gascogne region (France), two public facilities are situated at the edge of the forest: a multi-purpose hall and an elementary school.
Located on a plot of land with sides and a back facing an environmental protection area, Casa Cajuí is nestled among several existing trees to take advantage of their shade and the cross views between the external green areas and the preserved areas on the lot.
Vision Pakistan Welfare Trust (registered 2007) provides a second chance to marginalized youth (16+), especially non-literate low-income males of Ghauri Town, Islamabad. Funded through Zakat, it offers a 1-year program including meals, tailoring skills, literacy (Urdu, math, bookkeeping), life skills (critical thinking, time management, gender sensitivity, self-awareness), daily chores, and basic Islamic education. The goal is social independence and economic self-sufficiency.
The phenomenon known in biology as convergent evolution describes how distant species can develop similar structures when confronted with comparable challenges. Dolphins and ichthyosaurs, for example, are separated by millions of years of evolutionary history, yet both evolved nearly identical hydrodynamic bodies. Architecture has its own parallels: A-frame structures emerged independently in both the European Alps and Japan, even without direct cultural exchange, as spontaneous responses to snow, wind, and material scarcity.
Located in Vancouver’s westside on an east-west oriented site, the Yield House was designed for hosting multiple family guests throughout the year.
Bistro Ferdinand, located in Bratislava’s iconic Sad Janka Kráľa park, was designed following a public tender for a new tenant. The project revitalized the original pavilion by architect Ferdinand Konček from 1982, which was renovated in 2024 by Jan Studený and Peter Stec. The interior aims to reflect the atmosphere of the park and foster a sense of community. Conceived as the main bistro of the park, Ferdinand is open, inclusive, and welcoming.
The house is located at the top of a hill, which provides a beautiful view of the forest in front and the city of São José in the background. To adapt to the irregular shape of the land, the house’s layout fits within the projection of a triangle, arranged in an L shape within it.
Zaha Hadid Architects, in collaboration with RINA as team leader, Studio Plicchi, WSP, STI Engineering, and BC Building Consulting, has won the international competition to design Malpensa Hospital (Grande Ospedale della Malpensa) in Italy. Commissioned by the Lombardy Regional Health Authority, the project will consolidate the existing Gallarate and Busto Arsizio hospitals into a single medical campus serving the area between Milan and Varese, with a catchment of nearly one million residents.