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For decades, affordable housing in the US was often cut off from the civic life of the city. Olivia Poston explores how mixed-use projects from Los Angeles to New York now pair affordable homes with libraries, museums, and shared courtyards, turning housing into civic infrastructure. Should every housing project give something back to its city? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

This week's architecture news covers a range of projects addressing the changing needs of cities, from the adaptation of existing sites to the development of new cultural and public spaces. As Antalya prepares to host COP31, projects in Rotterdam and Pittsburgh focus on the renovation of established cultural institutions, while developments in Copenhagen, Chicago, and Tbilisi explore new approaches to recreation, public access, and urban regeneration. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Fusion Creative Workshop by ARCHI.DOC #Hungary 🇭🇺 #photography: Balázs Danyi

Under the theme INHABIT, the 20th Buenos Aires International Architecture Biennial explored how architecture shapes the way we live. Agustina Iñiguez gathers key threads from its lectures and exhibitions, including Solano Benítez’s reminder that architects are “builders of a society.” What does it truly mean to inhabit a place? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Designed by Kengo Kuma & Associates in collaboration with Cornelius Vöge Atelier for Architecture and Vilhelm Lauritzen Architects, KAI Water Culture House is set to open on December 5, 2026, on Papirøen (Paper Island) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The 5,800 m² public facility combines ten indoor and outdoor pools, wellness facilities, cultural spaces, and access to Copenhagen Harbour. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Basque Museum Bilbao by VAILLO + ARCHITECTS #Spain 🇪🇸 #photography: Iñaki Bergera

Inaugurated in 2025 on the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is both an engineering milestone and a point of tension. Maisa Elamein examines how it promises energy for Ethiopia while raising water security concerns for Sudan and Egypt downstream. Can infrastructure on a shared river serve all the countries that depend on it? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

RAMSA (Robert A.M. Stern Architects) has unveiled the design for a new Welcome Hall at the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (Griffin MSI) in Chicago, Illinois. The project involves reopening the building's historic North Portico as a year-round entrance and introducing a new glazed volume connecting the portico to the museum's exhibition spaces. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Muammer Karaca Theatre Refurbishment by Novos Studio #Türkiye 🇹🇷 #photography: Egemen Karakaya

In four Brazilian coastal houses, the sea view becomes an architectural material. Camilla Ghisleni explores how Studio Arthur Casas, TETRO Arquitetura, Atelier Branco Arquitetura, and Jacobsen Arquitetura shape it through filters, thresholds, and carefully placed openings. How much should a window decide what we see? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

The LOCO Alliance architectural competition in Tbilisi, Georgia, was organized to transform a 73,600 m² brownfield site, the former Soviet-era Tbilisi Electric Locomotive Manufacturing Plant in the "Temka" residential area, into a new green neighborhood and cultural destination called Loco Park. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Shenzhen Bay MixC Phase II by Ippolito Fleitz Group #China 🇨🇳 #photography: ZHUDI, Shawn

Six unbuilt pavilions by ArchDaily readers, from Seoul to Almaty, use form and material to take a stance on landscape and tradition. Can a small pavilion say more about a place than a large building? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Delft-based practice Mecanoo has just released images of the renovation project for the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The first images of the project were released in 2020, when the practice unveiled a proposal for a new wing as part of a larger renovation of the existing Museum Garden and a general reorganization of the layout to clarify circulation and connections throughout the complex. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Modern Mokotów by BBGK Architekci #Poland 🇵🇱 #photography: Nate Cook Photography

In rural and coastal Uruguay, small houses are being built lighter. Moises Carrasco looks at how TATÚ Arquitectura, bercetche estudio, and iHouse estudio use timber, steel, raised foundations, and off-site fabrication to keep homes at 60 m² or less and reduce site impact. Can building smaller help architecture tread more lightly? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

An international cultural venue was inaugurated this week after a decade-long construction process. Snøhetta's Shanghai Grand Opera House opened to the public on October 17, 2026, on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China. Against a backdrop of declining cultural investment in several countries around the world, the project offers a new platform for the development of the arts. Follow the link to read more about this topic:

Palais de Justice de Lille by OMA #France 🇫🇷 #photography: François-Xavier Gbré, Alex Retegan

In Antarctica, ice and wind erase more than 200 years of human presence. Agustina Iñiguez traces how architecture there evolved from sealers’ stone shelters to research stations like Halley VI, shaped by science, geopolitics, and rules requiring obsolete structures to be removed. Can architecture be designed to leave no trace? Follow the link to read more about this topic:

City Pride School by A Threshold #India 🇮🇳 #photography: Pranit Bora Studio

The Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitectura y Urbanismo (Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism), known as BIAU for its Spanish name, is an international event promoted by the Government of Spain through its Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU) since 1998. Follow the link to read more about this topic: