Once the heart of São Paulo’s economic and cultural dynamism, the Região Central has experienced a decline since the late 20th century, as activity migrated to new areas. What remains today is a landscape of stark contrasts: an extraordinary collection of modern architecture – preserved largely due to stagnation – standing alongside hundreds of vacant or informally occupied buildings. Public spaces bear visible signs of neglect, with homelessness and crime concentrated in parts of the city’s core. [...]

A short walk in Buenos Aires reveals a stark contrast: from the self-built homes of Barrio Mujica to the polished towers of Barrio Norte. Life in Villa 31 is sustained by resilience, care, and informal networks, especially the unpaid labour of women. Though recent upgrades have improved infrastructure, deep inequalities persist—overcrowding, precarious work, and limited services. Formalization alone cannot bridge historical and social divides. True integration means valuing local knowledge, investing in care, and ensuring equal rights. Barrio Mujica stands as a space of dignity—and a reminder that the promise of a more just city remains unfinished.

Visiting the Aral Sea reveals devastation beyond imagination: a vanished ecosystem, abandoned ships, and desolate salt plains. Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, it was drained after Soviet irrigation projects diverted its rivers in the 1960s, triggering one of history’s worst human-made ecological disasters. The collapse of fisheries, toxic dust storms, and regional health crises followed. While Kazakhstan’s Kok-Aral Dam and reforestation efforts have partially revived the northern basin, the recovery remains fragile. The Aral’s story exposes how extractive design reshapes the planet — drying seas here, flooding cities elsewhere — and warns of the irreversible costs of human neglect and inaction.

Every year, Rosario is engulfed in smoke from intentional fires across the Paraná Delta, one of South America’s largest and most biodiverse wetlands. These fires—set to clear land for cattle, crops, or speculation—have destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares, eroding biodiversity and weakening a vital climate buffer. The consequences extend into the city, where smoke triggers health crises, school closures, and protests. Despite public pressure, Argentina still lacks a Wetlands Law, with agroindustry interests blocking reform. The burning delta exposes not only an ecological and urban emergency but also a political failure, questioning destructive models of development and coexistence.

Málaga, once a gateway to the Costa del Sol, has become a cautionary tale of tourist overexposure. A cultural rebranding effort—anchored by museums and pedestrian upgrades—has drawn millions, but at great cost. Local shops have been replaced by chains, neighbourhoods like Lagunillas emptied by Airbnb, and public life hollowed out. While officials now propose limits on rentals and alternative tourist routes, the social and spatial damage is deep. Spaces like La Casa Invisible offer resistance, but broader questions loom: Can Spain continue to rely on such a fragile industry? Without structural change, it’s unclear if any local life will remain.

This exhibition brings together practices, stories, and designs rooted in Indigenous intelligence — knowledge cultivated over centuries of living in close relationship with land, water, and community. The works on display highlight approaches grounded in reciprocity, resilience, and care, offering perspectives that contrast with extractive and colonial systems.

Projects range from matriarchal place-making and ecological governance to vernacular construction and cultural storytelling. All have been recently produced by students, PhD researchers, and educators at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment.

Indigenous Intelligence invites visitors to reflect on how Indigenous knowledge can inspire future design and education. It challenges assumptions about technology and nature and explores how architecture and urbanism can shape not just spaces, but relationships between people, environments, and generations — with humility and care.

Spain’s 8,000 kilometers of coastline host diverse ecosystems, support 40% of the population, and attract millions of tourists but face severe threats from climate change, over-tourism, and urbanization. Rising sea levels could displace 1.5 million people by 2050. Urgent action is needed to integrate nature-based solutions, protect biodiversity, and ensure public access. Coastal regeneration must prioritize resilience, inclusivity, and regenerative economies, transforming coasts into spaces of coexistence, connection, and sustainability for a viable future.

The Grand Paris Express (GPE), Europe’s largest infrastructure project, aims to reshape the Paris metropolitan area with over 200 kilometres of subway lines and 68 stations. Designed to improve connectivity and catalyse urban renewal, it symbolises a monumental step towards a more integrated city. However, beneath its sleek stations lies a narrative of displacement, gentrification and fractured communities. Conceived to integrate long-neglected banlieues into the metropolis, the GPE risks unintended consequences, such as rising property values that displace residents. [...]

This compact exhibition explores how architects have historically presented their work—how they have narrated, framed, and projected architecture through books, drawings, images, websites, and film. From the first architectural publications in the Renaissance to the media platforms of today, the works trace a lineage of self-representation in architecture, and invite visitors to reflect on how architects see themselves—or how they would like to be seen.

The works on display reveal that architecture is not only practiced through building, but also through storytelling. Dissemination becomes a strategic act: a way to shape public image, to participate in broader discourse, and to claim a place in history. Whether in the form of an idealized villa, a monumental portfolio, a carbon-conscious website, or a speculative film, these acts of publishing expose something of the architect’s vision—not just of buildings, but of their own role in society.

The exhibition juxtaposes early treatises by Sebastiano Serlio and Andrea Palladio with 17th-century publications by Philips Vingboons and Jacob van Campen; the self-fashioned mythology of Frank Lloyd Wright in the Wasmuth Portfolio; and the methodical compilations of Le Corbusier’s “Oeuvre Complète”. Alongside these, contemporary formats expand the field of architectural communication: Koolhaas and Bruce Mau’s “S,M,L,XL”; Zaha Hadid’s manifestos; Norman Foster’s Foundation; the algorithmic interface of Vylder Vink’s website; La-Di-Da’s low-carbon platform; the visual grammar of Sub’s sortable thumbnail system; and selected Instagram feeds that stage architecture as performance and persona.

Also featured are the fictional geographies of Design Earth, the dense cartographies of MVRDV’s “KM3”, and the curated urbanity of Atelier Bow-Wow’s “Made in Tokyo”. A monitor screening speculative films by Liam Young adds another dimension, while projects by Andrés Jaque, Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman, Léopold Lambert, and Studio Folder further expand the figure of the architect—as editor, activist, researcher, and storyteller.

Drawn from the Trésor Collection of TU Delft and complemented by reproductions and digital interfaces, this exhibition highlights how dissemination has always been integral to architectural practice—not only to make architecture visible, but to help it evolve. To publish is to design one’s own reception. To share work is to propose a vision of the future.

Madrid has become a European powerhouse, attracting investment and tourism, yet faces a deepening housing crisis. Following the 2008 financial crash, abandoned neighborhoods symbolized unchecked speculation. Now, amid Spain’s economic boom, luxury property prices have surged, fueled by wealthy Latin American buyers. Rents and housing costs have skyrocketed, pricing out residents. Governance favors ultraliberal policies, with little investment in social housing. While initiatives like Cooperativa Entrepatios offer hope, widespread frustration persists, especially among younger generations. Overtourism exacerbates the crisis, highlighting the need for stronger public intervention. Will political leaders act, or is history repeating itself? [...]

Asuncion is a city shaped by absence—of density, continuity, and connection. While its metropolitan area sprawls outward, its historic centre stands neglected and hollowed out. With one of the lowest urban densities in Latin America, Asuncion suffers from disjointed growth, fragile housing near flood-prone areas, and stark social segregation. The centre, once the city’s core, has been abandoned rather than revived. As climate challenges intensify, continuing outward expansion becomes untenable. Reinvesting in existing urban fabric—through inclusive housing, mobility, and public space—is not nostalgic but urgent. The future of Asuncion hinges on who benefits from its transformation—and who is left behind.

Post-apartheid Johannesburg remains deeply divided, with affluent northern suburbs contrasting starkly with neglected areas like the historic CBD and southern townships. The city's fragmented urban form, shaped by apartheid planning and a depleted mining belt, poses challenges to spatial integration and environmental sustainability. Regeneration initiatives like Maboneng and Soweto's revitalization efforts show progress but highlight persistent disparities, such as gentrification and enduring poverty. As Johannesburg grapples with its legacy of segregation and mining exploitation, the challenge lies in uniting these fragmented territories into an inclusive metropolis that balances renewal with equity and addresses its environmental and historical scars.

In May 2024, torrential rains devastated Porto Alegre, displacing thousands and exposing deep socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities. Wealthy neighborhoods on higher ground fared better, while low-lying communities suffered severe losses. The Guaíba River, once a symbol of natural harmony, now underscores the urgency of addressing climate impacts. Grassroots initiatives and civic activism have emerged, reflecting the resilience of residents. Rebuilding Porto Alegre offers a chance to rethink urban design, integrating climate-resilient infrastructure, equity, and nature-based solutions to create an inclusive, adaptive city ready for future challenges.

Cranes, towers, infrastructure, plazas, parks, hotels, rooftops and cocktail bars; Skanderbeg, star architects, international competitions, developers and a Bentley; 2030, Europe, NATO, the next Vienna, the new Belgrade, and the next city-state; tourists, beaches, an airport and Airbnb. Albania’s capital Tirana has undergone a metamorphosis in recent years. The cityscape is being reshaped with the roll-out of infrastructure projects and old buildings making way for high-rises. Is this rapid urban development what progress, modernisation and “Europeanisation” are about? Does it come at the cost of erasing Tirana’s memory? Gentrification, displacement and inequality are denounced by some as too high a price to pay for this regeneration. […]

Lusail, Qatar’s ambitious new city north of Doha, aims to showcase modernity, sustainability, and global connectivity. Designed for over 450,000 residents, it features luxury towers, public spaces, and smart city technologies. Yet, questions linger about its social integration, environmental impact, and community life. Built on reclaimed land, Lusail faces challenges like marine ecosystem disruption and reliance on energy-intensive systems. Its grandeur risks overshadowing inclusivity, raising concerns about becoming a display of wealth rather than a lived-in city. Lusail’s future hinges on balancing its vision with social and environmental realities.

The Strait of Gibraltar, a 13-kilometer passage linking the Atlantic and Mediterranean, is a nexus of ecological, economic, and geopolitical flows. It supports vital ecosystems, migratory species, and global shipping routes, while hosting a complex interplay of nations, including Spain, Morocco, Gibraltar (UK), and emerging powers like China.

Tangier, the region's focal point, is transforming through projects like the Tanger-Med Port, Africa’s first high-speed railway, and waterfront developments, solidifying its role as an industrial and tourism hub. Yet, beneath its global ambitions lies a web of local stories and socio-ecological challenges, reflecting the strait’s dual identity as a space of both global significance and local resilience.