Interior de Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, de Hans Scharoun 1967/78 , fotografia de Cristina Castelo Branco Following a critical trajectory that has exposed the structural fragilities of the discipline, it is now imperative to shift from analysis to action. Architecture can no longer remain in a state of permanent self-critique; instead, it must rearticulate its role as a cultural, technical, and political practice with direct impact on collective life. Reclaiming ARCHITECTURE’S

practising otherwise , photo by @Cristina Castelo Branco After tracing the fractures, constraints, and precarities shaping contemporary architectural practice, this week introduces a cautious shift: an exploration of practices that attempt to reconfigure these conditions. Yet, rather than presenting a straightforward “optimistic turn,” it is necessary to acknowledge that many of these alternative models emerge not because of institutional support, but despite its absence—or e

Bauhaus Dessau, detalhe interior.  Foto por ADS Images via Pixabay , licenciada para uso livre. Architecture operates within a paradox: it is both a knowledge-producing discipline and a service-oriented profession. Yet, the relationship between academic research, architectural education, and professional practice remains fragmented. This divide weakens the discipline’s capacity to assert authority in shaping the built environment, ultimately diminishing the societal impact of

Denise Scott Brown : Learning From Las Vegas: the Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form   Architecture continues to present itself as a discipline of vision, authorship, and cultural authority. Yet beneath its public image lies a quieter structure of inequality—one that shapes who enters the field, who advances within it, and whose work is ultimately seen, valued, and remembered. Gender remains one of the most persistent axes along which these inequalities unfold, often i

Design Under Regulation, photo by Cristina Castelo Branco Architectural practice operates within a dense network of political, regulatory, and institutional frameworks that structure the conditions under which architects work. Planning legislation, procurement procedures, professional regulations, and governance systems do not simply regulate architectural production; they actively shape the possibilities of practice and the spatial outcomes that architecture can generate. Th

Capa do livro resultante da tese de doutoramento, defendida na UC em 2020. Castelo Branco, C. (2021). Políticas de Arquitectura na Europa: Contributos para uma cultura de arquitectura na Europa . Lisbon: Fundação Serra Henriques. ISBN 978-989-96687-3-7 Architecture is often discussed as a global discipline, shaped by shared educational standards, international competitions, and transnational design practices. However, the professional culture of architecture varies significan

James-Simon-Galerie, Museumsinsel, David Chipperfield2019, Berlin [photo by Cristina Castelo Branco 2026] Architecture is often celebrated as the product of individual genius, with so-called “starchitects” receiving international recognition. However, this romantic notion of solitary authorship obscures the reality that buildings emerge from complex networks of collaboration. Architects, engineers, contractors, clients, urban planners, and regulatory institutions all play dec

Image of the Carlos Ramos studio, Porto, late 1940s. [Source:  https://lnkd.in/eQW9uygc ] Carlos Ramos studio, Porto, late 1940s — an image of an ideal of dedication and apprenticeship that helped shape architecture’s prestige. Today, that legacy invites a critical question: what material conditions sustain — or undermine — contemporary professional practice? ** Atelier de Carlos Ramos, Porto, finais dos anos 40 — imagem de um ideal de dedicação e aprendizagem que moldou o p

ARCH-LIVE is a 10-week essay series that explores a pressing question for contemporary Europe: how can architecture recover its legitimacy as a social, cultural, and professional practice in the 21st century? While architecture continues to shape everyday life, cities, and collective memory, the profession  faces growing tensions between public expectations , working realities , and institutional recognition . The series examines this gap through essays that connect critical

** There was a time when the architect — or master builder — was a unified figure: creating, coordinating, and mediating between craft, society, and construction. They did not merely produce drawings; they navigated material realities, labor relations, and social intentions within a single professional identity.   The modern transformation of this role did not happen suddenly. It emerged through specialization, regulation, and the growing technification of the construction pr

Sebastian Le Clerc (1684), “Vitruvius presenting De Architectura  to Augustus” Architecture is frequently described as a profession in crisis. Declining fees, increasing workloads, precarious labor conditions, and a growing gap between responsibility and recognition are recurrent themes in professional and academic debates. Yet, framing architecture solely as a profession in crisis risks obscuring a deeper and more structural issue: a crisis of legitimacy and recognition  rat

"Architects make houses", in 1974, it was understood that they did, although there were few of them for the country's needs.

public toilets - an ode to Architecture * casas de banho públicas – uma ode à Arquitectura arquitecto Shigeru Ban,  Haru-no-Ogawa...

Numa primeira aula de arquitetura, aprendendo a forrar estiradores com “papel de cenário“ amarelado, seguindo toda uma técnica complexa,...

onde a arquitectura é vista algures entre uma profissão de luxo ou um empecilho à pragmática tecnocracia dominante

🌟 We are thrilled to announce that starting today, we will be regularly sharing insightful texts on architecture, society, and art, as...