The eighth edition of the Spanish Architecture Festival (FAE) is scheduled to take place from September 2 to 4, 2026. This event will bring together architects from various countries, including Mexico, Belgium, Portugal, Argentina, Spain, and Colombia, to explore three important landmarks of Mexican architecture located in Mexico City and the State of Mexico.
The Festival, organized by the Spanish Institute of Architecture (IESARQ), adopts an in situ format, where architecture serves not only as a backdrop but actively integrates into the experience. Each day of the event begins with an analysis of the building itself—addressing its history, materials, and modes of habitation—and continues with lectures, talks, guided architectural tours, portfolio reviews, and informal meetings.
Locations and Program
In 2026, FAE will be held at three distinct locations: the Museo Nacional de San Carlos, situated in a neoclassical building credited to Manuel Tolsá; the Museo de Arte Moderno, designed by Pedro Ramírez Vázquez and Rafael Mijares and inaugurated in 1964; and the BACARDÍ complex in Tultitlán, which features the thin-shell concrete structures of Félix Candela and one of the rare buildings designed and built by Mies van der Rohe in Latin America.
The program will feature established names and new talents, such as Mauricio Rocha (Mexico), Jan De Vylder / AJDVIV (Belgium), Nuno Melo Sousa (Portugal), Marcelo Faiden / Adamo-Faiden (Argentina), María González and Juanjo López de la Cruz / SOL89 (Spain), Javier Sánchez / JSa (Mexico), Alejandro Rogelis (Colombia), Sergio Padilla / Sensacional Dinámica Mexicana (Mexico), and Ana Sofía Alarcón / mog+ (Mexico).
Additionally, FAE 2026 will present DESCUBRIMIENTOS 02, a segment focused on emerging Spanish-language architectural practices. Selected participants must exhibit their portfolios to a panel of international judges, with one of the review sessions taking place at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.
The festival will also host the eighth edition of the Félix Candela Award. This international ideas competition, titled «Ehécatl», will investigate the feasibility of a suspended city superimposed over Mexico City, raising questions about urban expansion, land use, housing, public space, infrastructure, and the social potential of airspace.
Over the three days dedicated to lectures, visits, and portfolio reviews, FAE 2026 will provide participants with an opportunity to experience Mexican architectural heritage, linking it to current trends and new generations of architects.