The International Architecture Biennial of Buenos Aires is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking 20 editions of history. As one of the most important architecture events in Latin America, this milestone celebration will feature an edition that brings together approximately 100 architectural firms, 15 exhibitions, 50 conferences, 40 international guests, and representatives from over 55 global cities, all within a free and open program spanning five weeks.
The event will take place starting September 22nd and throughout October, integrating with the Month of Design and Architecture in Buenos Aires. During this period, there will be conferences, open exhibitions, facility inaugurations, and promotional activities in various locations across the city. Under the central concept of HABITAR (To Inhabit), the Biennial will also host a six-day forum with the 2026 Pritzker Prize winner, Smiljan Radić, culminating in the award ceremony for the edition.
Since 1985, the Buenos Aires Architecture Biennial has tracked cultural, urban, and social changes. It was founded by the Argentine essayist and cultural promoter Jorge Glusberg. Functioning as an international platform, the event serves to gather architects, designers, urban planners, artists, researchers, students, and architecture enthusiasts, allowing them to share projects, experiences, and new perspectives on contemporary spatial production and analysis.
The theme chosen for this commemorative edition is HABITAR, which functions as a comprehensive concept for various approaches in architectural practice. Through architecture, urban planning, and landscape design projects from diverse regions and contexts, the Biennial aims to provide a broad and transversal perspective on the experience of living and its communal dimension. The curatorial vision proposes an invitation to reflect on the multiple ways people establish their connection with the planet, cities, territories, and communities.
The selection of projects and activities covers realities ranging from large urban centers to more remote and extreme areas, encompassing everything from residential environments to essential infrastructure for collective life. The Central Exhibition, named after the main theme, will be presented at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, showcasing notable works from over 100 national and international architectural firms.
This show is complemented by specific exhibitions, such as Habitar lo Extremo (on Antarctica), created by the collective 6044 Sur, in addition to the Iberá and Habitar la Naturaleza (Inhabiting Nature) shows. At the Centro Cultural Recoleta, the European Union Contemporary Architecture Award / Mies van der Rohe Awards 2026 will be hosted, along with the exhibition Form Follows Fiction: Six Inquiries, curated by Vladimir Belogolovsky, and a site-specific installation from the open call Architexture, organized by the Institut Français d'Argentine.
The programming will unfold through the Recoleta neighborhood, including exhibitions such as César Pelli and Diana Balmori. Architecture of a Shared Library, at the Museo del Libro y de la Lengua of the National Library; Bustillo 1929-1939. Times of Modernity (Tiempos de Modernidad), at the Casa Victoria Ocampo; and Wood: Looking into the Future of Inhabiting (Madera: Mirando al Futuro del Habitar), curated by Galia Solomonoff, Jeannette Plaut, and Marcelo Sarovic at the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo. Furthermore, MARQ will present special exhibitions from Argentina, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, Sweden, and Venezuela.
The cultural circuit will operate throughout the Month of Design and Architecture in Buenos Aires, constituting a walking tour through 15 exhibitions, plus ten additional programs held in other institutions in the city.
The Biennial International Forum will take place from Monday, October 5th, to Saturday, October 10th, featuring Chilean architect Smiljan Radić. Over six consecutive days, more than 50 free conferences will be available at the Auditorio Amigos del Bellas Artes, aiming to foster the exchange of knowledge and experiences internationally. The Forum will conclude with the presentation of awards recognizing the cultural contributions of professionals, firms, and institutions.
In this edition, the Biennial Award for Career (Premio Bienal a la Trayectoria) will be granted to Marta Minujín for her urban interventions. The other Biennial Awards 2026 will be decided by an international jury, honoring the projects and firms participating in the central HABITAR exhibition, as well as the speakers at the International Conference Forum. The agenda will also include the presentation of the Hydro XX Biennial Award for Best Aluminum Facade and the Tersuave Award for Color in Architecture, in addition to hosting the award ceremony for the sixth edition of the Oscar Niemeyer Award for Latin American Architecture (ON Award), which will feature a special conference with its winner.
Other recent developments in Latin American architecture include the completion of the Lola Mora Cultural Center in San Salvador de Jujuy, which represents the first cultural project by Pelli Clarke & Partners in South America and the last conceived by César Pelli. The winning proposal for the National Museum (MuNA) was also selected, led by the firm SANAA in partnership with Estudio A0, Caá Porá Arquitectura, Jerome Haferd Studio, and Taller Capita. In a less positive context, two earthquakes were recently recorded in Colombia and Venezuela, drawing attention and mobilizing international collaboration for reconstruction efforts.
