EDP PROTUGAL OFFICE BUILDING, LISBON, PORTUGAL ARCHITECT: ALEJANDRO ARAVENA Located on the heterogeneous, redeveloping Tagus riverfront in Lisbon, the second phase of the EDP headquarters by Alejandro Aravena's firm, ELEMENTAL, presents a powerful exercise in civic and environmental responsibility. Standing in dialogue with the project's first phase by Aires Mateus, this new office building adopts the established perpendicular-to-the-river site plan but reinterprets it with a profound focus on the public realm. Manifesting a dual-character structure: a transparent, glazed facade houses the workspaces, while a heavy, monolithic concrete mass confronts the city, sculpted to function as a piece of urban topography. This robust, rock-like form, conceived as infrastructure akin to ancient city walls, defines a new sloping public space that invites the city's lively circulation inward and culminates in a cantilevered viewpoint over the river. The building’s massive concrete structure acts as a thermal mass for passive cooling, while the interiors contrast the stark exterior with warm use of wood. The project is thus a complex architectural statement that is both a sculptural object and an integrated piece of the urban fabric, designed to prioritize public life and social interaction.

Portuguese architecture's contextualist engagement continues the legacy of the 1950s folk architecture survey (Inquérito), shifting from explicit regional-ism to a more abstract influence. A key example is Atelier Data's conversion of an 18th-century Franciscan chapel in Moncarapacho, Algarve, into a galle-ry. Honoring the building's sacred past using traditional materials (whitewash, terracotta) while introducing a massive three-flight ramp as the main inter-vention. This ramp dramatically extends the exhibition path, creating a new in-ternal landscape that contrasts with the dark-toned rear addition, showcasing a modern connection to place.