Ammodo Architecture

01/09/2026

Meet our ambassador, Nicolás Valencia, a Chilean architect, educator, editor and researcher whose work spans education, research and architectural journalism, with a particular focus on contemporary architecture in Latin America. Self-defined as an architect producer, he explores how architecture is shaped by its social, cultural and geographical contexts, and how these ideas can be communicated to wider audiences.⁠
⁠
Valencia worked at ArchDaily for almost a decade, serving as Head of Editorial from 2019 to 2023. Alongside his editorial work, he co-founded Redes IAAC at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), where he has also taught in the Master in Cities programme. His work has also extended to international platforms for architectural exchange, including the Chilean Architecture Biennial (2019) and Tbilisi Architecture Biennial (2020). In 2020, he co-founded Comunicar Arquitectura (COMA), an initiative for architectural exchange and dissemination across Ibero-America, and co-edited Archdaily’s first-ever book published by German publisher gestalten.

📷 1 : David Matthews , 3: Anny Alvarez

🌱🔍

13/07/2026

PT
O Livro INICIATIVA OUTROS BAIRROS, Um urbanismo invisível, relacional e comprometido com as lutas socais de Alto de Bomba, Cabo Verde mostra uma visão sobre a globalidade de ação da Iniciativa Outros Bairros que, entre 2019 e 2022, aconteceu no Alto de Bomba, Mindelo, Cabo Verde. Este, conta com a participação de moradores, arquitetos, políticos e cidadãos que por alguma razão se envolveram neste processo e que participaram da construção de uma visão possível para, atualmente, se poder atuar em áreas autoproduzidas.

“(...)Para além do contexto do projeto, a qualidade das intervenções e o processo são exemplares. O envolvimento da comunidade local, não apenas na consulta sobre o design, mas como uma componente integral e força de trabalho para o projeto, reflete-se em muitos níveis. O design das intervenções do projeto foi adaptado ao saber local e reflete-se na qualidade e sensibilidade do projeto. (…)
Noura Al-Sayeh Holtrop

ENG
The book INICIATIVA OUTROS BAIRROS, An Invisible, Relational Urbanism Committed to the Social Struggles of Alto de Bomba, Cape Verde presents an overview of the full scope of action of the Iniciativa Outros Bairros, which took place between 2019 and 2022 in Alto de Bomba, Mindelo, Cape Verde. It features contributions from residents, architects, politicians, and citizens who, for various reasons, became involved in this process and took part in building a feasible vision for acting today in self-produced areas.

“(...)Beyond the context of the project, the quality of the interventions and the process are exemplary. The involvement of the local community not only in consultation on the design but as an integral component and workforce for the project is reflected at many levels. The design of the project interventions has been tailored around the local know-how and are reflected in the quality and sensitivity of the project. (…)
Noura Al-Sayeh Holtrop

Editors: Nuno Flores e Rita Rainho
Preface: Noura Al Sayeh Holtrop
Publisher: i2ADS
Photography: Angelo Lopes, Hugo Delgado
E Luana Andrade
Suppor: Ammodo Architecture

01/07/2026

26/06/2026

What role should architectural awards play today?

At , Beyond Recognition brings together six leading international architecture awards to examine how recognition systems shape architectural culture—not only by celebrating projects, but by influencing the values, priorities, and futures of the discipline.

Building on a conversation initiated during the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, architects, critics, award directors, and researchers will explore whether awards can move beyond recognition to become instruments for critical reflection, accountability, and change. The discussion asks how architectural excellence is defined, who gets to define it, and what forms of practice remain overlooked at a moment when the profession faces profound social, environmental, and political challenges.

Hosted by the Aga Khan Award for Architecture , Ammodo Architecture Award , EUmies Awards , Holcim Foundation Awards , Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize , and the OBEL Foundation .
Monday 29 June | 15:00–16:20 | CCIB, Stage 11 | UIA World Congress of Architects, Barcelona

23/06/2026

“Beyond Recognition" will take place on 29 June, 15:00–16:20 at CCIB Stage 11 during UIA 2026 (UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona)⁠
⁠
Six leading international architecture awards will come together at the UIA World Congress of Architects, Barcelona 2026, to continue a shared reflection on the evolving role of architectural recognition today.⁠
⁠
Meet part 1 of our front row peers who will explore the transformation of architectural recognition systems and their impact on contemporary practice. ⁠
⁠
🔵 Tatiana Bilbao, Founder of Tatiana Bilbao Studio (Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO)⁠
🔵 Alejando Echeverri, Architect & Professor (Alejandro Echeverri R)⁠
🔵 Gabriella Carillo, Founder of Taller Gabriela Carillo & Co-Founder of Colectivo c733 (Taller Gabriela Carrillo Colectivo c733)⁠
🔵 Marleen Van Driel, Director of Ammodo Architecture (Ammodo Architecture)⁠
🔵 Rahul Mehrotra, Founder Principal of RMA Architects (RMA Architects)⁠
🔵 Loreta Catro, Co-Founder of Taller Capital (Taller Capital)⁠
🔵 Jóse Pablo Ambrosi, Co-Founder of Taller Capital (Taller Capital)⁠
🔵 Ivan Blasi, Director of EUMies Awards (, EUmies Awards⁠)⁠
⁠
⁠
OBEL⁠
Aga Khan Award for Architecture⁠
Ammodo Architecture⁠
EUmies Awards⁠
Holcim Foundation for Sustainable Construction⁠
MCHAP⁠
UIA World Congress of Architects 2026 Barcelona⁠
UIA | INTERNATIONAL UNION OF ARCHITECTS

20/05/2026

Plan Update – Ammodo Architecture Award for Local Scale 2025!⁠ Español en el primer comentario.⁠
The Muyuna 2026 stage is already taking shape in Belén. Over the past few days, the team has been working among boats, piles, timber and water, combining local experience in building under these conditions with the design developed for this year’s edition.⁠
This year, for the first time, They also have a woman builder as part of the construction team, an important step in a field that is still largely male-dominated.⁠
In just a few days, the floating screenings will begin. This year’s stage construction is made possible by the support of Ammodo Architecture.⁠
Find out more about the project by .pe and more about the Ammodo Architecture Award 2025 on our website – follow the link in bio.⁠
Thanks to our network and to the advisory committee Joumana El Zein Khoury, Andrés Jaque, Anupama Kundoo, Floris Alkemade, Mariam Issoufou, and Loreta Castro Reguera.⁠
📷 1-7 : Alfonso Silva Santisteban⁠
⁠
🌱🔍

08/05/2026

Project: Play–Pause–Ponder⁠
Architecture: WM creative studio
Location: Karachi, Pakistan⁠
Site area: 30 m²⁠
Ammodo Architecture Award for local scale 2025⁠
⁠
Located in Taiser Town, Karachi, Play–Pause–Ponder is an action-based research and design project initiated by WM Re-Lab in 2023. Developed through a participatory process with local residents, it responds to the absence of safe, playful spaces for children in marginalized communities. Originally part of an academic residency titled Critical Futures, the project redirected its exhibition budget to build a real, functional installation on the ground, turning an artistic inquiry into an act of civic engagement.⁠
⁠
The team identified play as a critical need in informal settlements, where open spaces are scarce and public parks are often inaccessible or misused. Working closely with local representatives, craftsmen and students, they developed a modular, plug-and-play structure that could be built quickly and replicated elsewhere. A social worker specializing in women’s studies ensured that gendered spatial concerns – privacy, safety, visibility – were addressed, while children participated through drawing and theatre workshops that informed the design’s form and colour.⁠
⁠
The project is awarded in the Local Scale category for bringing moments of joy and play to flood-affected children in rural Pakistan through a spontaneous, community-driven intervention. Awarded for its sincerity, attention to detail and poetic use of simple materials, the project stands as a hopeful act of resilience and creativity – transforming public space into a place for healing, play and social connection.⁠
⁠
Find out more about the project by and more about the Ammodo Architecture Award 2025 on our website – follow the link in bio.⁠
⁠
Thanks to the advisory committee Joumana El Zein Khoury, Andrés Jaque, Anupama Kundoo, Floris Alkemade, Mariam Issoufou, and Loreta Castro Reguera.⁠
⁠
📷1-8: WM Creative Studio Relab⁠
⁠
🌱🔍

23/04/2026

Project: Rural primary school, Mandi
Architecture:
Location: Mandi, India
Site area: 576 m²
Ammodo Architecture Award for local scale 2025

In Kuklah village, in the Himalayan district of Mandi, the original primary school was destroyed by landslides in 2023, leaving children without a safe place to learn. Designed by Dhammada Collective and implemented by SEEDS, the reconstruction became more than a replacement building. Conceived as a prototype for resilient rural education, it adapts to local conditions, honours community knowledge and offers a replicable model for similar fragile landscapes. The aim was to build minimally yet meaningfully – using what already existed and leaving room for the school to evolve as the community changes.

The process began with dialogue. Dhammada Collective conducted workshops with teachers, community leaders and organized a drawing competition for the children to imagine their ideal school in the village. Their sketches revealed clear desires: sunlight, safe outdoor play, open steps for gathering. These became the design’s foundation. The architects learned that resilience was not only structural but social – a matter of creating spaces that felt open, welcoming and shared.

The project is awarded in the Local Scale category because it transforms post-disaster reconstruction into a thoughtful, community-led opportunity for resilient learning. Built after devastating landslides in Himachal Pradesh, the school shows how architecture can restore, empower and grow with its community. With shared spaces that invite play and learning, this modest structure now serves as a model for how architecture can create belonging and dignity in vulnerable conditions.

Find out more about the project by and more about the Ammodo Architecture Award 2025 on our website – link in bio.

Thanks to our ambassador and the advisory committee Joumana El Zein Khoury, Andrés Jaque, Anupama Kundoo, Floris Alkemade, Mariam Issoufou, and Loreta Castro Reguera.

📷1-5: Nipun Prabhakar, 6: Dhammada Collective

🌱🔍

21/04/2026

Meet our ambassador, Naomi Hoogervorst, architect, Urban Lab lead at UN-HABITAT⁠
⁠
Currently based in Nairobi, Kenya, where she is a programme management officer at UN-Habitat, the programme of the United Nations focusing on social and sustainable urban development. She has managed the Global Future Cities Programme at UN-Habitat’s Urban Lab, supporting cities in developing 30 projects on urban resilience, planning and mobility, including the development on a SDG Tool to integrate SDGs in project design. Before joining UN-Habitat’s headquarters, she has been working on various urban programme and projects for, amongst others, Dok Architects, The International New Town Institute, DASUDA, Placemakers and UN-Habitat Afghanistan.⁠
⁠
You can learn more about her work and read about the Ammodo Architecture Awards on our website – follow the link in bio.⁠
⁠
📷 1 & 3: Studio Tajareb⁠
⁠
🌱🔍

16/04/2026

Project: The Slovo Hall Project⁠
Design: ⁠
Location: Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa⁠
Site area: 1500 m²⁠
Ammodo Architecture Award for local scale 2025⁠
⁠
Located in Slovo Park, Johannesburg, The Slovo Hall Project is the result of more than 15 years of collaboration between the Slovo Park Community Development Forum (SPCDF) and 1to1 – Agency of Engagement. What began as a modest spatial justice initiative has evolved into a key social and political space for the settlement, which has long been engaged in a 25-year legal struggle for housing and infrastructure rights. The hall stands as both a symbol of that struggle and a practical tool for community self-organization.⁠
⁠
The project repurposes an abandoned 1994 voting structure – an act of adaptive reuse that connects historical memory to new civic purpose. Over time, residents have transformed the hall into a multi-functional public space housing a meeting hall, crèche, clinic, civic square and safe play area. It also serves as a hub for youth programmes, after-school education, public health outreach and skills development. Each addition has emerged from within the community itself, through incremental construction guided by necessity and local expertise rather than external design imposition.⁠
⁠
The project is awarded in the Local Scale category for its deeply community-driven approach to upgrading informal settlements. By reclaiming a neglected space that might otherwise have remained under institutional control, the project redefines civic architecture from the ground up, with residents leading every phase of its transformation. Architecturally, it is highly responsive to the local climate and context, employing strategies of ventilation, shading and material reuse to create a comfortable, adaptable and dignified public environment.⁠
⁠
Find out more about the project by and more about the Ammodo Architecture Award 2025 on our website – follow the link in bio.⁠
⁠
📷1-6: 1to1- Agency of Engagement⁠
⁠
🌱🔍