CONTINENTAL EUROPE MADRID 2025 CONFERENCE / Reimagining Madrid

Madrid as seen from the IE University Tower, School of Architecture.  Photo Credit:  L King AIA

Veteran AIA UK Members are by now fully aware that AIA Continental Europe’s biannual conferences offer excellent opportunities for travel, camaraderie and architectural adventure (as well as abundant Continuing Education Units!).  Indeed, many UK members attended the joint AIA UK/AIA CE Conference in Cork last Spring and are now thoroughly familiar with CE’s basic format of lectures and tours generously interspersed with fun and food.  

However, conference attendance should not be written off as a seen-one-seen-them-all experience.   This year’s Madrid Conference offered an altogether distinctive atmosphere from Cork and no doubt Berlin will also highlight its own distinctive atmosphere in Spring 2026.   AIA UK members are urged to take every opportunity to visit European cities via AIA CE’s expertise.  Learn more about AIA CE’s past and future events HERE.

Instead of using a fixed conference venue for a series of pertinent lectures as have other CE conferences, the Madrid organisers engaged two enthusiastic, peripatetic architects to explain the city.  Werner Durrer and Ivan de Alma shared their knowledge of Madrid through on-the-spot, in-person storytelling against a living backdrop. 

Beginning with a clean map, Werner’s hand-drawn annotations gradually traced Madrid’s growth through the centuries as the conference moved across the city.  This novel approach gave conference attendees a sense of intimacy as they celebrated Madrid’s amazing neighbourhoods and distinctive buildings.  
The brief outline below touches on highlights only of the conference.  A fuller, more detailed itinerary with dates can be found HERE.  A speaker list can be found HERE. A Google Map overview of the city can be found HERE.

Friday, 16 October  The first day was one of initial discovery of Madrid’s traditional architecture interspersed with unusual interventions.  It began early with a pre-opening-hours tour of the Escuelas Pías Library and a discussion about the urban regeneration of the Lavapiés neighbourhood. 

Escuelas Pias Library and Lavapiés housing.  Photo Credits (left to right):  RD Reber AIA and L King AIA.

The church, destroyed during the Spanish Civil War, remained in ruins until 2004 when it was converted into a spectacular library.  The new plaza in front of the church exposed the courtyard façade of a traditional building block, offering insight into the city’s basic housing form.  

A walking tour through the historic core of Madrid began at the Royal Palace and continued to the Plaza Mayor.  Along the way, the group admired the mix of Arabic and Spanish architectural influences, characterised by grey granite and red brick facades.  Side visits included the recently renovated Iván de Vargas Library and the Mercado San Miguel.  
As the group progressed toward the Gran Vía, the architecture morphed from the 16th Century to more modern times, culminating with several grand buildings from the early 20th Century clustered around the Plaza de Cibeles.  Lunch was provided at the Azotea restaurant atop the Círculo de Bellas Artes building, with fantastic views over the city.

The view from the Azotea Restaurant.  Photo Credit:  RD Reber AIA

After lunch, the group visited the Joaquín Leguina Regional Library and Archive in the former El Águila brewery, followed by a thought provoking roundtable at AECOM’s Madrid office titled ‘Reimagining Madrid’. The day concluded with a lively and generous cocktail reception on AECOM’s rooftop terrace.

Saturday, 17 October  The 2nd day was again packed with contrasting sights of traditional cityscapes and modern buildings.  The tour started at the Plaza de España with an explanation of how the plaza – with its landscaped gardens and memorials – sits over tunnels that were only recently constructed to contain Madrid’s highway system underground. 

It then transversed the city by bus to chart urban development since the 19th century.  Modern interventions within traditional contexts included the Museo ABC, the Mercado de Barceló, and the BBVA Tower.

The striking Corten façade of the BBVA Tower contrasts with the geometric shapes of the Museo ABC.  Photo Credits:  L King AIA

Away from the central Madrid, the bus travelled far north to visit the Cuatro Torres business park with its quartet of high-rise buildings that have become a city landmark.  A tour of the IE University Tower showed how it had been designed to incorporate an unexpected “vertical campus” for their School of Architecture.  IE’s faculty gave an absorbing lecture on contemporary Madrid planning issues, ‘The Profound Transformation of Madrid,’ outlining the ambitious plans – including a high speed rail terminal - for the immediate neighbourhood. 

After lunch at the IE Tower, the bus returned past other notable buildings, including the bizarrely leaning KIO Towers and the Santiago Bernabéu football stadium.  A stop at the 1930s Hipódromo de la Zarzuela revealed a spectacularly thin, cantilevered concrete roof over the racetrack’s grandstands.

The day’s touring finished on foot with a guided tour of the Madrid Río Park, a monumental infrastructure and landscape project, in which miles of busy roads were relocated to tunnels adjacent to and under Madrid’s Manzanares river.  The landscape architect who led the team, Christian Dobrick of West 8, explained how the project - which involved multiple contractors and government departments - was completed in record time under intense political pressure.  

Keeping with the long-standing AIA CE tradition of Saturday night conference dinners, cocktails and dinner were enjoyed at the Posada de la Villa, a restaurant in the old town whose on-view, speciality oven - if not the whole building – dated back to 1642. 

Sunday, 18 October  The third day returned to central Madrid for a visit to the very modern interior spaces of the National Archaeological Museum, where the architect who oversaw the renovations, Jorge Rodriguez, led a tour highlighting how the design team and museum staff worked together to enhance the exhibits.

The group enjoyed a coffee break in the beautiful Retiro Park before proceeding to the 1949 Rationalist masterpiece, the Ministry of Health building, and the Reina Sofía Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.  Lunch was held on the top floor of Herzog & de Meuron’s Caixa Forum, which appears to defy gravity while simultaneously supporting a ‘vertical garden’.

Defying gravity at the Caixa Forum.  Photo Credit:  RD Reber AIA

Monday, 20 October  The traditional Extension Day for those able to stay in Madrid longer focused on Segovia and its breathtaking Roman Aqueduct before touring IE’s newly expanded ‘Creative Campus’ housed in a sensitively renovated medieval

The Segovia viaduct and IE’s ‘Creative Campus.  Photo Credits:  RD Reber AIA

No conference could finish without another fabulous meal, so the group proceeded to the renowned Mesón de José María restaurant, where they took part in the ceremonial carving of a suckling pig, which involves using the edge of a plate, rather than a knife, to demonstrate how tender the meat is.  It was joyous conclusion to a fabulous conference!

The 2025 Madrid Conference was well organised - a conference without a hitch!!! - by Sophia Gruzdys AIA.  Irene Reidy – CE’s Chapter Administrator - managed the administration with volunteer help from her partner, Liam Quinn.  

Corporate partners for the conference included: 

Roca/Laufen, panoramah!, IE University School of Architecture and Design, AECOM, Miller Knoll and Frener Reifer.

Sophia Gruzdys AIA and Irene Reidy on the job.  Liam Quinn consulting with an anonymous helper re tour headsets.

Written by L King, AIA and RD Reber, AIA

Movie Night - Radical Landscapes

Photo Credit: Chris Musangi, AIA

We returned to the BFI a week later, on 28th October 2025, for the screening of Radical Landscapes — marking our fastest back-to-back film events yet, due to the overlapping schedules of AIA programming and the BFI calendar. The evening drew another full audience eager to explore a vibrant chapter of architectural history told through a personal lens.

The film follows filmmaker Elettra Fiumi as she uncovers the remarkable creative life of her father, Fabrizio Fiumi, a member of the avant-garde collective Gruppo 9999. Upon inheriting his archives, Elettra embarks on a journey through the radical world of 1960s and 1970s Florence — a time when architecture, art, ecology, and counterculture merged into a dazzling tapestry of experimentation and optimism. The collective imagined immersive gardens inside nightclubs, utopian urban systems, and a world where technology and nature coexisted in harmony — visions that still resonate with today’s ecological and societal challenges.

The documentary’s vivid, layered storytelling evokes the spirit of the Radical Architecture movement while bridging it to contemporary concerns about sustainability and digital culture. It was especially interesting to see the connections between Radical Landscapes and Green Over Grey: Emilio Ambasz, which we screened earlier in March. Ambasz, as curator of the 1972 MoMA exhibition Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, played a pivotal role in introducing Gruppo 9999 and their contemporaries to an international audience. That landmark exhibition brought together Italy’s most visionary designers and architects — Ambasz among them — and helped define an era of creative rebellion that continues to inspire generations.

The debate following the screening was lively and continued well into the evening, spilling over into the lobby upstairs long after the cinema doors had closed. Attendees shared reflections, ideas, and enthusiasm, clearly inspired by both the film and the enduring spirit of Radical Architecture.

Many thanks to all who attended our screenings throughout 2025. We look forward to welcoming you back — and to seeing many new faces — as we continue our architectural film series in the year ahead.

Elettra Fiumi, filmmaker of Radical Landscapes, is planning a large exhibition on the '9999' this spring in Milan. Please refer to https://fiumistudios.com for additional upcoming information on this exhibition.

Written by Chris Musangi, AIA

AIA UK Student Workshop Builds Core Drawing and Representation Skills

AIA UK hosted its first Student Workshop on 18 October 2025 as an online event. The session strengthened manual drawing and digital representation skills for Part 1 architecture students. Many attendees also planned to join the upcoming Student Charrette, so the workshop offered early preparation and skill building.

Jamar Rock, Assoc AIA, Graphics Chair of AIA UK, opened the session with a focused talk on digital representation. He outlined his work in architectural graphics and showed examples that highlighted clarity, hierarchy and precision. He then offered guidance on portfolio layout. He stressed consistent structure, clear labelling and strong narrative flow. Students asked questions about page composition and the use of diagrams to explain design decisions.

Lulu Yang, Assoc AIA, JEDI Chair of AIA UK, followed with a session on manual sketching. She introduced her approach to observational drawing and explained how quick studies help you understand proportion, shade and character. She completed a short live demo using a still image. Students observed the process step by step and produced their own sketches during the exercise.

The workshop created an environment where students could test ideas, ask questions and receive direct feedback from practitioners. The combination of digital and manual methods gave participants a balanced set of tools for design communication. Many students said the session increased their confidence before the Charrette.

AIA UK plans to continue these workshops to support early career designers and strengthen communication skills across the student community.

Written by Paolo Mendoza, Assoc AIA

Movie Night - Aldo Rossi Design

Photo Credit: Chris Musangi, AIA

We started the Autumn movie screenings with a sold-out, full-capacity showing of Aldo Rossi Design on 21st of October 2025. The evening celebrated the life and work of Aldo Rossi — a leading figure of the Neo-Rationalist movement and one of the most influential architectural thinkers of the 20th century. Recognised for his profound contributions to architectural theory, particularly through his seminal book The Architecture of the City, Rossi redefined the way architects understand urban form, memory, and the collective identity of place.

His work, deeply rooted in his native northern Italy, reflects a fascination with the simplicity of geometric form and a poetic connection to history. Projects such as the hauntingly beautiful San Cataldo Cemetery in Modena and the ethereal Teatro del Mondo, a floating theatre constructed for the Venice Biennale, exemplify his ability to merge timeless archetypes with contemporary design sensibilities.

The documentary not only explored Rossi’s designs and their enduring influence but also provided a fascinating look at the relationships he fostered throughout his career. Architect Daniel Libeskind, a frequent interviewee in the film, offered thoughtful reflections on his time working with Rossi. Their relationship was one of mentorship and inspiration — Libeskind has often credited Rossi as a guiding influence on his architectural philosophy and even paid homage to him in later works, such as his miniature “water tower” for Alessi, which reinterprets one of Rossi’s iconic urban artefacts.

Through archival footage, rare design prototypes, and intimate commentary, Aldo Rossi Design offered an absorbing window into the mind of a true modern master. The 40-minute documentary was concise yet impactful — short, succinct, and wonderfully effective in conveying Rossi’s depth of vision. The screening concluded with a lively discussion, with many attendees expressing their wish that the film had been longer.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening and for your continued support of our movie night series.

Written by Chris Musangi, AIA

From Intent to Impact: Designing for Everyone

On October 8th, AIA UK hosted the first Diversity Equity and Inclusion focused event of the year.

In her talk, From Intent to Impact: Designing for Everyone, Natasha Trotman explored how inclusive and neurodiverse design can transform the built environment when we shift from intent to actionable impact. She unpacked key terminology around neurodiversity and neurodivergence, highlighted the differences between medical, charity, and social models of disability, and emphasised how co-production and intersectionality can foster truly inclusive design outcomes.

Some of the key takeaways included:

• Understanding that diversity of minds is the norm, not the exception — there is no one “standard” brain.

• The importance of moving beyond compliance to embed inclusion throughout the design lifecycle — from briefing to facilities management.

• Applying neuroinclusive principles such as sensory zoning, multisensory wayfinding, and quiet restorative spaces.

• Recognising the power of “Nothing About Us Without Us” — engaging people with lived experience as co-producers, not just participants.

• Taking practical steps such as sensory audits, inclusive design review panels, and reflective practice to move from awareness to sustained impact.

We thank Natasha Trotman for speaking with the chapter and the attendees for their thoughtful engagement throughout the session. It was truly inspiring to see such a mix of perspectives and reflections from across our community. We also want to thank everyone who contributed to the Mentimeter poll. Your input will help us shape the themes and direction of our upcoming DEI sessions.

Our next DEI event will take place in the new year — please keep an eye out and follow AIA UK on social media for updates and future talks.

Thank you again for being part of this important and evolving conversation.

Written by Lulu Yang, AIA

AIA UK Remembers - Sir Nicholas Grimshaw and Sir Terry Farrell

While the world’s architectural press lauds the legacy of two architectural giants – Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Hon FAIA (1939-2025) and Sir Terry Farrell, Hon FAIA (1938-2025) -  AIA UK also remembers their critical, poignant support of our Chapter in its long ago early days. 

Remembering that the careers of the two men were closely entwined in a partnership from the mid-1960s until 1980, it is fitting that AIA UK honours them both in this combined memorial.    

Sir Nicholas Grimshaw 

Grimshaw was a pioneer in the high tech architectural movement, as seen in projects such as the Waterloo International Terminal and the Eden Project.  He was elected as an AIA Honorary Fellow in 1994.  

From an AIA UK perspective, the International Terminal – winner of the Chapter’s 1st Design Awards in 1995 - was one of his most notable achievements.  The Award jurors – a distinguished group, including Sir Phillip Dowson, David Leventhal, Rick Mather, Stephen Reinke and  Zaha Hadid – described the Terminal as ‘a celebration of movement and technology’… 

AIA UK Newsletters #04 and #05, which announced the award, can be read in full HERE and HERE.

Grimshaw Architects maintained connections with AIA UK over the next 30 years, including its hosting of the ‘New York, Ten Years On’ lecture in 2012 by Andrew Whalley (read HERE) and a lecture on the Eden Project.

The practice’s virtual tour of the renovated London Bridge Station in 2022 – one of the best of the covid era - can be watched HERE.

Sir Terry Farrell 

Farrell was a key proponent of the postmodernist movement, as exemplified in projects such as the MI6 Building at Vauxhall and the 1980 Venice Architectural Biennale.  He was elected as an AIA Honorary Fellow in1998. 

From an AIA UK perspective, he is best remembered for his enthusiastic involvement in one of the Chapter’s earliest Student Design Charrettes in 1997. Newsletters #20, which described the event, can be read in full HERE.

As one of a distinguished lineup of speakers, Farrell also joined the AIA Professional Interest Area / International Committee’s 1998 London Conference, addressing the attendees at a spectacular closing diner at the Whitehall Banqueting Hall.  With Charles Jencks, Fred Koetter and Rick Mather, he later took part in a memorable AIA/RIBA ‘Urban Head to Head’ seminar.  

AIA UK Newsletters #25 and #26, describing the two events, can be read in full HERE and HERE.  Although the seminar is recorded in some detail in the article, the lack of a virtual record of what must have been a thought provoking event can only be regretted.

We fondly remember these esteemed architects and the significant contributions they made - both individually and together - to the profession, our Chapter, and the understanding of what architecture can be and can do.  

Written by Lorraine King, AIA