BIG has completed work on Macondo Park at Madrid’s Iberdrola Music venue. The project was commissioned for Shakira’s month-long, 12-show residency in the Spanish capital. Image credit: Adrià Goula PhotoImage credit: Adrià Goula Photo Designed in collaboration with Komodo and Vampire, the 1.8 million square foot temporary cultural venue takes inspiration from Macondo, the fictional town created by Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez. The masterplan is organized around a central plaza and eight thematic pavilions dedicated to activities including music, dance, art, food, literature, cinema, and fashion. Image credit: LiveNationImage credit: LiveNation Color-coded, curving routes connect different areas of the site, while more than 500 tropical and Mediterranean trees have been introduced to provide shade and gathering spaces. Additional areas accommodate artisan markets, food outlets and children’s activities, with landscaped islands drawing on environments found across Spain and La...

The AIA has released its latest 2030 Commitment By the Numbers report. The initiative tracks the architecture and design industry’s progress toward carbon-neutral buildings by 2030.  Based on performance data from 2025, the report found that 67% of whole-building projects submitted through the program were energy modeled, indicating continued adoption of building performance analysis among participating firms. However, reported reductions in energy use declined compared with previous results. Related on Archinect: 10 standout sustainable projects honored at AIA COTE Top Ten Award 2026. Marlboro Music Reich Hall by HGA. Image credit: Albert Vecerka/Esto According to the AIA, the decline partly reflects changes in how energy performance is measured. Energy-modeled projects use baselines determined by individual firms rather than values from the 2003 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey,  which the organization says may provide more realistic comparisons of building performanc...

The internet and AI haven't killed the classroom. Instead, they’ve changed what university buildings can and should be used for.

I really intended to post this when it was the correct week (I don’t remember the day)…four weeks ago…but in any case last month marks the 50th anniversary of me starting to commute by subway, in 7th grade. At first it was simply the 7 train to Grand Central for school in east Midtown; the […]