Seventh Lisbon Architecture Triennale

The Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Awards trilogy – Universities, Début, and Achievement – celebrates architectural trajectories without borders: from transdisciplinary research developed in academic settings, to emerging talent, and the recognition of an established practice. The recipients of the Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Awards receive a trophy designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira and crafted in Portuguese marble.

As a jury, we must acknowledge that we stand at a historical juncture—witnessing genocide in Gaza and wars in Congo, Ukraine, and so many other places in the world, while life for many continues as usual. In light of this contradiction, we must ask: What position do we take? How will history judge our choices?

We, the members of the jury, choose to recognize architectural practices that create spaces for life: practices that foster dignity, community, and grounded ways of co-existing. We must resist imposing a singular standard and instead support the diversity of architectural responses across different contexts. The submitted applications make clear that many young architects are shifting away from traditional models towards collective and decentralized practices, which respond to contemporary challenges in heartening ways. We also recognize a commitment to fostering existing structures of resilience, instead of an obsession with the “new.” Architects working in challenging political, social, economic, and environmental realities require different forms of acknowledgement.

Architecture’s role in creating spaces for life has never been more urgent. At a time when power is increasingly concentrated among the few, we uplift architects who use their practice to re-exist, reimagine, and resist.