How Architecture Can Play an Active Role in Urban Crisis Contexts

World Architecture Day is celebrated annually on the first Monday of October. Established in 1949, this day aims to globally recognize the importance of architecture and the role of architects in creating more humane, inclusive, and sustainable cities. Originally set for July 1st, in 1996 the International Union of Architects (UIA) moved the date to the first Monday of October, aligning it with the United Nations’ World Habitat Day, established in 1986, thereby reinforcing the close relationship between architecture and the environment.

Each year, the celebration focuses on a specific theme designed to stimulate discussion about contemporary urban challenges, encourage innovative and sustainable construction practices, and promote responsible public urban planning policies.

For 2025, the UIA selected the theme Design for Strength, inviting architects to look beyond short-term solutions and adopt strategies that enhance the built environment’s capacity to withstand, adapt, and regenerate, even in contexts of urban crisis.

“Architecture should not be limited to providing shelter; it also has the responsibility to promote equity, continuity, and resilience, especially during moments of crisis or transformation.” – International Union of Architects, 2025

To guide this approach, the UIA highlights several key messages:

Strength in Design: Built spaces should be durable, resilient, and culturally sensitive, effectively supporting communities.

A Platform for Resilience: Architecture plays a crucial role in protecting and rebuilding communities after natural or human-induced disasters.

Sustainable Reconstruction: Designing for strength involves the capacity to repair, restore, and adapt the built environment using environmentally responsible materials and methods.

Our Contribution

We live in a time of extreme climatic events, growing urban pressures, social inequalities, and housing fragility. We believe that in such a context, architecture cannot be limited to short-term solutions; it must act proactively.

At MJARC Architects, we understand architecture as a collective responsibility. Each project emerges from a dialogue between heritage, landscape, and community, incorporating sustainability, quality, and efficiency criteria from design through to use, maintenance, and eventual deconstruction.

MJARC’s commitment to sustainability has been recognized nationally and internationally, including nominations for the Construir 2025 Awards in the Real Estate – Sustainability category and the Loop Design Award.

Our team operates according to the highest environmental certification standards, including LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Projects such as Riverside and Torre Green View in Covilhã exemplify this approach: by reusing 90% of the structure and 75% of the original core, we demonstrate how sustainable rehabilitation can significantly reduce carbon emissions and environmental impact.

Careful material selection and construction precision further ensure quality, efficiency, and long-term durability.

For MJARC,
Design for Strength
means conceiving architecture that considers the whole, valuing and integrating every element of the community and territory, creating spaces capable of withstanding, adapting, and regenerating, while contributing to a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable habitat.