In this context, the School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay joining as a sponsoring institution and will host two events open to the public, which will take place on Thursday, November 27 (Architects’ Day in Uruguay) at the Pocitos Campus.
Seeing architecture from new perspectives
Architecture Architecture Week is designed as a space for gathering, reflection, and outreach to society, seeking to foster a dialogue between the discipline and the contemporary challenges facing our cities and regions.
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It will take place from November 24 to 29 and is aimed at architects, students, and the general public, with activities including lectures, urban tours, screenings, exhibitions, and awards recognizing professional careers.
The program features a strong focus on exhibitions. On Monday, the 24th, at the Fundación Banco República (1520 Zabala), an exhibition of the 167 projects submitted to the 2025 Completed Works Competition (COR 2025), which will remain open all week and continue through February.
In the same context, a tribute will be paid to the careers of Uruguayan architects, reinforcing the Week’s commitment to valuing both contemporary architecture and the professional careers that underpin it.
The event revisits debates that, in Uruguay, have historically been linked to Heritage Day and with an approach to architecture that puts people at the center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgtxvFzpl9U
In comments reported by La Diaria, the architect Héctor Berio, a member of the SAU Executive Committee, links this initiative to the discussions spearheaded by figures such as Luis Livni and Mariano Arana, and with references such as Jane Jacobs, who questioned urban models based exclusively on large-scale infrastructure and proposed rethinking the city from the perspective of everyday life.
In that vein, the Architecture Week aims to examine, thirty years later, how we live today with diversity, the multiplicity of uses, the coexistence of the modern and the historic, and the idea that the architecture created today is the heritage of the future.
- You might also be interested in reading: “Sustainable Innovation: Architecture Students Visit +Colonia and Design Homes”
A collaborative effort among the three schools of architecture
Architecture Architecture Week organized by SAU has a declaration of interest from the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the support of the National Cultural Heritage Commission.
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In the academic sphere, the three institutions that offer architecture in Uruguay are participating as sponsors: the School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay, the School of Architecture, Design, and Urban Planning at the University of the Republic (Uruguay), and the Department of Architecture, Design, and Environment at the Catholic University of Uruguay.
In addition to the exhibition and awards ceremony for the 2025 Completed Works Competition, the program will also include, among other events, guided urban tours organized in coordination with the National Cultural Heritage Commission, the Night of the Lanterns, and a screening of the documentary Unforgettable Montevideo, book presentations on architecture, roundtable discussions, and recognitions of distinguished careers.
Also featured are lectures by three invited international architects: Gerardo Caballero and María Victoria Besonías, from Argentina, and Marcelo Ferraz, from Brazil. Caballero will offer reflections on the significance of the river and the transformation of Rosario as a coastal city; Besonías will present a sustained body of work on exposed concrete from a domestic and territorial perspective; and Ferraz will discuss a career linked to the modern São Paulo tradition and projects that incorporate a contemporary vision within heritage contexts.
Taken together, these contributions shape much of the proposed discussion: how to think today about the value of the contemporary, how it relates to heritage contexts, and what we mean by quality architecture in the 21st century.
- You might also be interested in reading: “Madrid Nuevo Norte Project, lecture by architect José Luis Infanzón”
Two open activities at the ORT Pocitos Campus
As part of the program, the School of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay with two open events taking place on Thursday, November 27 in the Auditorium of the Pocitos Campus (Bvar. España 2633). These events are open to the general public, but prior registration is required using the forms available on the Faculty’s website.
“Contemporary Architecture and Historical Heritage,” a lecture by Architect Marcelo Ferraz
Thursday, Thursday, the 27th, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be a lecture “Contemporary Architecture and Historical Heritage”, led by Brazilian architect Marcelo Ferraz. It will take place in the Pocitos Campus Auditorium and will also be streamed online via Zoom; admission is free, but prior registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Ferraz is a founding partner of the firm Brasil Arquitetura and worked alongside Lina Bo Bardi for over a decade, participating in iconic projects such as the SESC Pompeia. He also collaborated with Oscar Niemeyer and directed the Lina Bo and P. M. Bardi Institute.
His work combines a sensitivity to materials with reflections on Brazilian culture, and is reflected in projects such as the Bread Museum in Ilópolis, the Rodin Bahia Museum, and the Yellow Quarter in Berlin. His exhibition will be dedicated to contemporary architecture in relation to historical heritage, a central theme for an event that seeks, precisely, to explore the coexistence of the new and the existing.
“Unforgettable Montevideo”: Documentary and Conversation with Alfredo Ghierra
That same Thursday, the 27th, at 6:30 p.m., the Pocitos Campus Auditorium will host a second open event: “Unforgettable Montevideo, a film by Alfredo Ghierra”. The event is part of a day of dialogue on architecture, belonging, and identity through cinema.
Unforgettable Montevideo (2025) is a documentary that follows the sensitive and humorous gaze of Alfredo Ghierra on the city. Through memories, illustrations, and urban stories, the film celebrates the emotional and cultural value of Montevideo and its unique identity.
Following the screening, there will be a discussion with Ghierra to explore the documentary’s key themes, opening up a space for conversation with the audience. Like Ferraz’s lecture, this is a free event with prior registration , open to the general public.
City tours and ongoing construction projects
In addition to the activities at the Pocitos Campus, Architecture Week offers a wide-ranging program of tours and open-house events in various locations across the country
According to information released by the SAU, these workshops will take place in Montevideo, Canelones, Colonia, and other locations; they will be led by architects and are open to professionals, students, and the general public. All such activities are free of charge and require prior registration.
The tour program includes, among others, open-house events at iconic buildings such as the School of Engineering in Parque Rodó, the Colonia del Sacramento Bullring, the School of Architecture (FADU) in Montevideo, and the Calera de las Huérfanas and Casa Evans in the department of Colonia. It also features guided tours of sites such as the Casa Vilamajó Museum, the Taranco Palace, the Legislative Palace, and high schools located in the city’s historic districts, as well as tours of neighborhoods such as Prado, Pocitos, and Rosario.
One of the most unique activities is the Night of the Lanterns, a nighttime walking tour of the Old City that invites visitors to rediscover its architectural and urban heritage “by lantern light,” highlighting both its cultural richness and its lesser-known corners.
In this regard, the SAU emphasizes that the proposal aims to encourage a different way of engaging with public space, transforming the night into a setting for encounter and observation. In this case, the event is already fully booked, so registration has been closed by the organizers. These types of tours are essential for understanding architecture through in the city and reflect the hope that Architecture Week will grow stronger each year, sowing the seeds of reflection and civic engagement around the discipline.
- You might also find this article helpful: “Housing, City, and Climate: Architect Frans de Witte’s (MVRDV) Perspective in Montevideo”
How to Participate in Architecture Week
All activities are free of charge, although many require prior registration. For the activities organized by the Faculty of Architecture at Universidad ORT Uruguay lecture “Contemporary Architecture and Historical Heritage,” presented by Architect Marcelo Ferraz, and the screening and discussion “Unforgettable Montevideo, a Film by Alfredo Ghierra”—registration is done through the forms available on the respective event pages of the Faculty’s website.
For those who wish to supplement these events with city tours and visits to construction sites in various locations across the country, the full schedule and registration links are available on the website of the Uruguayan Society of Architects.
Thus, Uruguay’s first Architecture Week offers an opportunity for students, teachers, graduates, and the general public to view architecture from new perspectives, combining academic reflection, direct experience in the city, and dialogue with national and international leaders in the field.