In Barcelona the British architect David Chipperfield pressed for an urgent integration of social and environmental concerns, but stopping short of architects becoming environmentalists or activists. “We must not relinquish architecture, but apply it in a more significant way,” he said.

Chipperfield said there are reasons to be optimistic. “As architects,” he said, “we can promote cities, towns and buildings of a more sensitive model. We must be proactive and insist that territorial development and construction activity are measured in terms of social and environmental impact. We cannot accept that pragmatism or trade efficiency dictate the rules.”

David Chipperfield, 2023 Pritzker Architecture Award and founder of RIA Foundation; Manuel Rodríguez, general director of the RIA Foundation, and Josep Bohigas, architect and director of the public urban development agency Barcelona Regional between 2016 and 2023, participated in the fifth conference of the Foros series, organised by the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC Barcelona).

Jaime Batlle, architect and lecturer at UIC Barcelona, introduced the conference by emphasising the importance of placing people at the centre of the architectural and urban debate. He noted that, “amidst uncontrolled growth in construction, it is essential to seek solutions that respond to people’s basic needs and promote their well-being.” Both in professional practice and in the education of future architects and urban planners, Batlle stressed that “architecture and urbanism must serve society.”

The conference focused on the activity of the RIA Foundation, promoted by David Chipperfield and located in Galicia. The foundation is an independent think tank that promotes strategic territorial development. With a bottom-up model that works closely with the local area and social entities, they study proposals and criteria and establish links between public and private stakeholders, working towards a decentralised urbanism that is aligned with environmental, economic and social sustainability.

“Architecture has become a competitive profession. However, with the RIA Foundation, we have experienced a new generosity among architects, planners, researchers and institutions,” Chipperfield explained. And he added: “We are thinking about how to offer our services, prioritising a more collaborative and community-centric architectural practice.”

Manuel Rodríguez, general director of the RIA Foundation, explained how they have developed a comprehensive methodology that is based on a direct immersion in the local environment, where real needs are identified and an open dialogue with the community is established. This methodology involves participation in discussions with local experts and authorities, the organisation of internal discussions and the creation of spaces for the participation of decision-makers.

“Our frontline experience has led us to develop a methodology that comes directly from local communities. This allows us to understand their dynamics, needs and concerns. In addition, we consider the participation of the authorities in the debate essential, since we firmly believe in the importance of a collaborative approach to achieve effective and sustainable solutions,” said Manuel Rodríguez.

Josep Bohigas praised the territorial planning activity of the RIA Foundation. “It is very good news that David Chipperfield has promoted this initiative, willing to contribute to the territory,” he said.

“Architects and urban planners are often late. Urban planning has become a way of repairing the mistakes already made,” he lamented. “But good ideas come from understanding the needs of the territory well, and this allows us to create models applicable to other areas with similar characteristics,” he said.