The Architect Registration Examination (ARE) framework provides a productive lens for understanding how architectural education cultivates the competencies required for sustained engagement with the built environment. Accreditation processes through NCARB ensure that educational programs remain aligned with modern professional standards. The six divisions of the examination articulate interrelated domains of knowledge that range from ethical orientation and managerial coordination to analytical investigation, design synthesis, technical documentation, and construction evaluation.
La Biennale di Venezia has announced that architects Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu will curate the 20th International Architecture Exhibition, opening in May 2027. Founders of Amateur Architecture Studio and leading voices in contemporary practice, the duo is known for an approach rooted in craftsmanship, material reuse, and deep engagement with place. Their appointment brings renewed attention to vernacular knowledge, construction cultures, and the social realities shaping architecture today.
Historically, the first universities in the contemporary model were established in Europe to educate elites for the State and the Church, rather than to promote social emancipation. With the rise of capitalism, they became privileged centers for producing and reproducing modern Western culture. However, from the 1960s onward-particularly after the student uprisings of May 1968-the academic focus shifted toward market-oriented values, displacing humanist and critical ideals.
Emblematic architect and designer Pietro Derossi passed away on September 5, 2025, at the age of 92. A pioneering figure of Italian radical design, the Turin-born visionary shaped contemporary culture with works ranging from the playful Pratone seat for Gufram to the influential nightlife interiors of the 1960s and 1970s. To honor his legacy, designboom looks back at Derossi's life and career - from his formative years to the milestones and iconic works that continue to inspire today.