Which Layer Remains? Restoration, Identity, and Contemporary Design in Spain

The theorist André Corboz, known for his contributions to the critical reading of territory, proposes that the cities should be understood as a palimpsest. That is, a surface continuously rewritten, where traces of previous layers remain visible even after successive interventions. For him, the city is not a static entity, but an organism in constant transformation, where historical, functional, and symbolic layers overlap. This is why working on restoration or rehabilitation projects for historical buildings is particularly complex, requiring careful thought about the approach to be taken: should extensions and renovations seek complete coherence with the original language, or assert themselves as architectural expressions of their own time?

ShenjiaGarden Intangible Heritage Pavilion / Archi-Union Architects + TJAD

I. Cultural Anchors within an Acupuncture Strategy — "Nanqiao Source" is a pilot renewal scheme for Nanqiao Town (Fengxian District, Shanghai) that proposes an "One River ∙ Nine Beads" acupuncture approach: the Punan Canal stitches together historic and commercial fragments such as the San‑Gu Market, Shenjia Garden and Guyuan Garden, gradually releasing public and cultural energy through nine micro‑interventions. Within this framework the newly built Shenjia Garden Intangible‑Heritage Pavilion serves as a cultural anchor that bridges tradition and contemporaneity, community life and craft practice. The project explores an integrated "culture–structure–construction" path by combining parametric design, robotic brickwork and structural topology optimisation.

Room Installation / Tamara Wibowo Architects

"Room" is a spatial meditation on duality—an architectural diptych that explores the delicate tensions between opposing realities. At its core, the installation confronts our binary understandings of space, materiality, and perception, inviting an intellectual dialogue on the boundary between nature and the
built environment.

Round Pavilion / Atelier Guo

An Expo, a park, or a garden? The project is located in the Herbal Garden of Expo Park, far from the main pavilions, in a corner that resembles more of a civic park. Compared to the more dominant landscape designs and lingering thematic elements, this small garden, enveloped by exotic vegetation, exudes a sense of tranquility and intimacy. In its unassuming presence, it radiates a profound public vitality—the laughter and conversations of people of all ages under the pavilions have already diluted the once-ambitious narratives and grand visions that once defined this land.

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