The 6ª biennale svizzera del territorio, organized by the International Institute of Architecture and directed by architect Ludovica Molo, will open at Villa Saroli in Lugano from October 1 to 3, 2026. The theme of this event is 'HANDLE WITH CARE,' which reframes architecture as a practice of maintenance, care, and territorial regeneration rather than one of replacement.
The 6ª biennale svizzera del territorio boasts a three-day program that includes symposium sessions, installations, lectures, and public events spread across Lugano, Bellinzona, and Mendrisio. The event will bring together architects, researchers, and international scholars to explore how architecture can listen to existing places, preserve their resources, and foster new relationships between communities and their built environments. A central feature of the biennial is the selection of ten Call for Action projects, chosen through an open international competition and displayed in the park of Villa Saroli until November 28, 2026, which provide tangible examples of emerging practitioners' experimental approaches to care-based design.
Image Credit: 6ª biennale svizzera del territorio
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Care-based Design
- Architecture framed around maintenance and stewardship creates space for regenerative models that extend building lifecycles and deepen community value.
- Territorial Regeneration
- Place-sensitive development that preserves existing resources signals new potential for adaptive urban systems rooted in local ecology, culture, and infrastructure.
- Public Architecture Programming
- Biennials combining installations, lectures, and civic events reveal how cultural platforms can accelerate experimentation in socially responsive built environments.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Architecture
- Design practices centered on repair and preservation are reshaping professional priorities toward lower-impact, community-aligned spatial solutions.
- Urban Planning
- Municipal and regional planning can be transformed by frameworks that treat territory as a living system requiring care, continuity, and collaborative governance.
- Cultural Events
- Exhibition formats focused on real-world design challenges highlight new roles for festivals and biennials as laboratories for sustainable civic innovation.
