Regenerations

The exhibition Regenerations: China and Spain in the Mirror proposes a dialogue between two countries that, from very different realities, share the same urgency: to regenerate the city and its inherited architecture to respond to the challenges of sustainability. Today, architecture can no longer simply build from scratch or demolish and start over: it must reuse, reinterpret, and transform what already exists. Urban and architectural regeneration becomes an essential strategy for optimizing resources, reducing environmental impact, and offering new solutions to social needs.

In both Spain and China, teams from all generations are exploring this path, from the rehabilitation of historic buildings and the reuse of architecture from recent decades to “urban acupuncture” interventions capable of revitalizing neighborhoods and landscapes. This research has been developed collaboratively by two teams, from Tongji University in Shanghai and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, for the House of Architecture, our main meeting place for architecture and society. The exhibition design symbolizes this dialogue. In the entrance hall, we sat down to share our respective work and experiences. The architects explained what they had accomplished within a shared landscape, where the projects of both countries intertwined with those who visited us, creating a large mirror that amplified the synergy of our relationship.

In the lower space, visitors explored a panorama of contemporary architecture from both countries, aboard a symbolic ship, with two parallel lines of projects, Spanish and Chinese, rowing together toward a common future. Thus, the exhibition became a journey through the landscape of more than seventy selected projects, demonstrating how architecture can regenerate degraded spaces, revitalize communities, and reinterpret built heritage. A mirror between China and Spain reflecting differences and affinities, reminding us that, on the same boat of sustainability, cooperation and mutual learning are the true regenerative force.