Social transformation for an inclusive architecture

Abstract

In times of growing social, environmental, and spatial inequality, architecture plays a crucial role in doing more than just shaping spaces, assuming responsibility for fostering communities. The built environment has always been central to how societies organise daily life, mediating between the private and public realms, shaping encounters, and enabling or constraining forms of belonging. Yet, architecture has not always served all members of society equally. Throughout history, many communities have been overlooked, excluded, or misrepresented within architectural discourse and practice, leaving a legacy of built environments that often reproduce unfair social hierarchies. Today, confronted with pressing global challenges—from the climate crisis to mass migration, from housing inaccessibility to gender-based exclusions—it is essential for architecture to acknowledge these gaps. It was in response to these concerns that La Salle Campus Barcelona (URL) hosted the seminar Social Transformation for an Inclusive Architecture on 15 March 2025. This event is part of a series of sessions that began in 2023, aimed at investigating contemporary architecture. Coordinated by the research group Architectural Logics for Emerging Contexts (ALEC), they are conceived as a platform for dialogue, reflection, and experimentation on the role of architecture through five different logics: Environmental, Digital, Tectonic, Cultural, and Social. This year’s seminar highlighted the Social logic in particular, foregrounding the ways in which architectural thought and practice can open possibilities for environments that promote belonging, equity, and care.