Organized by the Casa da Arquitetura and curated by Brazilian architect and urban planner Fernando de Mello Franco, the fourth edition of SHIFT—the International Seminar on Architecture and Sustainability—will take place from October 16 to 17 in Matosinhos, Portugal. Under the theme "Continuities—Socio-ecological recomposition through landscape design," the event brings together architects, researchers, and specialists from various countries to discuss the role of design in transforming territories and addressing contemporary environmental and social challenges.
The fourth edition of SHIFT—the International Seminar on Architecture and Sustainability—begins with a central question: how can design contribute to restoring the ecological, social, and territorial relationships that sustain life?
Curated by Fernando de Mello Franco, the 2026 program shifts the focus from the city as an isolated unit to the territories that support it. Peri-urban, rural, and natural areas provide essential resources such as water, food, energy, and raw materials, yet they are also spaces subject to environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, pressure on soil and water resources, and the growing impacts of climate change.
