Barcelona was the world capital of architecture in 1996 and thirty years later it is again… the first city in the world to achieve this for the second time. This essay attempts to trace the path of these years, analyzing the legal, economic, demographic, social frameworks and environmental context to understand the changes and new trends that are emerging.

In architecture, today more than ever, everyone is called upon to bring “vision – courage – determination”: elements that, when combined and developed, and obviously added to functional use, can change the course of history and of places. From a project, a space takes shape dedicated to welcome, to hope, to life, to optimism. So then there is still room for feelings, for spirituality, while everything else in the building is nothing. At the center is “the human being”: the aim is to improve people’s lives, making them feel unique and irreplaceable, within a natural and dedicated setting. Human dignity in everyday life and, in particular, in pain, is the greatest reward for an architect. The aim is to go beyond beauty, which, while it “must exist,” should become synonymous with wellbeing. Those who live must be able to marvel, to be amazed at how the rest of the world takes care of them.

Architecture is the most profoundly human of disciplines, for it leaves a lasting imprint on the way we live, relate to one another, and perceive the world. Beyond technical requirements and economic imperatives, it entails a moral and political responsibility. A building is never simply an arrangement of materials; it possesses a form of “soul,” can nurture well-being or generate exclusion, and embodies a particular vision of the common good. In this sense, architecture is nothing less than a philosophy of life.

This article explores the dialogue between philosophy and architectural conservation, which is important for the preservation of cultural heritage. Philosophical concepts of value, truth and memory are linked to the theory and practice of conservation and architecture in order to shed light on the current crisis of environmental values, resulting from the deterioration of the national conservation system, loss of authenticity, damage to integral value – the memory of the environment and architectural erosion. The community of experts is striving, unsuccessfully, to improve the regulatory framework for conservation and architecture within the context of a ‘facade democracy’. However, a philosophical approach clearly reveals that these efforts are doomed to failure unless the model of society’s general values evolves through a genuinely democratic social order. Only under this condition will architecture be able to realise its full potential as the architecture of memory, playing a unique role within the cultural environment.

The article explores the intersections between contemporary art and contemporary architecture within the framework of the so-called “aesthetics of provocation”. By entering the “expanded field” of art, architecture transcends its traditional functionality. The text analyzes how architectural deconstructivism deconstructs traditional binary oppositions (inside – outside, wall – opening, center – periphery, form – function) and helps dismantle power hierarchies in space. In this way, contemporary architecture acts as a transgression against the established order and asserts itself as a public stage for key debates regarding individual autonomy, ecology, and memory.

Urbanization over the past several decades has created a number of challenges in both urban planning and social contexts. According to official UN projections, by 2050 approximately 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. Contemporary urban planning and architectural trends are facing new challenges related to the dynamics of urbanization, as well as the resulting human needs and the interrelationships between people and their surrounding environment. The purpose of this article is to emphasize the role of contemporary building envelopes as an important component of architectural design and their impact on the lives of urban inhabitants.

This paper is written in response to a kind invitation from Prof. M Arch Boyko Kadinov, DSc, to participate as an author in a specialized forthcoming issue of the Philosophy (Filosofiya) scientific journal, published by the national publishing house Az-buki, and dedicated exclusively to architecture and its philosophical origins and connections. This paper envisions architecture – precisely the architecture of public buildings, public space, and the public domain – as a stratificational snapshot in the broad daylight of common philosophy, commercial ideology, and social psychology. The paper argues that today’s architecture is in a deep thought crisis due to a lack of awareness of architectural theory and examines, in real time, these conditions and the circumstances that led to this state. At the same time, it tries to suggest hypothetical micro-models of saving architecture from its mass self, in its unintentional voids and cracks, as well as in peripheral theory spaces of architecture.

The provided text explores the anthropological and philosophical evolution of urban environments as they transition into smart, sustainable systems. While technological advancements like intelligent infrastructure and real-time data analysis enhance efficiency and safety, these systems fundamentally alter human psychology and social interactions. Consequently, the text highlights a new responsibility for architecture to act as a mediator that balances digital automation with human experience. Ultimately, the source advocates for future cities that prioritise the human dimension, ensuring that life remains more than just a sequence of pre-organised, efficient processes.

Contemporary architecture is in crisis. The text examines the transformations taking place in the field of architectural creation. Transformations resulting from commercialization, the pressure for quick financial profit, the loss of identity and historical memory, the advent of digitalization, and the new AI world. The philosophy of the “permanent present” – architecture, trivialized and mass-produced for the “here” and “now” – is losing its spatial and temporal bearings. Are there any possible alternatives? The approach taken in creating the project “Museum Complex ‘The First Factory – The First Ten’” illustrates possible alternatives in the choice between copy-paste architecture and architecture that provokes the layering of spaces, the integration of meanings and memory over time – architecture that opens doors to new interpretations in the future.