HOPE & OPTIMISM

We commend this year's architectural innovators and change makers

- ELLIE STATHAKI

Architecture is an inherently optimistic profession - a quality instilled in me through training and flagged to me in many an interview over the years. Architects set out to change the world, often consciously and purposefully, quite literally shaping the world around us. It helps to remember this at a time when it is easy to get caught up in global events that weigh heavily on our minds.

This is why it’s important to champion the innovations, ideas and designs that bring hope and optimism, and the architectural wonders that put a smile on our faces. And there have been quite a few of those over the last year. The 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale had its critics, but it also showcased the architecture world’s hunger for change. Sarah Housley’s new book Designing Hope discusses specific scenarios that nod to a better outlook for us all. Finland was named the world’s happiest country for the eighth year in a row; its ambitious sustainability strategies surely play a role here (policy makers, take note). Meanwhile, ingenious initiatives, such as Civic Square’s Retrofit House, a live showcase of sustainable homebuilding techniques, have landed to give power to the people. Above all, it’s the plurality of architectural voices and radical solutions by the world’s creative minds that brings the most hopeful message for a sunnier future. And what better issue to mark what we look forward to seeing more of than our annual Wallpaper* Design Awards?