AO at MIPIM 2026

A-rchitecture as a mediator between investment, technology, and the city

Architecture, urbanism, urban development, innovation, sustainability, MIPIM, real estate investment, innovation districts, internationalization, WTC Biotic

This month, Cannes once again became a privileged observatory of the transformations shaping contemporary urban development. Held at the Palais des Festivals, MIPIM annually brings together investors, developers, governments, and architects to discuss the future of cities. More than a real estate fair, the event operates as a platform for interpreting the forces that currently shape territory: sustainability, technology, new urban economies, and emerging ways of coexistence between city, nature, and infrastructure.

Among the various pavilions, some stood out for the consistency with which they articulated architecture, territorial strategy, and national narrative. Albania’s presence was particularly notable. Under the theme Soundscapes of Albania, the country presented 83 strategic projects focused mainly on sustainable tourism and the development of the Ionian and Adriatic coasts, including large-scale initiatives such as the Vlora marina and new developments along the Albanian Riviera. More than a collection of isolated projects, the set revealed a clear territorial vision, where architecture, infrastructure, and landscape act as instruments of economic transformation.

Turkey also delivered a strong presence, highlighting the strength of its real estate sector and the role of architecture as a driver of international projection. Projects such as Ion Riva in Istanbul – developed by firms like Snøhetta, BIG, and MVRDV – demonstrate an integrated approach to coastal urbanism, combining housing, culture, landscape, and infrastructure into a new neighborhood model. As in Albania’s case, Turkey’s participation reinforces the idea that architecture is increasingly being used as a strategic tool to structure territories and attract coordinated investment.

"Designing today means articulating city, investment, and technology within a single architectural gesture." – Greg Bousquet

Award, dialogue, and listening

AO’s participation at MIPIM went far beyond celebrating the victory of the MARAEY development in Maricá (RJ) at the MIPIM Awards 2026 – a project in which AO is responsible for the architecture of the JW Marriott hotel and the residences within the complex. ARCHITECTS OFFICE was also part of the Brazilian Contemporary Architecture exhibition, organized by the Built by Brazil program by AsBEA, alongside firms such as Bernardes Arquitetura, Isay Weinfeld, and FGMF, presenting contemporary Brazilian architectural production to a global audience. It was within this context that AO promoted a conversation about the role of architecture in mediating between market, technology, and the city.

According to Greg Bousquet, founder of AO, contemporary architecture must operate at the intersection of economic viability, technical responsibility, and urban development. More than a formal discipline, it becomes a strategic instrument capable of aligning different scales of decision-making, from building performance to the quality of public space. “Today, designing means articulating city, investment, and technology within a single gesture,” said Greg. “When these dimensions are not considered together, the result rarely generates lasting value for the territory.”

Within this framework, the WTC Biotic project, developed by AO within the masterplan by Carlo Ratti Associati, was presented as a case study. Conceived as the anchor project of Brasília’s new Technology Park, the complex proposes a permeable urban structure that integrates residences, offices, hotel, retail, and public spaces. Rather than asserting itself as an isolated object, the architecture organizes flows and activities through a continuous plan that follows the topography and creates a gradual urban fabric connected to the landscape.

“Architecture today cannot be merely a formal response – it must structure relationships between territory, technology, and collective life.” – Greg Bousquet

Sustainability, in this context, does not appear as an added technological layer but as part of the project’s spatial logic itself. Passive strategies such as solar orientation, natural ventilation, brise-soleils, and shaded terraces work alongside active systems for water capture, energy generation, and green roofs. As the architecture approaches the ground, it incorporates vegetation and shaded pathways, creating continuity between urban infrastructure and landscape. For Sávio Jobim, AO’s Director of Architecture, this approach points to a new design paradigm: “Real sustainability is not only in equipment, but in how the building is organized, implemented, and connected to its territory.”

Invited by AO, Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, expanded this reflection into the field of contemporary urbanism. Topics discussed included the role of innovation districts in global urban development strategies, the concept of open urban platforms, and the challenge of introducing new centralities in cities with strong historical identities, such as Brasília.

“Real sustainability is not only in construction, but in how the project is organized and how it relates to its territory.” – Sávio Jobim

Internationalization and business

MIPIM also functioned as a strategic commercial platform. AO’s New Business team focused precisely on this dimension, strengthening connections with developers, investors, and international partners. According to Tabata Irrasabal, AO’s Director of New Business, events like this reveal an important shift in how architecture is perceived in the global market. “Increasingly, investors and developers are looking for firms capable of thinking of projects not only as architectural objects, but as part of a broader territorial and economic strategy,” she explains.

Conversations during the event included exchanges with teams from major international firms such as ODA Architecture (New York), PCA-Stream (Paris), and Herzog & de Meuron (Basel) – with whom AO has already begun collaborating on the tropical adaptation of a building designed by them in Jardins, São Paulo. For Tabata, this kind of articulation highlights a growing movement of international cooperation among architects. “Urban projects today demand increasingly diverse and deep technical and cultural repertoires. Partnerships allow us to expand this capacity for response,” she says.

“Increasingly, investors and developers are seeking firms capable of thinking of projects not only as architectural objects, but as part of a broader territorial and economic strategy.” – Tabata Irrasabal

At a time when urban development is undergoing profound transformations – driven by environmental challenges, technological shifts, and new economic dynamics – MIPIM reinforces the importance of architecture as a field of mediation between different agents and scales. For AO, this role is grounded in a clear conviction: architecture is not merely form, but a strategic tool capable of articulating people, investment, and territory.