Close Encounters is a series of talks that brings together leading professionals to discuss architecture, the city and public space from complementary perspectives. On this occasion, it took place at the MUHBA Oliva Artés, coinciding with the closing of the exhibition ‘Cities Connection Project: 15 Years Connecting Architectures’.

Curated by Nicola Regusci and Xavier Bustos, the exhibition traces CCP’s fifteen-year history, an initiative that has brought together more than 400 local and international architecture practices, promoting a cross-cutting reflection on urban development through public architecture and social responsibility.

Entitled ‘Comparative Architecture’, this Close Encounters session aims to foster a dialogue between different European contexts in order to analyse how architecture responds to the contemporary challenges facing our cities. Drawing on the speakers’ professional experiences, the session will explore issues such as urban transformation, the reuse of built heritage, sustainability, housing, public space and new ways of living and coexisting.

The discussion will feature Stéphane Damsin (Ouest, Brussels), Sara Ferran (TALLER11, Barcelona) and Thierry Buache (Subjets/Objects, Geneva). The session was moderated by Marta Milà, whilst the curation was handled by the Cities Connection Project, represented by Nicola Regusci, Xavier Bustos and Maria Güell.