THE PLAN 170, the third issue of 2026

THE PLAN 170 is the third issue of 2026. The cover features the Ismaili Center Houston by Farshid Moussavi Architecture. 

It opens with the editorial "It Began with Earth", by Anna Heringer, framing earth as a regenerative, universally accessible material and advocating for an architecture grounded in local resources, social equity, and a cyclical, life-centered approach where sustainability emerges as an act of care and responsibility.

In Houston, USA, Farshid Moussavi Architecture designed the Ismaili Center, a monumental yet refined religious and cultural complex that blends Islamic architectural traditions with contemporary form, integrating geometric façades, landscaped gardens, and climate-responsive design to create a spiritual and civic landmark.

In Heilbronn, Germany, Behnisch Architekturbüro designed the Josef-Schwarz-Schule, an innovative, full-day bilingual campus that redefines traditional school models through open, flexible learning spaces, sustainable timber construction, and strong integration with the emerging Neckarbogen district.

In the Journey to Italy column, Valerio Paolo Mosco discusses Chalet Sara by Studio Bressan in collaboration with Studio Botter, located at the foot of the Belluno Dolomites, as a refined example of contemporary Italian “cultured professionalism” expressed through a restrained, high-prose architectural language.

In Beverly Hills, USA, Saez Pedraja Architects designed The Sound Cave, a custom underground recording studio that merges industrial esthetics with advanced acoustic engineering through sculpted timber surfaces and immersive, music-inspired spatial design.

In Budapest, Hungary, Lissoni Casal Ribeiro designed the Dürer Park masterplan and office buildings, integrating contemporary dark-toned volumes with historic structures and landscape to create a mixed-use development that balances heritage preservation with the evolving cultural identity of the Liget Budapest district.

In Delhi, India, vir.mueller architects designed the Humayun’s Tomb Site Museum, a subterranean cultural institution that integrates heritage preservation, landscape, and community space by drawing on stepwell typologies to connect the historic site with the surrounding urban fabric.

In Lagos, Nigeria, Domaine Public Architects designed the Mansfield Headquarters, a climate-responsive office building that redefines the tropical workplace through passive cooling strategies, adaptive façades, and a porous, environmentally integrated structure.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, Peter Rich Architects designed the Alexandra Heritage Centre, a community-driven cultural project in Alexandra Township that preserves collective memory and local identity through participatory construction and a layered architectural dialogue with its social and urban context.

In Lugo, Italy, Alessandro Bucci Architetti designed the La Filastrocca preschool, a nearly zero-energy educational building that uses a forest-inspired spatial and structural language to create a playful, sustainable environment fostering learning, community life, and connection with nature.

In Grado, Italy, Plasma Studio revamped the façade of the historic Hotel Savoy, creating a self-supporting, green architectural skin that transforms the historic seaside hotel into a dynamic, climate-responsive interface between interiors, urban space, and the Adriatic coastal landscape.

In Missouri, USA, Pablo Moyano Fernández designed Avis Spiralis, a spiral-shaped concrete bird hide along the Mississippi River that transforms a continuous ramped structure into an immersive ecological observation device, combining landscape awareness, educational intent, and architectural narration of movement through space.