At the recent Rebuild 2025 conference in Madrid, Xavier Vilalta, Director of Vilalta Studio, took the stage to share his vision of architecture that harmonises with nature and responds to the urgent challenges of our time. According to the official post-show report, he appeared among the leading speakers in the “Last residential developments” session.

In his talk, Xavier emphasised three core themes: connection with local ecosystem, innovation through simplicity, and responsibility in housing. He explained how architecture cannot merely be a formal exercise, but must engage with place, climate and community. By combining advanced technologies with traditional know-how, he argued, we can re-establish a meaningful bond between the built environment and human experience.

He further illustrated this by referencing projects from our studio that integrate mixed-use programs, landscape elements and passive design strategies. The key message: residential development should not be an insular typology, but an open system, capable of adapting over time, fostering social interaction and mitigating environmental impact. Participants left the session with a clear challenge: to rethink how we build, live and share space in the decades ahead.