These are years in which – not without difficulty – the idea of valorizing and reusing what already exists is gaining increasing ground. As a result, a “best of” renovations list is becoming ever closer to a true portrait of how, and where, architecture is heading globally. And beware of narrowing the field too much: renovations that might never take place – such as that of an icon like the San Siro stadium – or that have not taken place at all – like Gardella’s Agriculture Pavilion at the former Milan Fairgrounds, demolished in the spring – are just as significant as those long announced and finally completed. Among the latter, as with the most anticipated architectural projects of the coming year, culture played a central role. Restored icons such as Gaudí’s Casa Batlló, new spaces like Jean Nouvel’s Fondation Cartier, and major museums such as the Reina Sofía all featured prominently. Work on signature architecture – by figures like Niemeyer and Le Corbusier – further reminds us that architectural heritage is not a set of immutable crystals, or worse, fossils, but living organisms that evolve over time, much like protected historic centers and houses whose histories now span more than a century. From museums to villas, from homes and concert halls to swimming pools hidden among trees, here is our selection of the renovations that shaped our 2025.
The best renovations of 2025
Between completed restorations, unrealized projects, and evolving heritage, renovations reveal better than anything else where global architecture is heading today.
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- Giovanni Comoglio
- 17 December 2025
The new Fondation Cartier in the heart of Paris, facing the Louvre
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
Photo © Marc Domage
Photo © Marc Domage
Photo © Marc Domage
© Jean Nouvel / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Photo © Martin Argyroglo
Elasticity and transparency define the exhibition qualities of the Haussmannian building reimagined by Jean Nouvel, offering the city a new hub for its cultural life. Keep reading
Powell Hall renovated by Snøhetta for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
Courtesy Snøhetta
After undergoing major restoration and expansion work, the historic home of the Symphony Orchestra reopens with a new entrance facing the “Delmar Divide”, welcoming the entire community. Craig Dykers, co-founder of Snøhetta, explained the project to Domus. Keep reading
Gaudí’s Casa Batlló restored to its original colors
Photo © David Cardelús
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Photo © Archive of the Marimón Batlló Family
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Photo © Casa Batlló
Photo © Casa Batlló
Photo © Casa Batlló
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Photo © Óscar Rodbag
Photo © Óscar Rodbag
Photo © Pere Vives
Photo © Casa Batlló
Photo © Casa Batlló
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
Foto © Claudia Mauriño
After a century, the rear façade and secret courtyard of Antoni Gaudí's famous modernist house have been brought back to life thanks to meticulous reconstruction work. Keep reading
Donald Judd’s architecture studio in Marfa, now open to the public
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation. John Chamberlain Art © Fairweather & Fairweather LTD / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation. John Chamberlain Art © Fairweather & Fairweather LTD / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Photo Matthew Millman © Judd Foundation. John Chamberlain Art © Fairweather & Fairweather LTD / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Minimalist artist and iconic designer, Donald Judd made architecture an essential part of his practice. In the heart of the Texan desert, the Judd Foundation is opening his office to the public for the first time: a rigorously restored building featuring furniture, models, works, and sustainable strategies. Keep reading
A new cinema inside Madrid’s Reina Sofía Museum
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Courtesy Museo Reina Sofía
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
Foto Eugeni Bach
And it comes in the form of interior architecture: the cinema designed by BACH inside the museum’s historic building, a renovation of the existing auditorium that merges postmodern echoes with an entirely contemporary mission. Keep reading
The extension of an Oscar Niemeyer house in Rio de Janeiro
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
Photo André Nazareth, Ruy Teixeira
third level
cross section (A-A)
longitudinal section (B-B)
Siqueira+Azul reinterpret a house by the Brazilian maestro with an extension that inherits his language and expands it with new interweavings of space and materials, perspective views and paths through greenery. Keep reading
… and an apartment inside the building where Le Corbusier once lived, in Paris
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Photo Mary Gaudin
Project drawing. Courtesy Rreel
Project drawing. Courtesy Rreel
Project model. Courtesy Rreel
Project model. Courtesy Rreel
Project drawing. Courtesy Rreel
Studio RREEL has renovated an apartment in the famous Porte Molitor building, where the modern master had created his home and studio, in a dialogue with his legacy through space, colors and materials. Keep reading
In Turin, the revival of a hidden gem of Italian modernism by Ada Bursi
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Photo Carola Ripamonti
Studio Marcante-Testa has renovated a 1950s apartment originally designed by Ada Bursi – one of the first registered female architects in Italy – highlighting a “democratic luxury” made of modern spatiality and refined mid-century details. Keep reading
… and that of a celebrated bookstore, between Anastassiades, Du Pasquier and Bouroullec
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
Photo © pepe fotografia
With a project that masterfully integrates ceramic surfaces, the Luxembourg bookcase is reborn, in collaboration with Mutina and designed by Brh+. Keep reading
The Cannero Castles on the islands of Lake Maggiore, transformed from ruins into a museum
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Susy Mezzanotte
Photo Andrea Martiradonna
Photo Andrea Martiradonna
Photo Andrea Martiradonna
We spoke with Simonetti Architettura, the firm that transformed the ancient Borromeo fortresses into an open-air museum, in collaboration with Dotdotdot. This project rejects sensationalism and instead listens to the passage of time. Keep reading
A winery in the Côtes du Rhône renovated using its own earth, by Studio Mumbai and Studio Méditerranée
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Michael Falgren
Photo Michael Falgren
Photo Michael Falgren
Photo Michael Falgren
Photo Michael Falgren
Photo Michael Falgren
fabric evolution
Photo Iwan Baan
Photo Iwan Baan
For this historic wine estate in southern France, Studio Mumbai and Studio Méditerranée used local earth as the main building material, combining the concept of genius loci with environmental sustainability. Keep reading
A restored house in the heart of Puebla, the UNESCO-listed Mexican city
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
Foto Amy Bello
The Mexican studio Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez Workshop (Team) has restored the Los Pacheco Apartments, transforming a historic colonial complex into six contemporary residences while preserving local memory. Keep reading
A 1950s garage in Uruguay transformed into a home opening onto a garden
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Axonometric view
Greenhouse axonometric view
Foto Aldo Lanzi
First floor
Green House
Foto Aldo Lanzi
Foto Aldo Lanzi
In this 1950s Uruguayan home, FROM overturns the house’s original functional layout and, with a pedestrian ramp, creates an unexpected relational space opening to the outdoors. Keep reading
The third life of a house in Zurich, originally built in the 1930s and renovated in the 1980s
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Photo Ladina Bischof
Elevation
Plan - garden level
Section
In Zurich, studio Ductus’ project valorizes a rational architecture by incorporating a 1980s renovation and bringing together satin-finished metals, white tiles and sculptural fireplaces. Keep reading
An ancient swimming pool restored in the forests of the Czech Republic
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Photo BoysPlayNice
Mjölk architekti and Marie Vondráková renovated a pool near the city of Liberec with simple, essential gestures, using wood, stone, and metal to revive the site with the rarefied atmosphere of an intimate, respectful dialogue between humans and nature. Keep reading