This volume extends the curatorial inquiry of SHIFT: Architecture in Times of Radical Change, the sixth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, into an editorial form that is itself an experiment in exchange and interpretation. Conceived not simply as a catalogue but as an active platform, the book brings together conversations, manifestos, visual essays, and project documentation that reflect the Biennial’s commitment to multiplicity, experimentation, and dialogue. Designed by the experimental São Paulo–based graphic designers Margem, the publication foregrounds form as well as content, aligning its structure with the Biennial’s dispersed and multivocal approach. Across its pages, readers encounter a wide range of voices, from Akilah Halley, Amber Ginsburg, and Janell Nelson on emotional infrastructure and community building; to Alejandra Celedón, Daniel Ibáñez, Rossana Hu, Sam Jacob, and Cristiane Muniz on the urgencies reshaping architectural education; to Kate Yeh Chiu and Jia Yi Gu on material culture and experimentation as situated practice. Rather than advancing a singular narrative, the publication embraces fragmentation and dispersion as methods, allowing different formats and perspectives to coexist and inform one another. The book becomes a space where architectural ideas are assembled, questioned, and carried forward, extending the life of the exhibition while standing on its own as a field of contemporary thought.

Santiago Bogani is an architect, editor, and landscape designer based in Barcelona.

Rodrigo (Igo) Kommers Wender is an architect, editor, and cultural producer based in Chicago, and associate curator of the 2025 Chicago Architectural Biennial.

Isabella Moretti is an architect, researcher, educator, and editor based in Buenos Aires.

Florencia Rodriguez is an architect, editor, writer, and educator based in Chicago. An associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she served as artistic director of the sixth Chicago Architecture Biennial and is the founder of PLOT and cofounder of Lots of Architecture–Publishers.

The Chicago Architecture Biennial convenes the world to explore innovative ideas and collectively imagine the future of design. The Biennial’s large-scale exhibitions, talks, performances, films, and other events create opportunities to engage timely global issues through the lens of architecture and design, emphasizing creativity and community participation. Free and open to the public, the Chicago Architecture Biennial stands as North America’s largest international survey of contemporary architecture and design.