Through time immemorial, architecture has been a means of cultural and temporal expression. Humans have used materials and techniques to generate a large variety of architectural modes adopted by nations and societies as a representative manifestation of themselves, contributing to the construction of the image of the city in which they are placed.

Part 1: Dialogue between Antonio Ortiz and Martha Thorne

Martha Thorne and Antonio Ortiz will talk about the architecture of cities and their transformation to more sustainable models.

Antonio Ortiz is the director of Cruz & Ortiz in Seville. One of the most international architecture firms in the country, they have delivered projects such as the Santa Justa train station, the headquarters of the Seville Provincial Council, the Olympic Stadium and the State Public Library. Over the course of their careers, Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz have received various awards such as the Gold Medal of Andalusia awarded by the Andalusian Regional Government, the National Spanish Architecture Prize, and the City of Seville Prize.

Martha Thorne is a renowned American urban planner. She is currently a senior advisor to the Henrik F. Obel Foundation, where she runs a programme that brings together professors to discuss climate change and how architecture can improve the lives of people and the planet. A distinguished professor at IE University, she was dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design from 2015 to 2022. From 2005 to 2021, she was Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, popularly known as the "Nobel Prize for Architecture".

Part 2: Round-table debate moderated by Martha Thorne, with Antonio Ortiz, Sonia Mulero and Jaime de los Santos: The agents that transform cities.

The conversation between Martha Thorne, Antonio Ortiz, Sonia Mulero and Jaime de los Santos will address the transformation of cities and the agents that cause these changes.

Sonia Mulero is the director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation. Mulero was named in the 2019 Top100 Women Leaders of Spain, in the tertiary sector category. She serves on the all-women board of trustees at Concomitentes, the board of Foundations for Science (FECYT) and the board of #FundacionesPorElClima of the AEF. With qualifications in Strategic Management and Social Leadership Programme at IESE, a Postgraduate in Finance and Tax at EADA, and Psychology at UOC, she has extensive experience in the management of non-profit organisations in projects linked to talent development to promote creativity and innovation. She was formerly General Manager of Fundación Inlea (CSR of Inlea Corporation, linked to Cisco Systems) and Deputy Manager at CIDOB.

Jaime de los Santos is a politician, historian and writer. He served as the Community of Madrid’s Minister of Culture, and currently holds the role of executive secretariat of Culture, Equality and Social Policies of the Partido Popular (PP political party). He is a regular columnist for El Confidencial and he published his first novel: Si te digo que lo hice (published by Espasa) in 2022.