Architecture in 2024: Olympics, Notre-Dame, Biennials, and Controversies

The year 2024 in architecture was marked by Paris's successful Olympic hosting with minimal new construction and the restoration of the Grand Palais and Notre-Dame Cathedral, reopening five years after the fire. The Grand Egyptian Museum partially opened after two decades, while Palazzo Citterio inaugurated in Milan after 50 years. Student pro-Palestinian encampments at Columbia University sparked debates on spatial rights, led by architect Paulo Tavares. Rome prepared for the 2025 Jubilee with projects like the MAXXI expansion and a new design for the city's fairgrounds. The 'Salva Milano' law sparked controversy among urbanists. Mobility infrastructure integrated art and archaeology in Naples, Thessaloniki, and Rome. IN/Arch supported Italy's proposed Architecture Law. Key figures included Giorgio Vasari (450th death anniversary), Bjarke Ingels (Domus guest curator), Frida Escobedo (first woman to design a Met wing and winner of the Centre Pompidou competition), and Riken Yamamoto (Pritzker Prize 2024). Lesley Lokko received the Royal Gold Medal. The year also saw the deaths of Joseph Rykwert, Gaetano Pesce, Italo Rota, and Alberto Ponis.