In the tapestry of architectural history, one weave remains resolute: that of architecture as a fortification, of buildings as silent sentients that embody power and protection. We build structures symbolising human prowess, to become gods defining what the constraints of spatiality, and the episteme of the built evolve into.

This week's issue studies this endurance through examples from the legacy of Brutalism to modern architecture, where architectural authors script the narratives of tomorrow, as guardians over landscapes, cities, and its people.

We turn our attention to the Serpentine Pavilion by Lina Ghotmeh, evading the built for a gathering around a table; Wang Chong’s Taihang Xinyu Art Museum stands as a fortress of old stipulations and new perspectives; India Pavilion at London Design Biennale 2023 blends practice and pedagogy; Nigel Green and Robin Wilson traverse 'Brutalist Paris,' rereading a city through a movement coping with a war-wounded society—redefining fortification as a concept in pursuit of progress.