This publication marks a fundamental milestone, recording the results of the first edition and, as mentioned in the Acknowledgements, paying tribute to the people and partnerships that made it possible. At the heart of this achievement was a jury of excellence, whose experience lent depth and credibility to the award. The combined visions of Eduardo Souto de Moura, Hélène Binet and Paulo Catrica ensured a selection process that was both rigorous and faithful to the ambition of the award.
In addition to the words and reflections of the jury members on the distinguished photographers - Maho, Cyrille Weiner and Sergio Belinchón - and the honourable mentions, the volume also includes a set of texts on the finalists' works. Taken together, the award-winning series comprise a body of work that is simultaneously rigorous and diverse, intimate and expansive. They cover a wide variety of geographies, typologies and visual languages, reflecting the richness of contemporary architectural realities on a global scale. They capture not only buildings, but atmospheres; not only objects, but systems; not only forms, but forces - social, historical and emotional. They remind us that architectural photography is not only a way of seeing architecture, but also a way of thinking about it.
Acquiring this publication is, therefore, more than owning a record of the first edition of the LFA Award: it is actively participating in the preservation and continuity of an unavoidable legacy of architectural and photographic culture. This is a rare opportunity to access an international testimony of excellence, combining memory, criticism and inspiration, making each copy a reference and collector's item.