A recording of a one-hour webinar marking a milestone edition of the Cultural Infrastructure Index - ten years of tracking global investment in museums, performing arts centres, cultural hubs, and more.

Since 2016, AEA has documented the completion of thousands of major cultural infrastructure projects worldwide, revealing long-term patterns. The 10-year edition takes stock of a decade defined by post-pandemic recovery, rising construction costs, shifting geographies of investment, and the growing prominence of adaptive reuse as a sustainable alternative to new build. It also reflects on how the sector's ambitions have evolved: from landmark architectural statements to infrastructure conceived as civic instruments - designed to serve communities, support environmental goals, and deliver measurable social impact.

The webinar brings together the authors of the Cultural Infrastructure Index alongside leading voices from architecture, urban development, and cultural planning to discuss what the data reveals and what it means for the sector's future. Panelists explore design and cost trends across building typologies, the decentralization of cultural investment beyond major global cities, and the question of how cultural infrastructure can best demonstrate its value in an era of constrained public funding and heightened accountability.

Joining the AEA team are Tamsin Ace, Director of East Bank London; Lisa Green, Partner at Selldorf Architects; Chris Obayda, Principal at Grimshaw; and Jared Mensah, Director at Greenway Associates.

Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EyfVmuYHeY