Residents of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium will receive up to €900 to deregister their vehicles. The initiative is part of "Bruxell’Air," a financial support program for those looking to adopt alternative modes of transportation.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage, through the National Cultural Heritage Service (SNPC), launched the bidding process for the design of the Valparaíso Regional Archive. The future building not only aims to preserve historical documents and collections and promote research and access to information, but also represents a major opportunity to value and reactivate the ruins of the historic Palacio Subercaseaux in Valparaíso's Barrio Puerto, Chile. 

Following an evaluation of the 13 accepted bids, the winning proposal was submitted by architects Cecilia Puga, Paula Velasco, and their team. Their design defends and protects the urban profile, showing us how to connect the new with the old. Below, discover the winning project in detail, along with the other awarded entries.

The Municipality of Tandil and the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires / District 8 launched a provincial ideas competition for the construction of an urban landmark along with the design of its adjacent public space at one of the main entrances to Tandil, a town located in the southeast of the province of Buenos Aires.

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During the summer of 2021, the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, hosted the first edition of a new platform created to discuss, exhibit, and celebrate the national design scene. Mexico Design Fair was established with the primary goal of promoting the acquisition of contemporary Mexican design to strengthen its positioning, while understanding and transcending the dynamics of the international market. This inaugural event featured key figures from today's design scene, such as Proyector and Pablo Kobayashi, who created temporary installations along the coast of Puerto Escondido. Other activities included the "Designer of the Year" award ceremony, presented to Mexican designer Liliana Ovalle.

Snøhetta and Dartmouth have unveiled images of their upcoming expansion and redesign of the Hopkins Center for the Arts (the Hop) in Hanover, New Hampshire. The project aims to modernize the existing arts center and create a renewed gateway to the campus’s Arts District. The new architecture will feature new practice and performance spaces, increased connections to surrounding arts buildings, as well as upgraded accessibility and mobility throughout the master plan.

Château La Coste inaugurates a pavilion designed by Oscar Niemeyer, representing the last project drawn by the renowned architect before he passed away in 2012. Set amongst a vineyard, the curved structure features a glazed gallery space, accompanied by an 80-seat auditorium placed within a cylindrical volume. Emphasizing the pavilion's connection with the surrounding landscape is a shallow pool that brings a new dimension to the project through the interplay of light and reflections.

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When specifying materials for projects, the thermal insulation level of windows is essential to ensure comfort inside buildings. A key challenge lies in balancing thickness with performance, as thin monolithic glass offers low thermal insulation, while highly efficient insulated glass is often too thick.

The company Vitro Architectural Glass has recently launched VacuMax™ Vacuum Insulating Glass (VIG), a high-performance glass consisting of two 4 mm tempered glass panes, including a Solarban® 60 solar control low-e coating on surface #2. By using a vacuum space for separation, high-performance thermal glazing is achieved in a thickness of just 8.3 mm.

Aiming to transform the learning experience for neurodiverse students through a nature-centric environment, NBBJ has unveiled a net-zero school in Encino, California. Titled "Westmark Lower School", the new campus will foster an inclusive and engaging learning experience for students and teachers, responding to the critical condition of U.S students, where 2.3 million were diagnosed with learning differences between 2019 - 2020.

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A new exhibition at the Japan House in London explores the large-scale art and architecture project driving the transformation of the Japanese island of Inujima for the past 13 years. Titled Symbiosis: Living Island, the show co-curated by the project's artistic director Yūko Hasegawa and architect Kazuyo Sejima showcases how the innovative scheme of accessible art, pavilions and creative projects brought together artists and locals in the effort to revitalize and secure a future for this island in the Seto Inland Sea confronted with diminishing population. Running from 21 May to 4 September 2022, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey around the island that illustrates the transformative impact of the Inujima' Art House Project' through architectural models, photography, videos and testimonies of the residents.

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The Municipality of Avellaneda, in partnership with the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA), launched a national ideas competition for a new urban public park and the National Football Museum. The project is to be located near the urban center of Avellaneda, in the province of Buenos Aires.

The Pritzker Military Museum & Library has selected Los Angeles-based Oyler Wu Collaborative as the winner of an international design competition that aims to honor members of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Cold War. The winning design, titled Orbits, embodies the "dedication, optimism, and hope that is emblematic of the veterans' enduring spirit", as the structure emerges from the ground to become an architectural tribute to the war veterans.

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Abu Dhabi unveiled plans for a Natural History Museum designed by Dutch practice Mecanoo. The project resembles natural rock formations, and geometric shapes are present across all design elements, accompanied by the presence of water and vegetation. The 35,000 square-meter venue will feature gallery display areas, temporary exhibition spaces and theatre spaces, as well as an innovative research facility for the study of zoology, palaeontology, marine biology, molecular research and earth sciences. The new institution is intended as a space for education and, at the same time, as a think-tank for future innovation in these respective fields.

The latest project from BoConcept and designer Karim Rashid results in an organic, minimalist design that blends smoothly into the nature of interior landscapes.

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With its Cosmos Black and Titan Grey collections, German specialist in door and window handles Karcher Design offers specifiers a universe of options in the creation of striking architectural accents.

Heatherwick Studio has been selected to design a tropical opera house for the island province of Hainan at the southernmost point of China, the studio's first opera house or music venue project. The design features three performance spaces: an opera house, a concert hall, and a theatre, that come together under a sweeping canopy referencing to the island’s unique geology.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unleashed a major humanitarian and refugee crisis, with 4.2 million people fleeing into neighbouring countries and 6.5 displaced internally. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 18 million people are projected to become affected in the near future with the current scale and direction of the ongoing military violence. In addition to the threat to human lives, Ukraine’s culture is also at risk, as cities and historic buildings are being destroyed. In March, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concern over the damage caused to historic landmarks in Ukraine and called for the protection of its cultural heritage. The following are some of Ukraine’s most prominent architectural landmarks, which are now in danger of being destroyed amid the conflict.

New Unilin Panels designs include the colour-stable and textured matt Master Oak finish – a decorative option the brand says is better than the real thing.

Students and faculty from the Architecture program at UDD SurSur in Concepción, Chile, traveled to the Ñuble Region to build Project 3, the Dañe Üñüm Lookout. This project, led by third- and fourth-year students, introduced them to new construction processes where joinery, timber, and adobe were key to shaping the design. The process was guided by school faculty and subject-matter experts, specifically the Hermanos Ducci collective for mortise-and-tenon joinery and architect Amanda Rivera for earth construction.

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The Catalan firm Batlleiroig, founded in 1981 by Enric Batlle and Joan Roig, has designed the first residence for the British group Vita Student in Barcelona. With this project, Batlleiroig joins an innovative proposal that aligns with the firm's other works, where the primary focus is urban renaturalization, landscape regeneration, and the creation of healthy spaces. The firm promotes an innovative design seeking a new way of living for students and faculty, featuring increased contact with nature, a strong focus on sports areas, and large common spaces for the entire community.

Following months of uncertainties and preservation attempts, Kisho Kurokawa's iconic Nakagin Capsule Tower will be demolished on April 12th of this year. Tatsuyuki Maeda, one of the current owners of the tower, explained that a team will try to preserve some of the capsules, and regenerate them as accommodation units and museum installations across the world.

The Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity is a new non-profit organization that aims to bring forward the design processes and problem-solving approaches of the two renowned designers with the purpose of equipping a new generation of creatives with the tools for tackling today's challenges. Through archival exhibitions, storytelling, and other programming, the institution will demonstrate the Eameses' iterative process and highlight the lessons to be passed on from their methodology, making a vast collection of objects, prototypes, and personal archives available to the public.

In January 2022, the world of architecture lost one of its greatest influences of modern times, the Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. However, just two months before his departure, Bofill left us with a new vision: an independent villa inspired by a classical temple that sits on a single plot within the Palmares Ocean Living & Golf complex. Today, a new opportunity presents itself to bring one of his final designs to life.

Between March 25 and April 3, one of Bolivia's most important architectural events, the Santa Cruz International Architecture Biennial 2022 (VIII BASC), took place. Convened and organized by the Colegio de Arquitectos de Santa Cruz (CASCZ), this year's edition was held in a hybrid format under the theme *Reconectar* (Reconnect), referencing the global post-pandemic reconnection.

The event featured two main award categories for built works and projects—national and international—with a selection jury composed of Ivo Renato Giroto (Brazil), Martin Padrón (Venezuela), Fabián Dejtiar (Argentina/Chile), Roberto Ameneiro (Spain), and Carlos Álvarez (Costa Rica). On the final day of the event, the winners were announced; you can view them below.

Brazil has just surpassed the historic milestone of 14 gigawatts (GW) of operational solar photovoltaic capacity, combining utility-scale plants and distributed self-generation systems on rooftops, facades, and small plots of land. Consequently, solar power now surpasses the installed capacity of the Itaipu hydroelectric plant, according to data from the Brazilian Association of Photovoltaic Solar Energy (ABSOLAR).