The Tomie Ohtake Institute and AkzoNobel have opened submissions for the 9th Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize. In addition to the Professional category, this ninth edition reintroduces the Student category, which was previously featured in the award's sixth edition in 2019. Submissions are free of charge and must be completed online by December 1, 2022, through the award website.
The International Garden Festival is launching a call for proposals for its 24th edition, to be held in June 2023. Gardening and land art enthusiasts are invited to apply—the selected projects will be featured in the temporary gardens of Les Jardins de Métis, also known as Reford Gardens.
In 2021, more than 60,000 visitors explored 25 garden installations under the theme "adaptation," in reference to the pandemic. Following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival returns with the theme "roots" and aims to highlight traditional knowledge. Designers are invited to imagine an environmentally, economically, and culturally responsible present and future based on the teachings of past generations.
To restore urban watercourses and wetlands, balance the local ecosystem, and improve the quality of life for residents, the mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, presented the project "Viña del Mar Estuary: Floodable Urban Park" at the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders, held from October 10 to 14, 2022, in Daejeon, South Korea.
The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma), in collaboration with the Higher Council of Spanish Architects' Associations (CSCAE) and supported by the Arquia Foundation, has launched a two-stage selection process to choose the curatorial team for the XVI Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BEAU). The deadline for submitting proposals for the first stage is December 14, 2022.
Aiming to recognize initiatives that benefit Brazilian architecture and cities, the 5th edition of the FNA Award (Prêmio FNA 2022) has announced its winners. The national news portal ArchDaily Brasil, the Rio de Janeiro-based non-profit organization Comunidades Catalisadoras (ComCat), and the Fab Social project from Guarulhos (SP) will receive the award on November 26 during the 46th National Meeting of Architects and Urban Planners Unions (46th ENSA) in Brasília (DF). The decision involved former presidents and the organization's current president, Eleonora Mascia, who highlighted the projects' contributions to both the professional community and Brazilian society.
The Library of the Torcuato Di Tella University (UTDT) and the Center for Contemporary Architecture Studies (CEAC) of the School of Architecture and Urban Studies (EAEU, UTDT) have announced the complete digitization of all articles from Block magazine in the Torcuato Di Tella University Digital Repository, located in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. Celebrating 25 years since its first edition, they have decided to make all nine issues freely available online in an effort to contribute to the construction of an architecture with meaning and identity.
In September, the Rio de Janeiro City Hall began construction on the new Journalist Susana Naspolini Realengo Park, located in the West Zone of the state capital. Developed by the urban planning and landscaping firm Ecomimesis, the new park includes community gardens, a cultural route, a sports area, rain gardens, and an ecopoint (recycling station) for collecting and sorting all solid waste from the park.
The Fiesp Cultural Center (CCF) is hosting the exhibition Built Landscape: São Paulo and Burle Marx through February 2023. Curated by Guilherme Wisnik, Helena Severo, and Isabela Ono, the exhibition features works from the Burle Marx Institute collection, highlighting urban ecology projects conceived by Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994) and his collaborators in the city of São Paulo. It also showcases dialogues between his work and that of renowned architects like Rino Levi and Paulo Mendes da Rocha, alongside unbuilt proposals for public spaces such as Trianon Park, Ibirapuera Park, Vale do Anhangabaú, and Praça da Sé. The exhibition highlights his environmental activism and pioneering advocacy for the preservation of South American biomes through green city planning.
From February 22 to 26, 2023, the International Contemporary Art Fair ARCOmadrid will take place at IFEMA Madrid. HANGHAR and estudio DIIR, both Madrid-based architecture firms, have been selected to design the fair's VIP Lounge. Its central theme, "The Mediterranean: A Round Sea," serves as the starting point and inspiration for this proposal, titled VERBENA.
The Saint-Gobain Group and the Brazilian Association of Architecture Firms (AsBEA) have announced the winners of the 9th edition of the Saint-Gobain AsBEA Architecture Award. The award celebrated projects that offer comfort and innovative solutions, while also preserving the environment and promoting sustainability within the Brazilian construction industry.
The 7th {CURA} Award has announced the winners of its competition, which focused on designing support facilities for app delivery workers. The competition invited participants to design across three scales — city, building, and furniture —, offering a comprehensive response to the needs of these professionals whose work grew more widespread yet increasingly precarious during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last September, Corporación Ciudades alongside Fundación Mi Parque presented the guide "Water Efficiency in Green Spaces: Best Practices," aiming to provide concrete examples and solutions for maintaining parks, plazas, and gardens within Chile's current water context. The guide is an interactive document covering three major areas: Design and Maintenance Initiatives; Educational and Public Awareness Strategies; and Regulatory and Planning Strategies. You can access more information and download the guide for free at the following link.
Modular units will house people experiencing homelessness in São Paulo. The project, named Vila Reencontro, was launched in the Bom Retiro neighborhood—though the proposed site is currently being analyzed for potential soil contamination—and is now expanding to Ladeira da Memória Street, near the Anhangabaú Metro station in the city center.
Led by SMADS (Municipal Secretariat of Assistance and Social Development), the initiative provides temporary housing made from shipping containers, functioning as modular metal homes.
Located in the Recoleta neighborhood of Buenos Aires, the Mariano Moreno National Library stems from a national design competition launched in 1961. Built on the site of Argentina's former Presidential Residence during the presidency of Juan Domingo Perón (the Unzué Palace), the competition—which closed in April 1962—sought to shake up the architectural scene, serving not only as a mandatory step to develop the project but also as a platform for formal and programmatic experimentation.
As part of Open House Buenos Aires, the themed photography competition Open Foto 2022 was held with the support of Wikimedia Argentina. Its goal is to highlight the architecture of Buenos Aires through the routes taken by visitors during the architecture and urbanism festival on October 1 and 2, 2022.
From November 18 to 20, 2022, Open House Málaga, one of the world's most important architecture and city festivals, will take place. Now in its second year in the city, the festival features over 40 free activities, including building visits, urban tours, and experiences. The event aims to connect the city with its residents and visitors, offering a unique architectural perspective alongside architects and industry professionals.
On Tuesday, November 15, the public announcement of the finalists for the BAQ 2022 Competition (Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito) took place at the National Theater of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana.
During the event, jurors Nuno Grande of Portugal and Carla Hermida of Cuenca announced the selections for the Publications Award, which was an open call for books and magazines—both print and digital—produced throughout the Americas during the four years prior to the event. Read the full list below.
The Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito (BAQ2022) will take place at the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana until November 18. Organized by the Colegio de Arquitectos del Ecuador, Provincial de Pichincha (CAE-P), the biennial has been held since 1978, aiming to foster dialogue, exchange, and reflection on architecture and the contemporary city. This edition's theme, "Inflexions: Looking Back," aims to provide a space for discussion and debate on architecture surrounding turning points in history.
