Sesc São Carlos, in upstate São Paulo, has launched a short video series on how permaculture works in practice. Produced by Associação Veracidade, the entire series will be available online for free.
Over six episodes, various social technologies will be presented, such as composting toilets, composting, solar ovens, and rainwater harvesting, among others. Viewers can explore the various ecological possibilities that can be integrated into a sustainable home—even in urban spaces.
October 16 marked World Food Day. On this date in 2020, the Stop Hunger Institute launched a project that includes a community garden and training and educational initiatives for the Paraisópolis community, a favela in São Paulo's South Zone.
Developed in partnership with the Instituto Escola do Povo, the project establishes a new space of approximately 900 square meters for growing vegetables. The goal is to educate, train, and distribute the harvest to registered community residents, ensuring access to healthier food.
After at least five years of study, the time comes for Architecture and Urbanism students to complete their final graduation projects—often called TCC, TFG, or Graduation Projects. In choosing their topics, students highlight civil, urban, or theoretical projects that play a crucial role in sparking debates about the future of our cities, the built environment, urban infrastructure, mobility, and many other fundamental topics that shape how we inhabit space.
On October 29, the 2020 Inequality Map was launched virtually. Produced by Rede Nossa São Paulo and the Cidades Sustentáveis program, the study maps indicators such as mobility, human rights, education, and health across the city's 96 districts.
Although the mapping was conducted using pre-pandemic data, the goal is for the information to guide the development of public policies to mitigate inequality indicators, which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Small-scale renovations are among the most common projects in Brazil, but that does not mean they are immune to budgeting and specification issues. A useful tool to avoid these headaches is Pro-Reforma, a free web app that automatically specifies, quantifies, and estimates the products and services needed for a renovation project.
In October, the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development (ABDI) launched a free basic online course on BIM (Building Information Modeling). Divided into two modules, the Democratizando BIM course is aimed at all professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sectors. To register, simply visit the website and fill out the form.
The 5th edition of the {CURA} Award continues its proposal of hosting ideas competitions with themes aligned with current discussions on architecture, the city, and society, always understanding that architecture is an action-based profession. This time, participants were challenged to design the renovation of an apartment in the iconic Copan Building, designed by Oscar Niemeyer in downtown São Paulo.
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The Ícaro Jardins da Graciosa Building, designed by Studio Arthur Casas, was recognized in the Rethinking The Future Awards, an initiative that honors architecture and design projects from around the world across more than 40 categories. Located in Curitiba, the building features 21 apartment units distributed among three exposed concrete towers.
Competing in the residential (over five floors) category, the building designed by Casas features a facade defined by circulation pathways that double as balconies, emphasizing the towers' horizontality. With landscaping by Renata Tilli, these horizontal lines are accentuated by the lush greenery of plants grown in planters along the perimeter of each floor.
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Solar energy is officially the cheapest way to generate electricity today, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its newly released annual World Energy Outlook 2020 report. “With sharp cost reductions over the past decade, solar PV is consistently cheaper than new coal- or gas-fired power plants in most countries, and solar projects now offer some of the lowest electricity costs ever seen,” the document states.
Since colonial times in Brazil, Black people have organized in resistance to the slave-owning and colonial regime. Brotherhoods, quilombos, famílias de santo. The Black press, domestic workers' associations, the Brazilian Black Front, and the Black Experimental Theater. Blocos-afro, the Unified Black Movement (MNU), literary groups, Black women's organizations, and international fronts. A political activism interwoven with the arts and spirituality that has brought us to where we are today.
Guilherme Wisnik talks with Bianca Santana, a journalist, writer, PhD in information science, and holder of a master's degree in communication from the University of São Paulo. Santana is the author of Quando me descobri negra, a columnist for ECOA-UOL and Gama magazine, and a member of UNEafro, one of the organizations that make up the Black Coalition for Rights.
What is comfort in living? How does the city serve as a stage for your life? How do gender and race issues influence the way you walk down the street at night? Why is the villain's house always cooler than the hero's? These are some of the topics discussed on Betoneira, a podcast hosted by architects André Scarpa, Marcelo Barbosa, and Paula Otto.
The core premise of Betoneira is to cover a bit of everything in order to speak deeply about architecture, people, and cities, blending a wide range of topics, guests, opinions, theories, and memes through the unique lens of each of the three hosts.
Altamira Editorial has made the book Arquitetas e arquiteturas na América Latina do século XX available for free download on its website. Authored by Ana Gabriela Godinho Lima, the publication features a "survey of the work of 20th-century Latin American women architects in the field of theoretical and practical building production."
Geared toward Latin American architecture students, the Acero Prize aims to promote and encourage initiatives that complement pedagogical models, fostering innovative architectural ideas that use steel as a raw material. This year's edition, themed "Sustainable Cities and Communities," awarded first place to a team of two Brazilian students from FAUUSP.
“Architecture that does not touch the ground” is the name of the proposal developed by Augusto Longarine and Luiz Sakata, advised by Professor Luciano Margotto. With the same project, they won the 13th CBCA Competition (Brazilian Center for Steel Construction), the national stage preceding the Alacero competition. See the project below, accompanied by the project description written by the students.
An impressive building has risen in Rudrapur, a village in northern Bangladesh. Local techniques and materials were used to shape a space designed to meet a critical need. Named the Anandaloy Center, its first floor functions as a care center for people with disabilities.
The project won the 2020 OBEL Award, an international prize that honors outstanding architectural contributions to human development worldwide.
Casa 239, designed by the São Paulo-based office UNA Arquitetos, has been selected as a finalist for the Pan-American Prize of the 2020 Quito Architecture Biennial. The only Brazilian project on the extensive shortlist, it was led by architects Fernanda Barbara and Fabio Valentim, now partners at UNA barbara e valentim, and is competing for the final award in the Single-Family Housing category.
There are countless possibilities when designing the transition between public and private spaces. In residential architecture, the landscaping of the main facade plays a key role in this regard. By integrating different elements such as vegetation, paving, steps, and even artwork, it is possible to create a composition that not only highlights the architecture but is also generous to the public space.
Álvaro Siza, Portugal's first Pritzker Laureate, is undeniably a figure of major importance in the history of contemporary architecture, with projects that have reshaped the urban landscapes of numerous cities around the world. While his name and work are widely known, Siza is a highly private and introspective person who prefers to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
Directed by producer and director Augusto Custódio, the documentary SIZA offers a more intimate and personal look at the renowned Portuguese architect. The film covers his childhood, his relationship with his wife, his passion for sculpture, and his admiration for classical music, exploring his influences and professional journey.
Mexican firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos has announced the opening of its new office in the heart of London. This strategic move for its global practice will establish an international presence in a global capital, bringing the firm closer to its clients worldwide.
