Construction of Colombia's second-tallest skyscraper, BD Bacatá, is finally resuming following an agreement signed between BD Promotores, Prabyc Aluman, and Acción Fiduciaria. The deal involves a total investment of 48 billion Colombian pesos ($15.5 million), according to reports by local media outlets Portafolio and W Radio.
In February of this year, construction will begin on the renovation of Plaza de España in Madrid. The project is a collaborative effort by design firms Guadiana and Porras La Casta Arquitectos, led by architects Lorenzo Fernández-Ordóñez and Fernando Porras-Isla.
The project, known as Welcome Mother Nature, seeks to create a large green area in the city center, recovering its long-lost identity as a "plaza," which had been reduced to a transit space. The proposal emphasizes the definition of a plaza as a "social place of expression, gathering, and freedom." The project's main priority is to create a space where "it is easy to build shared civic experiences," while creating a new lung for a city that constantly lives under a cloud of pollution and smog.
As part of the celebrations for the Bicentennial of Peru's Independence, the Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Lima, and Grupo Centenario announced an international architecture and landscaping competition to design a metropolitan park along the perimeter of the Pachacamac Sanctuary in the Lurín district of Lima. The competition sought to encourage reflection on Lima's relationship with its historical and landscape heritage, as the Sanctuary houses some of the most important structures of the national archaeological heritage, spanning more than fifteen centuries of human occupation.
With the launch of the new Urban and Building Code, approved by the Buenos Aires City Legislature in late 2018, the city of Buenos Aires has begun to reconfigure how information is accessed in the urban and architectural fields. In line with this approach, Plano Abierto BA serves as a tool that allows any resident to access online data regarding development capacity, permitted uses, building heritage listings, maximum heights, construction records and inspections, and the current status of each individual plot in the city (including cadastral data, built area, and number of floors). This provides indicative urban planning information to facilitate the understanding of the New Urban Code of Buenos Aires.
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On Friday, May 7, the winning proposal of the second "Imagining Machines" (Máquinas Imaginantes) open call was announced. The initiative invited architects, researchers, and writers to reflect on "machines" of the past and present operating within architecture as tools for social analysis and production. The open call accepted both real and speculative projects, incorporating installations, historical documents, archival material, performance formats, and publications that engaged with the creation of imagining machines.
In recent days, Mexico City has experienced pollution levels reaching 150 points on the Air Quality Index in various areas, such as Nezahualcóyotl in the State of Mexico. On May 13 of this year, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum reported that while hazy conditions and low visibility prevailed in the nation's capital, an environmental contingency had not yet been declared.
Usina de Innovación Colectiva is a cultural initiative of the School of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism at the University of the Republic in Uruguay.
It was established to revitalize disciplines related to architecture, design, landscape, and the city by creating opportunities that foster exchange, reflection, and the dissemination of work in these areas.
The XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (XI BIAU) concluded last Friday, October 11, in Asunción, featuring lectures by Jorge Scrimaglio, one of the two winners of the 2019 Ibero-American Architecture Prize, and a closing lecture by Solano Benítez and Gloria Cabral, co-founders of Gabinete de Arquitectura.
Architect Alberto Campo Baeza has been awarded the Gold Medal for Architecture, Spain's most prestigious architectural honor, which has been presented by the professional association of architects since 1981. Established by the Superior Council of Architects' Associations of Spain (CSCAE), the Gold Medal recognizes the dedication of individuals and institutions whose work elevates the field of architecture.
Through the Santiago Development Corporation (CORDESAN), and with the support of the Architects Association (CA) and the Association of Architectural Offices (AOA), the Municipality of Santiago (Chile) has announced the winning projects in the design competition to remodel the Ahumada-Puente, Huérfanos, and Estado-21 de Mayo pedestrian promenades in the center of the Chilean capital.
The initiative marks the 40th anniversary of the transformation of Ahumada Street into a pedestrian promenade, a thoroughfare currently used by more than two million people daily, connecting Santiago's Plaza de Armas with the Alameda, the Chilean capital's main east-west arterial road.
"It is necessary to give a new image to [the] pedestrian promenades, which serve as hubs of activity for many residents who work and commute around them, defining the main character of downtown Santiago," explained Felipe Alessandri, Mayor of Santiago and President of the competition, in the competition guidelines.
The abandoned industrial building of the Clesa Factory, which closed its doors for good back in 2012 after nearly two years in bankruptcy proceedings, is set to become the "Matadero" of northern Madrid. The industrial site, located at 67 Avenida de Cardenal Herrera Oria, was designed in 1959 by architect Alejandro de la Sota and officially opened in 1962. The former dairy plant's 37,928 square meters are now being transferred to the Madrid City Council, which aims to convert the space into a major “cultural container.”
Fifty of today's leading architects—answering the call of the Now Institute and its director, Thom Mayne—were convened to assess the architectural legacy of the last century. Their goal? To compile a definitive list of 100 buildings that represent, in their view, the 100 most remarkable architectural achievements of the 20th century. Prominent figures such as Tadao Ando, Steven Holl, Richard Rogers, Kazuyo Sejima, Toyo Ito, Rafael Moneo, Kengo Kuma, and Denise Scott Brown, among others, formed the voting panel.
During Chilean architect Felipe Assadi's course at the 2019 Summer Workshop of the Faculty of Architecture of the IUAV University of Venice, students reflected on the idea of a floating city and its inhabitants, resulting in floating architecture for a fluctuating population. To this end, the architecture students built a wooden floating pavilion as a scale prototype of a micro-dwelling, which forms part of a geometric system for expanding the city over water.
Read about the project in detail below, in the words of its designers.
On Monday, January 14, 2019, nearly 200 architects and professionals gathered at the Center for Architecture to
discover the winners of the 2019 AIA NY Design Awards. Following two days of deliberations by a jury of independent architects, educators, critics, and planners, AIA New York publicly announced the 27 winning projects during a live event, which was followed by a jury-moderated discussion.
Colonia Roma is considered one of Mexico City's architectural jewels, shaped by early 20th-century trends that stood as a symbol of Porfirian aspirations. The neighborhood, one of the city's most prominent and home to a large community of creatives, is a living entity that constantly evolves. It attracts both domestic and international tourists who enjoy walking along its tree-lined streets, taking in the vibrant architectural styles and diverse culinary scene.
When talking about Argentine architecture, does a native style exist? The question is complex, as Argentina's DNA contains a mixture of contributions from various origins, ranging from Indigenous peoples to immigrants from diverse global regions. The country is as rich as it is diverse.
During the Ordinary General Assembly of Members on Thursday, April 25, the Association of Architecture Offices of Chile (AOA) held the award ceremony for the AOA Medals, alongside the formal presentation of the current AOA board of directors and the 40th edition of Revista AOA.
