Architecture News

A new law scheduled for approval by the end of the first half of 2019, set to take effect by decree in 2020, is expected to establish guidelines and objectives for solar energy use in the city of São Paulo. Regulations from Palmas, in the Brazilian state of Tocantins, and California, in the United States, served as benchmarks to technically develop a bill tailored to the city's needs.

Following runs in Rio de Janeiro in 2017 and Brasília, the exhibition “Oscar Niemeyer (1907-2012) – Territories of Creation”, organized to mark the architect's 110th birth anniversary, arrives at the Tomie Ohtake Institute with several new additions.

The Government of the State of São Paulo has established the Nossa Casa housing program, which aims to stimulate private investment in social interest housing geared toward low-income populations. The program came into effect through Decree No. 64,388 of August 14 of this year.

This week marks the launch of the national advertising campaign by the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CAU/BR), themed "Architecture and Urbanism, a Right for All." Its objective is to highlight the importance of the work of architects and urban planners for society as a whole, including those planning modest renovations and construction projects. As an example, the campaign features the Moradas da Saúde residential complex in Rio de Janeiro, designed by architect and urban planner Demetre Anastassakis. 

The Glass House, the residence where Lina Bo Bardi and her husband, Pietro Maria Bardi, lived for over 40 years and the current headquarters of the Lina Bo and P.M. Bardi Institute, will open its doors for a special free tour in celebration of São Paulo's 465th anniversary. The program begins at 11:30 AM and will feature the participation of the Institute's president, Waldick Jatobá.

The **A Casa de Jajja **project explores the relationship between affection and architecture as an emancipatory practice. It grew out of research developed as Mariana Montag’s graduation thesis at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of Mackenzie Presbyterian University. This connection of affection emerged through her involvement in the School Project in Kikajjo, a rural village in Uganda, East Africa. There, Mariana met Jajja Imaculate, a strong and faithful 75-year-old woman, grandmother to Rose and Gift. Together, they designed and discussed what a house would look like—a home whose architecture not only shelters Jajja but also serves as an emancipatory practice challenging gender roles, with the construction process conducted through capacity-building workshops for women.

The exhibition “Organic Rational” on the work of architect Pedro Ramalho, curated by Nuno Brandão Costa and drawing on his archive recently donated to Casa da Arquitectura, is on view at the Gallery of Casa da Arquitectura – Portuguese Centre for Architecture, in Matosinhos, until September 8.

Do you like podcasts? We recently partnered with ArquiCast, an excellent Portuguese-language podcast on Architecture and Urbanism hosted by Adilson Amaral, Aline Cruz, and Raphael Rodrigues. For those who don't know, a podcast is a type of audio program periodically updated by creators via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology for blogs. Check out some of the episodes they have already recorded discussing articles published on ArchDaily.

The site comprising the historic city of Paraty and the Ilha Grande Basin, in Angra dos Reis, in the southern region of Rio de Janeiro state, received a favorable technical recommendation this week from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to become a World Heritage Site. 

A team of professionals from the Housing Company of the Federal District (CODHAB/DF) has launched a crowdfunding campaign for the publication series “Experiências em Arquitetura Social” (Experiences in Social Architecture). The books compile architecture and urban planning projects designed to improve the quality of housing design and construction in the Federal District.

The XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism, which will take place in Paraguay, has just released the list of projects selected to participate in the exhibition. The selection was made by committees appointed by each country. In Brazil, those responsible are: UNA Arquitetos (curators), Carlos Eduardo Comas, Fernando Luiz Lara, Guilah Naslavsky, Guilherme Wisnik, Luciano Margotto, Naia Alban, Otávio Leonídio, and Paulo Henrique Paranhos. In Portugal, the selection was overseen by: Paulo David (curator), Ana Pedro Ferreira, and Pedro Maria Ribeiro. See the complete list of selected projects below.

We are pleased to present today the finalist projects for the 2019 Building of the Year Award (ODA19). After two weeks of nominations and more than 10,000 votes, the favorite projects have been selected from hundreds of works built in Portuguese-speaking countries. Our jury of experts—our own readers—has once again done an outstanding job selecting the 15 finalists. The projects span a remarkable diversity of programs, including cultural, commercial, and educational facilities, public squares, high-end residences, and renovations. This selection offers an engaging overview of contemporary architectural production in Brazil and Portugal, deeply shaped by material exploration, the richness of our geographic contexts, and the diverse challenges faced by our societies.

Margarida Quintã and Luís Ribeiro da Silva are the winners of the 15th edition of the Fernando Távora Award, the Northern Regional Section of the Order of Architects (OA) announced this week. With the proposal As Fronteiras do México [The Borders of Mexico], the duo explores "the impact of architecture and urbanism on mediating issues related to territorial borders, migration, and the cross-border dimension of human well-being."

The School of Architecture and Urbanism of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) has announced the results of the national competition for its new headquarters building. The winning team consists of architects Bruno Eduardo Nakaguma Gondo, Carlos Eduardo Murgel Miller, Eduardo Saguas Miller, and Felipe Fuchs, from São Paulo.

The author of more than 30 books and a champion of cities for people, Danish architect Jan Gehl and his team of around 50 professionals have worked to free the centers of cities as diverse as Moscow, Melbourne, Shanghai, and New York from cars.

Romano Guerra Editora has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Catarse to reissue the celebrated book RINO LEVI – arquitetura e cidade. Based on Renato Anelli's doctoral dissertation, the book features iconographic research by a team led by Abilio Guerra and is filled with photography by Nelson Kon.

The benefits of urban vegetation are numerous and well known. In addition to shading public spaces and producing oxygen, trees and shrubs contribute to thermal comfort, by humidifying the air, and acoustic comfort, as they can be used as barriers to minimize noise. 

Brazil's most famous architect, Oscar Niemeyer, kept his office active until his death in 2012 at the age of 104. One of the last projects he designed is nearing completion in Leipzig, Germany. The project is a 12-meter-diameter sphere embedded in the corner of a 19th-century brick building, which will house a cafe and bar for employees of the HeiterBlick and Kirow Ardelt AG railway companies.