Architecture News

Today, Friday, April 5, the National Board of the Chilean Association of Architects (Chile) announced Miguel Lawner as the winner of the 2019 National Architecture Prize—the highest honor an architect can receive in the country, previously awarded to other renowned figures in past editions such as Germán del Sol, Enrique Browne, Teodoro Fernández Larrañaga, and Edward Rojas Vega.

Lawner served as the executive director of the Urban Improvement Corporation (CORMU) until the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, during which he was detained in concentration camps before being exiled to Denmark. Both from abroad and following his return, he has been recognized for his social housing projects, as well as his research and advocacy exposing human rights violations.

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As part of its annual awards program, Interceramic, a leading Mexican manufacturer and distributor of ceramic floor and wall tiles, celebrated the eighth edition of the Interceramic Architecture and Interior Design Award on October 17, 2019, at the Salón de las Artes of the JW Marriott Santa Fe Hotel in Mexico City. The awards aim to promote and recognize projects that best reflect contemporary design and express the current state of architecture and interior design, while also celebrating creativity in the use of Interceramic ceramic materials.

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As part of the 12th edition of the ColorLife TRENDS program, this October, the brand Comex revealed the trends and the color of the year that will dominate in 2020. The program aims to promote the use of color across all industries and unlock its power as a visual tool to improve the environment, protecting and enhancing the lives of Mexicans. These trends were developed by 14 renowned creatives from various industries, including design, gastronomy, architecture, and fashion.

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Open House, the international festival that invites people to visit landmark sites in cities like London, New York, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires, returns for its second edition in Mexico City. Iconic buildings will participate in OHCDMX, opening to the public on September 28 and 29.

Alberto Campo Baeza, one of today's most internationally renowned architects, has been selected for Honorary Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects [AIA]. Founded in 1857, the organization represents the interests of American architects, much like the CSCA (Superior Council of Colleges of Architects) does in Spain. It currently has more than 90,000 members, of whom only a select few are chosen to join the Institute's ‘College of Fellows’ with the title of FAIA.

Campo Baeza joins the exclusive roster of Honorary Fellows of the American Institute of Architects. In doing so, he joins fellow Spanish architects such as Rafael Moneo, Juan Navarro Baldeweg, Enrique Sobejano, and Fuensanta Nieto, alongside other equally renowned European architects like Álvaro Siza, Eduardo Souto de Moura, and David Chipperfield.

This year, 2019, marks 170 years since French architect Claude Brunet de Baines established the first architecture chair in Chile, which would eventually become the School of Architecture at the University of Chile. Fermín Vivaceta, designer of the Central Market and co-designer of the university's central campus building (Casa Central), was part of its inaugural graduating class.

This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the university's Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU). To celebrate this double milestone, Dean Manuel Amaya—through the Strategic Projects Center directed by Guillermo Crovari—commissioned architect Domingo Arancibia to design a pavilion commemorating these two historic landmarks in Chilean architectural education.

An unexpected social uprising in Chile reached its peak this weekend following the declaration of a constitutional state of emergency across several regions and the first curfews imposed in Santiago since 1987. In response to the crisis in the South American country, the XXI Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism has decided to "pause" all event activities, as announced by the curatorial team on October 19.

The spire of the San Lucas Parish rises serenely over an expansive green canopy of blooming jacarandas and tipu trees. Behind it, the massive School of Medicine of the University of Buenos Aires and a dense cluster of gray buildings contrast with this permeable green lung. A paved plaza climbs from the street, navigating the site's topography with winding paths, underground connections, parking, and a cultural center: this is the new project for Plaza Houssay, currently under construction.

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Casa Besign is a temporary project born out of the need to showcase the talent of interior designers, mostly from Puebla, as part of Besign México—a platform created to honor Puebla's 2015 designation as a “Design Capital” by UNESCO, connecting disciplines, key players, and companies in the fields of design, creativity, and innovation.

Recently, Airbnb has begun to approach the architectural field, both by offering unique experiences in world-renowned buildings and by creating Archibnb, a platform that offers hosts the option to create architectural floor plans.

Through these initiatives, guests from various locations have had the privilege of spending a night in places like the Great Wall of China, the Louvre Museum, or the LEGO House.

But if your destination is Latin America, specifically Argentina, you can now stay in exemplary works by architects including Norman Foster, Clorindo Testa, Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, Juan Kurchan, Fermín Bereterbide, and Luciano Kruk. Explore below the list of works available for booking in the country.

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Atlantes is the new monumental installation by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, presented by Galería Hilario Galguera, Blain | Southern, and Kasmin. Situated on the coast of Oaxaca, near Casa Wabi, in the largely uninhabited area near Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Atlantes is described as "the region's most ambitious land art project in recent years."

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Villa Fantasía Park is a space where several key community areas converge, featuring children's play zones and a wildlife sanctuary for confiscated, rescued, or donated animals. Designed by architects Kei Arao Takahashi, J. Abraham Lara Ramiro, and Héctor García Ventura, the project is also an Environmental Management Unit located in Jalisco, Mexico, spanning an area of 16,900 square meters.

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Palacio Salvo is an iconic, 100-meter-tall building located in the city of Montevideo. Inaugurated on October 12, 1928, and declared a National Historic Monument in 1996, it has now regained its light after almost 90 years in darkness. Thanks to the Gran Salvo project, and following a year of planning, production, design, and construction, a new beacon has completed its silhouette, crowning a historic dome that had been empty for years.

An entire day of the XXI Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism was dedicated to the guest city, São Paulo. The program opened with a presentation of the architectural works, student projects, research, and publications representing the city that were selected through the event's open call.

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The Architectural Design Workshop "Single-Family Housing", organized by the architecture firm Cota Paredes Arquitectos, concluded its eleventh edition, inviting graduate architects and senior architecture students to develop a single-family home over four weeks, in either in-person or online formats.

Along with the 17 winning projects of the Panorama of Works section, the XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (XI BIAU) has announced the winners in the publications, research papers, and academic works categories.

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SKALAR is a large-scale art installation designed by light artist Christopher Bauder and musician Kangding Ray. Following its resounding success in Berlin, the work arrives in Mexico City for the first time as part of a collaboration between MUTEK MX, Noiselab, and the German studio WHITEvoid. The installation lasts approximately 45 minutes and is open to the public Monday through Sunday. Additionally, it will feature special shows with live performances by its creators, offering attendees an artistic and audiovisual experience distinct from the continuous loop.

The Madrid Institute of Architects has provided a space for El Equipo Mazzanti + horizontal for a dynamic exhibition of their career, showcasing their pedagogical design process through play—a methodology characteristic of the firm led by Colombian architect Giancarlo Mazzanti. The exhibition is on view at COAM until January 24.