To mark World Architecture Day, the architects' collective efimerARQ, alongside the Association of Architects and the School of Architecture of Valladolid, developed a design exercise involving collaboration between students and professionals. The activity, titled “Ephemeral Architecture as a Pedagogical Device,” took place at the Patio Herreriano Museum of Contemporary Art in Valladolid, Spain, aiming to create an open-air classroom that allowed students to study current and past trends through fieldwork, viewing the discipline as a medium for exploration, research, discussion, and collaboration. The base structure used to build the three installations was a fundamental "auxiliary" construction material: scaffolding.
Within the framework of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP25), the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM) will host, from December 2 to 13, the conference “Architecture Facing Climate Change: Time to Act,” as part of the Castellana Verde Axis. The objective of this initiative, which stems from a collaboration between COAM, the Higher Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE), and the CSCAE's “Observatorio 2030,” is to raise public awareness about the key role cities play in the fight against climate change and to promote shared strategies within the building sector to help curb global warming.
https://www.archdaily.com/1119871/cop25-spanish-architects-promote-the-transformation-of-cities-and-urban-environments-to-curb-climate-changeArchDaily Team
On August 30 and 31, 2019, the Encuentros 2019 Festival was held in Cancún under the theme Let's Talk About the City, featuring various activities that established a dialogue between residents and key stakeholders in urban development. This was the first time the event was held in Cancún and the second time nationwide, in an effort to decentralize and bring knowledge to citizens and architecture students to help them rediscover their own city.
The results of the first stage of the Pabellón Eco 2020 have been announced, following the submission of 90 portfolios from different states across the country. The jury selected 5 portfolios that will present a pavilion proposal to be developed in the courtyard of the Museo Experimental El Eco. Read on for the full list:
1° Premio - Fachada calle. Image Cortesía de Valentina Juanicó, Manuel Machado.
The Rifa Housing Competition is a historically celebrated event in Uruguay that gives new generations of architects from the Faculty of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism (FADU – UdelaR) the real opportunity to design and build a project. Every year, the Arquitectura Rifa travel groups organize this competition to reflect the state of the discipline, offering a perspective on contemporary living and how it is conceptualized within the school.
Architect Rodrigo Rieiro Díaz, writing for the Collective ARKRIT, explores the values of community living in Stacken, a cohousing project built in Sweden in 1979. The project became the country's first housing model based on self-management, community labor, and feminism, challenging established social relations and presenting collective living as an attempt to move beyond the standard family model.
The First Line of the Bogotá Metro, set to begin development in the first half of 2020, will span 24 kilometers, stretching from the southwest to the northeast of the Colombian capital.
https://www.archdaily.com/1120053/this-is-what-the-first-line-of-the-bogota-metro-will-look-likeArchDaily Team
1° Premio - Sala legado. Image Cortesía de Arq. Walter Casola
On August 28, the results of the International Ideas Competition for the design and renovation of the existing Mini-Stadium and International Pavilion at Tecnópolis were announced. Organized by the Central Society of Architects(SCA) and the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA), and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Entities (FADEA), this second of six international competitions launched in recent months for Expo 2023 addressed the intervention of the two buildings and their connecting foyer.
Born out of an initiative to provide a space dedicated to studying Mexican design, 'Clásicos Mexicanos' is a Mexico City-based gallery run by art historian Aldo Solano Rojas—a specialist in modern Mexican furniture, curator of the exhibitions, and head of historical research—and Mónica Landa, a communications professional interested in promoting Mexican culture who carefully directs the gallery.
As part of a new exhibition, the Brooklyn-based gallery The Chimney, located at 200 Morgan Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, is pleased to present "Small landscapes from near and far" by Mexican artist Perla Krauze. For her first exhibition at The Chimney, Krauze has documented two geographies: Mexican land and the urban terrain of New York. In both locations, the artist gathered, altered, and reproduced fragments of the earth, recording the effects of time on local street surfaces. Intertwined in a complex dialogue, these two combined sites represent a personal topography and an emotional map that questions the notion of territorial belonging.
As part of the activities for Design Week, which took place from February 4 to 10 in Stockholm, architects Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu were the guests of honor at this edition of Scandinavia's most important design fair. Neri&Hu Design and Research Office created an exhibition addressing and highlighting social issues unique to China. The Unfolding Village is the name of the installation representing the traditional Chinese village, which is disappearing at an alarming rate. The installation utilizes six kilometers of sawn pine timber and 150 square meters of laminated pine boards. The timber, stained black, is sourced from Swedish forests.
As part of its annual awards program, Tamayouz Excellence Award announced the winners of the Rifat Chadirji Prize, organized in partnership with the Barjeel Art Foundation for its 2019 cycle. This year, the award sought proposals for a modern Arab art museum in Sharjah, UAE, to house Barjeel's extensive collection of art from across the Middle East.
Vegetation cover Retiro. Image via Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Argentina License
Based on the photogrammetric analysis of the City of Buenos Aires, the General Directorate of Data, Statistics, and Urban Projection produced a "Vegetation Cover Report." This document offers a detailed survey of the city's entire vegetation surface, classified by neighborhood, using zenithal aerial imagery. An infrared sensor was used to capture images that highlight any type of vegetation in red—whether on absorbent or non-absorbent ground—with 100% accuracy.
Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area / Land Consumption Per Capita (1991-2019). Image via Ministry of the Interior, Public Works and Housing, Government of the City of Buenos Aires, under CC BY 4.0 License
The Federal Urban Observatory (OFU) of the Ministry of the Interior, Public Works, and Housing of Argentina surveyed and mapped urban data for 16 cities across the country, which are home to 50% of Argentina's total population. Based on data collected over 28 years—between 1991 and 2019—this series of maps and graphs illustrates how each city's urban footprint expanded over time. Overall trends show a sharp increase in urbanized land area (77%) compared to moderate population growth (35%), resulting in a general 23% decline in population density. In other words, city growth has predominantly followed a pattern where land expansion far outpaces population growth.
As part of the annual CEMEX Awards, the recipient of the Arq. Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship has been announced, reaffirming the commitment to supporting the development of architecture in Mexico. CEMEX awards the Arq. Marcelo Zambrano Scholarship in honor of the exemplary professional dedication and leadership of architect Marcelo Zambrano, aiming to support young Mexicans in pursuing postgraduate studies at prestigious international universities.
The book is simply another design tool—indispensable to many, but of limited use to others. When I speak of books, I am not referring to the common association with literature (novels, poetry, fiction, …), which are also useful within the abstract and diffuse design process. Enric Miralles, for instance, used to turn to verses by Lorca or the creative world of Queneau to anchor those early design intuitions. Yet I am not referring to this kind of reading, which is equally recommended, but rather to what is specific to our profession—to our unique and sharp gaze. Architects look for inspiration in books, but it is only when they reflect their thoughts on paper that they reveal their true, intangible nature.
Architects are fortunate to have access to a wide variety of print subgenres. These range from deep written reflections on the discipline to illustrative volumes of architectural images, construction details, plans, and drawings. We are shaped by what we see; that is undeniable. Consequently, this entire wealth of knowledge stays with us throughout the design process, surfacing unpredictably as we address the challenges that arise. Simply turning to a book can open doors along this design path, just as it can close others. We navigate by intuition, but we are always guided by parameters established from the very beginning. Looking for external references in books and magazines is a difficult exercise at first, as the siren song of countless sources can lead us astray. Knowing how to choose these references and initial guidelines will outline a clear, feasible path where the design becomes more manageable, accessible, and adaptable to future changes.
Since late December of last year, TransMiCable has served as a vital transit system for more than 700,000 residents of Ciudad Bolívar, transporting passengers from the El Tunal TransMilenio portal—adjacent to the CeFe El Tunal—to the Mirador del Paraíso station, passing through intermediate stations such as SuperCade Manitas. To support the elevated transit system, the cable lines rest on 24 pylons (pillars), which will feature surrounding public spaces, creating a functional footprint for the community.
Have you ever been curious about how architects work in their studios? Usually off-limits to the public, these spaces hold stories and dreams within their walls—completed projects, upcoming buildings, proudly won competitions, and unrealized ideas. Fortunately, the new book “Ambientes de Arquitectura” (Architectural Environments) by Bisman Ediciones opens the doors to 50 architecture studios, allowing us to explore their spaces. Ping-pong tables, mate, and scale models: discover how architects really work!