In early October, a new space opened in Mexico City under the name Design House at Público Coworking, showcasing a series of interventions that integrate disciplines such as design, architecture, and interior design. Over the past ten years, Design House has presented cutting-edge concepts from more than one hundred participating firms across various venues, collaborating with showrooms on the Design Route (Ruta del Diseño) that provide the pieces and accessories featured in the diverse installations.
Currently, most global citizens have been directed into lockdown due to COVID-19. After spending more than two months under these circumstances, two broad reflections emerge—regardless of the personal challenges faced by each household. The first is that we might adapt and live in relative harmony within our living spaces; the second is that our living space may not be adequate for our comfort. We will delve into this second point to empathize with vulnerable populations who choose to abandon their lives in one place to migrate toward better opportunities, and to examine how architecture addresses—or fails to address—the migration emergency.
As part of an initiative by Makers México, a group of nearly 300 creative professionals from various fields continues to come together to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Architects such as Juan Carlos Baumgartner and Michel Rojkind, along with designer Ariel Rojo, have joined this effort to contribute in various ways, creating 3D-printed parts to be donated to hospitals across the country. Currently, they are working on a splitter—which allows two patients to be connected to a single ventilator in the event of a shortage—protective masks for doctors and patients, as well as other components to complement their operation.
On August 20, the landmarking process began for the scale model of Salvador, which is currently on display at the Associação Comercial da Bahia in the state capital [1]. The model, which will remain open to visitors by appointment until September 18, 2020 [2], was first conceived in the early 1970s by architect Assis Reis. Since then, it has been continually updated by a team of craftspeople from the Salvador Municipal Government to represent the city's urban changes, thus preserving the original vision behind its creation.
As part of the cultural programming of the Mexico City-based art gallery, MASA presents the exhibition Recover / Uncover, a space featuring unique and limited-edition pieces by designers and artists whose work seeks to challenge labels. In doing so, MASA celebrates contradiction as a reflection of an ongoing process of self-definition and evolution over time, presenting objects as tools for life and contemplation.
"The hardest thing in architecture is building in the desert. It is terrible, there are no references," Álvaro Siza once remarked. Paradoxical as it may seem, complex site constraints are often the starting point for architectural reasoning. Dealing with steep slopes, significant pre-existing structures, or endemic vegetation might initially seem like an obstacle to the creative process, but in many cases, this very confrontation is what makes a project unique and anchors it to its site.
Located in the country's northwestern region, the state of Baja California Norte borders California (in the United States), Sonora, and Baja California Sur (in Mexico). Along with Baja California Sur, these are the only two Mexican states flanked by the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Sea of Cortez to the east, harboring some of the most breathtaking landscapes and coastlines in the country.
The government-mandated lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—and, in some cases, the fear of going outside—have recently underscored the value of domestic space, transforming it into the stage for the most evident and characteristic human actions and reactions within a capitalist and patriarchal system.
Brick stands as one of the defining materials of Latin American architectural culture. The diversity and versatility of this masonry unit have led to a wide array of uses and applications. Whether chosen for economic or aesthetic reasons, exposed brick—left unfinished and without exterior cladding—is widely used across the region's designs, showcasing the rich textures and tones inherent to the material.
Corporate logos of the six architecture collectives, taken from https://arquitecturascolectivas.net/, http://www.recetasurbanas.net, http://zuloark.com, http://www.boamistura.com, http://www.eeestudio.es, https://enormestudio.es, and https://assemblestudio.co.uk/. Image via Revista rita_
This article by Alberto Bravo de Laguna Socorro was originally published in the 12th issue of revista rita_ under the title "Transgression, experimentation and communicability of the graphic in collective architectures: Indices of an engaged graphic expression."
https://www.archdaily.com/1123405/transgression-experimentation-and-the-communicability-of-the-graphic-in-collective-architecturesAlberto Bravo de Laguna Socorro
Finishes are the skin of the projects we build, serving as the canvases and frames that contain the atmospheres of the spaces we inhabit. As Pritzker laureate Peter Zumthor expresses in his book Atmospheres, it is through the consonance of materials—by joining, mixing, or altering their formats—that a harmonious effect is created in relation to the spatial atmosphere.
Infraestructuras del agua / Estrategias para el buen manejo de los recursos hídricos. Image Cortesía de Juan Pablo Zuleta Álvarez
Within the framework of the 27th Colombian Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (BICAU XVII), the Colombian Society of Architects (SCA) has announced the winners of the parallel IV Colombian Biennial of Architecture Students. For these awards, the proposals were selected across four categories: Architectural Project; Research, Theory, and Criticism; Urban, Rural Design, and Territory Planning; and Architects as Agents of Change. Meet them below:
Brutalisim is an architectural movement that emerged in Europe in the 1960s and became one of the most controversial yet popular styles worldwide. This was due to various factors, including its use of raw concrete and, more broadly, its ideals focused on public service through monumental works. Furthermore, it became a new medium for expressing contemporary political stances through functional public spaces.
Mixed-use buildings are urban devices characterized by a diversity of uses. Sharing an existence fraught with obstacles and setbacks, those that manage to get built endure as true survivors of a vigorous species that thrives in areas of opportunity, carving a path through real estate speculation.
Continuous trial and error. Architects draw and redraw lines, shapes, objects, and images on napkins, tracing paper, or black CAD backgrounds. Discarding, restarting, and repeating the cycle. The path between the initial idea and the final project is long and arduous. The challenge lies at the core of design: an endless decision-making process where a single change impacts countless other elements, turning the exercise into a series of trade-offs and concessions. These choices range widely, from determining how much site coverage minimizes environmental impact, to maximizing desk capacity in an office while maintaining fluid circulation. Every decision requires extensive research or calculation to yield an optimal solution. For example, a window placement that looks elegant on the facade might leave no room for a bed inside, or inadvertently spike the building's energy consumption.
In any project, pressing deadlines and tight budgets mean clients are often in a rush, leaving little time to explore every possible combination or calculate the exact impact of each decision. It is at this juncture that the concept of generative design is increasingly coming to the fore in architecture.
Mapas Sonoros is a project by the Usted no está aquí Archive that documents Latin American cities and towns in a non-traditional way. Functioning as a “map of maps,” the website compiles more than 40 independent sites with sound archives from countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, creating a comprehensive log of georeferenced audio documents that offer an alternative way to map and understand Latin America.
Spending significant time at home has made us realize that the interior spaces of conventional commercial housing are ill-suited to accommodate work, domestic life, and leisure. This situation is further exacerbated in peripheral areas far from urban centers. On Cascajal Island in Buenaventura, Colombia, the relationship between coastal housing and the sea is essential for local cultural and economic development.
Landaburu Borda Country House / Jordi Hidalgo Tané. Image
While some works serve as monuments to the egos of those who practice this profession, other architectural approaches propose the exact opposite. These practices deliver projects that—almost poetically—harmonize built elements with the surrounding natural environment. There are also designs that adapt to the morphological order of nature, resulting in an organic language that generates highly unique and singular interior spaces.
The crisis brought about by the pandemic and the resulting new global order compel us to review and adjust all Land-Use Plans—or their local equivalents—across Latin American cities.
https://www.archdaily.com/1123412/covid-19-spatial-planning-and-urban-planning-in-latin-americaMarco Antonio Ramírez O.
Driven by a personal quest to explore heritage and preserve Mexican traditions, architect Ana Ibañez has created a collection titled “Barraganescas,” featuring jewelry pieces inspired by the houses designed by architect Luis Barragán in the city of Guadalajara.
The remodeling project for the Plaza de la Constitución (El Zócalo) in Mexico City was completed in 2018. The design is the result of a competition launched by the Government of Mexico City and the Ministry of Public Works of Mexico City, covering an area of 46,800 square meters.
As one of the first steps in an architectural project, positioning the building on the site guides a series of subsequent design decisions, such as the spatial distribution of the program.
Especially when a building is constructed on an irregular lot—whether due to jagged boundaries, asymmetries, sharp angles, or narrow segments—the shape of the property is highly likely to directly influence the design concept.
Combining the efficiency—in terms of both time and cost—of prefabrication with the inherent flexibility and adaptability of on-site construction, DUMAY Arquitectos presents Casa Aditiva, a modular architectural system that leverages standardization to create homes of diverse designs, floor areas, and layouts.
.jpg?1599578151 "Casa González Luna. Image © Limon Rojas")
.jpg?1605538884 "Morro do Elefante House / 24 7 Arquitetura. Image: © Pedro Kok")
