When Walter Gropius founded his famous school of design and art in 1919, the Bauhaus, he envisioned it as a place open to "any person of good repute, regardless of age or sex." A space where there would be "no difference between the beautiful sex and the stronger sex."
This idea challenged a society in which women were demanding access to spaces previously barred to them. While the artistic education women received at the time was confined to the intimacy of their homes, they were welcomed at Gropius's school, and their applications accepted. So much so that the number of women who enrolled exceeded that of men.
Colectivo ARKRIT has shared a chronicle by Kosme de Barañano on the physical—and perhaps also social and economic—reconstruction of New York in 2018, following the devastation of the Twin Towers attacks and the 2008 financial crisis. His extensive, wide-ranging work spans surprising European references, New York management systems, contemporary formal architectural exuberance, and bold proposals for public space design.
In this first chapter, Kosme de Barañano describes the new development known as 'Hudson Yards.'
https://www.archdaily.com/1113976/reflections-on-the-changes-in-new-york-city-hudson-yardsKosme de Barañano
The chapter The Limits of Objects addresses the theme of Walls of Air at the scale of architectural and urban interventions, in an attempt to measure the capacity of recent Brazilian production to mediate conflicting relationships between the public and private realms.
In contrast to the cartographic approach, which maps the multiple types of barriers that shape the Brazilian territory, this section presents architectural objects that encourage transcending the walls present in our cities. The selected proposals share the motivation of investigating new ways to deal with the limits, divisions, and ruptures of urban fabrics. At the same time, they bring to light the pressing need to use design as a means to transform conditions of exclusion into opportunities to bring people together.
Perspectiva general. Image Cortesía de Taller Alterno
The Colombian firm Taller Alterno, alongside Laura Flórez and Alexander Jiménez, won the competition for the Rumipamba Park in Pasto, Colombia. Sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Pasto and the Colombian Society of Architects (Nariño Chapter), the architectural competition awarded first place to the proposal “Rumipamba | Parque Botánico” (Rumipamba | Botanical Park), a project that proposes a green oasis in the heart of the capital of Nariño, aiming to make a positive environmental impact while simultaneously offering a recreational space for citizens.
Germán Tamayo, one of the lead designers, told Diario del Sur: “This is an understated proposal, using simple and sustainable materials, where we wanted to evoke the city's topography and bring it inside the park. As a result, we designed spaces for community life, encounters, small events, and gatherings.”
The modernization of Bogotá between 1940 and 1970, captured in urban and architectural photographic reportages, has been documented in various books, magazines, and photobooks of the era, as well as in images from the city's public and private archives. All these shots reveal an intentional, and even critical, approach to how modern architecture reconfigured city centers and connected new buildings and urban spaces with the existing cityscape.
When analyzing the impact of photography from an architectural perspective, it is essential to discuss Paul Beer and Germán Téllez. Within their broad spectrum of subjects, these two photographers dedicated themselves specifically to architectural photography. They received commissions from the most prestigious architecture firms of the time, and their shots reveal different, complementary values, relationships, and aspects of modern architecture and the city.
Through March 10, Chilean architect Pilar Pinchart presents her exhibition “Sección” at Galería PanAm.
The exhibition is divided into two parts showcasing the interests that have shaped Pinchart's work over the last ten years, synthesized in a conceptual installation on high-rise housing.
The first part of the exhibition features a study of Le Corbusier's 1992 sketch for the City of Three Million Inhabitants, understood as the section of an envisioned city—the starting point for the exhibition #100andesfrommywindow, presented in Aarhus, Denmark, in May 2017. It comprises 15 pop-up models and fragments of balcony facades built in Santiago, Chile, between 1940 and 2015, which show the evolution from the balcony to the terrace and to the concept of the high-rise garden. This gives rise to the centerpiece of the exhibition, a complex installation displaying five built structures designed to be read through the information provided by their sections in relation to vegetation and use.
Continuing our series of publications aimed at broadening access to academic research from the country's universities, today we present the master's thesis of Ana Luzia Ribeiro Mello from the Institute of Arts at UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, titled “O brinquedo do parque: um conceito lúdico como arte do reaproveitamento” (The Park Toy: A Playful Concept as the Art of Repurposing) and advised by Prof. Dr. Clice de T. Sanjar Mazzilli. The study highlights the figure of architect and designer Elvira de Almeida and her career in designing and building play sculptures.
A mint that became the government palace of Chile. A pavilion in Paris that became a children's museum. The first work of the Modern Movement in Chile, and a revolutionary urban master plan that never materialized.
These and other examples in our selection of Chilean architectural classics, explained through their floor plans.
'Monumento: Humanity Behind the Concrete' is a documentary by Fernando Díaz on the construction of the National Holocaust Memorial in Buenos Aires, designed by architects Gustavo Nielsen and Sebastián Marsiglia.
The film establishes a dialogue between Holocaust survivors living in Buenos Aires and the construction of the monument, addressing the need to keep humanity's memory alive.
The modernization of Bogotá between 1940 and 1970, captured through urban and architectural photo essays, has been documented in various books, magazines, and photobooks of the era, as well as in the city's public and private archives. These images reveal an intentional, even critical, approach to how modern architecture reconfigured city centers, bridging new buildings and urban spaces with the existing cityscape.
When analyzing the impact of photojournalism, it is essential to examine the work of Sady González, Manuel H. and Daniel Rodríguez. In their work, architecture and the city serve as the backdrop for scenes of urban life, figures, historical events, and daily activities; their photographs offer an indispensable visual record for understanding the city's transformation and its historical context.
Imagine the scale of effort required to prevent 1.24 million deaths annually. This is the average number of traffic fatalities worldwide. Cities must urgently improve protection for their citizens to ensure that, amidst current urban population growth trends, this figure does not climb even higher. Yet, what if just eight actions were enough to prevent hundreds of deaths and serious injuries?
The publication “Cities Safer by Design” outlines “eight actions to improve road safety,” and we have looked at best practices and research that reflect some of these measures.
Cuadernos del Sol, illustrations by Enrique Flores
El Campo de Cebada has become a benchmark for self-management and the collective construction of public spaces, closely linked to the Spanish *acampadas* of 2011. In this article, the architecture collective Zuloark reflects on the key principles that made the experiment work.
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Kit Domótica Inmobiliario | AveChile. Image Cortesía de AveChile
Domotics = Domus ('home' in Latin) + Autonomous ('self-governing' in Greek)
True to its name, domotics enables a home to function intelligently, responding to user needs through automated systems that improve spatial habitability and comfort, increase security, and boost long-term energy and financial savings.
By utilizing sensors, motorized systems, wireless technologies, and direct integration with smartphones or tablets, domotics is here to stay. It can be integrated into architectural projects from the initial stages through various automated systems. How can this be achieved? Here is a selection of solutions classified by their benefits: energy savings, comfort, accessibility, and security.
Designed by Fabián Leiva, the Floating Cemetery project was selected as one of the 10 winners in the Thesis Project category of the 2018 Arquitectura Caliente Competition (CAC 2018), a Chilean contest organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and funded by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.
In 2004, the Ralco reservoir in the Biobío Region was unexpectedly and irreversibly flooded, burying the local Pehuenche community's cemetery beneath its waters. Following years of trying to recover the bodies, studies demonstrated that salvage was unfeasible, leaving the inhabitants helpless in the face of the millions of cubic meters of water separating them from the cemetery. This situation sparked the idea to create a space in memory of a sacred, violated, and unrecoverable site—one that would bring the community closer to their deceased and eternally condemn the event.
The Catalan archipelago is shaped, across almost its entire length, by a small mountain range running along it, rising from the coastline tangent to the sea to form cliffs, and extending barely a dozen kilometers at its greatest extent.
The architecture native to this coastal strip of land is repeatedly categorized as Catalan architecture, thereby overlooking and overshadowing the architecture of the inland—dark, somber, heavy, and intensely material. An architecture—that of the interior—of slow digestion, backlights, and still air, carrying a different scent.
To the northeast, we find a region where beech trees stand still, growing at a lower altitude than anywhere else in the country. Where the light is softer, more diffused; where shadows are both fainter and deeper. Where it rains differently. Where people speak differently. Where the masias are different. There they live. There they work. We are speaking of Olot. We are speaking of RCR.
Campo de Magadoz . Image Cortesía de Colectivo ARKRIT
Architects Rafael Pina and Nicolás Maruri, from the ARKRIT Collective, reflect on the soccer fields nestled within the adobe and rammed earth settlements of Morocco's High Atlas. Having barely altered the territory, these spaces integrate and merge into the topography through minimal modifications and actions for a single, simple purpose: to play.
Construction requires mobilizing material resources and human labor, inevitably transforming the territory. Building with what is readily available is a stance that can be driven by ethics, but also by necessity. In either case, the outcome is usually economical and fitting. Resource consumption is kept to a minimum, and adaptation to the environment becomes a natural consequence.
Since the installation of Speculator in 2008 —the year the Spanish real estate bubble burst— the Spanish multidisciplinary collective has been characterized by its collaborative practices, co-production processes, and civic management models. Over ten years, the numbers speak for themselves: 15 countries, 18 agreements, 29 institutions, 43 grassroots organizations, and 96 projects, including Campo de Cebada in Madrid and the La Y Cultural Hub in Caracas (Venezuela), as part of the government project Espacios de Paz.
TXP explains their methodology: "We start with a preliminary diagnosis that allows us to understand the keys, codes, and particularities of each process. We then define a context for collaborative design where the proposal is prototyped based on collective interests."
"In our practice, we propose a dynamic combination of scopes that tailors the project based on available parameters, allowing us to define a consensus-driven model that responds resiliently. We establish frameworks for collective construction that foster learning environments, serving as tools for civic appropriation and empowerment. Finally, we design management models that address the specific needs of each case, establishing protocols for use and maintenance," they add.
On this occasion, architect Jaime Nadal, representing the ARKRIT Collective, brings us an article that delves into the controversial demolition of the famed Casa Guzmán by architect Alejandro de la Sota—a highly praised, widely published, and iconic building of the architectural renaissance in Spain.
https://www.archdaily.com/1113722/the-demolished-guzman-house-by-alejandro-de-la-sotaJaime Nadal Irigüén
When discussing cities like Amsterdam, we inevitably recall its network of canals and streets interwoven with water. Yet water is also one of the most pressing challenges the city faces. With 60% of its territory below sea level, climate change—and the rising sea and river levels that come with it—is a matter of survival not only for Amsterdam, but for the entire country.
For many years, Mexico City has been what many authors call a "living organism," built day by day and choreographed in diverse ways. Santiago Arau's work portrays a city where time passes, shaped by its inhabitants—ranging from sweeping aerial views to the daily gaze of a commuter on public transit. Don't miss this time-lapse, which will allow you to imagine (or remember) what it is like to experience Mexico City in just one minute.
Throughout 2018, we selected thousands of projects for publication on our site, occasionally highlighting a few for their innovative techniques and materials, their integration with their context, or their community engagement. Working daily with editors in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, Chile, China, and Northern Ireland, and thanks to the extensive network we have forged with institutions worldwide, we have the tools to gain a much broader perspective on current architectural production—not only in Mexico, but globally.
Music is a vital connection to culture. While it serves as a source of entertainment, it is also a medium for communicating ideas and expressing artistic creativity. Through romantic, social, political, or historical themes, every song evokes memories and emotions.
Although there is an endless array of genres today compared to decades past, music still allows us to travel the world without leaving home through its lyrics and music videos. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of 10 songs that not only feature the names of cities in their titles, but also, through their lyrics and visual storytelling, capture the essence of each place—whether capitals or not—bringing to life the magic of their architecture and streets.
To encourage the use of bicycles as a non-motorized mode of transportation, BKT Mobiliario Urbano has developed the Ciclopuerto CP-009; a geometric piece made of recycled aluminum and rubber that accommodates two bicycles per rack. The unit consists of a metal structure clad in recycled aluminum on its lower section to increase durability, and rubber on its upper section to protect bicycles from scratches and other damage.
Jean Pierre Crousse and Sandra Barclay have just won the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize –the highest architectural distinction in the Americas– with the recently completed Edificio E at the Universidad de Piura. Through their work, Barclay & Crousse has approached the Peruvian territory and landscape from different perspectives and at different scales, complementing this approach with research and teaching at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, where they explore the transdisciplinary and multiscalar dimensions of architecture.
In this interview, we delve into their relationship with teaching, the Peruvian territory, and the role of architecture today in countries like Peru.
