In 2018, a flexible and ephemeral space was erected in Mexico City's Alameda Central, demonstrating the luminosity and plastic versatility of joining 2,500 water jugs to form a conical blue oasis. Today, this pavilion is located within the Huerto Urbano Roma Verde, where it has hosted various events and activities, shedding the transience and impermanence that originally defined its essence.
Traditional architecture is based on a complex understanding of dwelling, the collective production and transmission of knowledge, and construction through mutual-aid community processes that strengthen the social fabric, cultural identity, and territorial bond. In other words, it is a practice of community self-production where the inhabitants themselves, without intermediaries, manage the multiple processes involved in materializing their habitat, always relying on collective intelligence. Today, architecture has shifted from being a communal asset to an exclusive language of a few where, despite still requiring the organized participation of various actors, its production is credited to a single author: an individual entity who, without possessing the diverse knowledge required to complete a work from start to finish, is recognized as the mastermind behind all processes. The professionalization of architecture has not only individualized its discourse and complicated the transmission of knowledge; it has also discriminated against and rejected the knowledge produced outside of academic, professional, and governmental institutions, labeling it as precarious—thereby opening the door to racism.
Have you ever had to convince your friends or family that an exposed brick wall can be more interesting than a plastered surface painted white? Or that exposed building systems can offer major advantages when it comes to maintenance? These are recurring scenarios in the professional lives of architects and design firms.
Amid century-old buildings, a major bus terminal, and a thriving commercial sector, Curitiba has implemented a complete street. Completed in February, the revitalization of Voluntários da Pátria Street has made the thoroughfare safer for pedestrians moving through the central area and more inviting for staying, featuring new benches and widened sidewalks. It is a reclamation of the past that makes the present more welcoming and strengthens the construction of a more humane future for Brazilian cities.
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Are artists connected to the territory and the community?
Todo por la Praxis presents their project Monumento Residencia, an active research initiative addressing the space of artistic residencies and the resident's engagement with their context.
At a time when we only have room for immediate priorities, many designers in our discipline work detached from the actual context where their projects will be built. Yet, some still dedicate the time and passion to experience these realities firsthand and build hand-in-hand with the users.
Chiloé is a production by Glaciar Films, directed by Diego Breit and David Guzmán, consisting of five episodes that showcase the architectural identity of the Chilean island and its key figures. Architects, carpenters, artisans, and residents weave together a narrative charting the island’s building history and how it now faces imminent change and the adoption of modern paradigms.
The complete series is available to watch below.
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The Post_Arq student collective of the Leopoldo Rother Architecture Museum at the National University of Colombia shared with us the interview series titled "Siete Imaginarios, Siete Arquitectos" (Seven Imaginaries, Seven Architects). The interviewees include prominent figures such as Sebastián Serna, Santiago Pradilla, Leonardo Álvarez Yepes, and Lorenzo Castro, among others.
Below, you can explore the interviews conducted with these renowned figures of the Colombian architectural scene, several of whom were winners or received honorable mentions at the XXVII BICAU.
For over 80 days of protest, our streets and buildings have been covered daily in slogans, posters, illustrations, and an endless array of visual material referencing the social demands of a country that claims to have awakened from a 30-year slumber. Meanwhile, public monuments throughout Chile are being tagged, altered, destroyed, or removed from their original sites, becoming a primary target for protesters—or, as the newspaper El Mercurio1 puts it, for “vandals.”
Vacío is a temporary intervention that seeks to redefine the boundaries and experience of the space in which it is located. It is crucial to understand the environmental impact of ephemeral projects.
To construct this void, we used four floating curtains made of repurposed sheets of paper collected from other architecture firms, bathed in indigo to erase the drawings, texts, and prints of their previous life.
The installation's lightness allows the airflow to constantly reshape the defined geometry of the prism. Inside, the space mutates and interacts with visitors, almost compelling them to move as the floating sheets seem to breathe.
This article by Maria Inés García-Reyes Röthlisberger (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) and Stefano Anzellini Fajardo (Universidad de los Andes) was originally published in issue 24 of Dearq journal on 01/01/2019 under the title "Saberes compartidos del hábitat: una arquitectura para el paisaje rural" (https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq24.2019.03) and is part of a joint dissemination partnership.
This article by Julián García Muñoz and María de los Ángeles Beltrán Fernández was originally published in the second issue of rita magazine under the title "La prefabricación de bóvedas de ladrillo: Una utopía latinoamericana" and is part of a joint publishing collaboration. The following is an overview of the history of these prefabricated vaults, aiming to reclaim their value.
Chilean architect and urban planner Germán Bannen, renowned for his work in the municipality of Providencia, is thoroughly examined in a new documentary by visual artist Gabriel Del Favero and journalist Ana Rodríguez. La ciudad de Germán Bannen traces the key milestones of his projects—such as the design and construction of Nueva Providencia Avenue—through a compilation of photographs, plans, archival footage, lectures, architectural drawings, and a dozen interviews.
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The single-family housing prototypes presented here arose from the need to validate the construction system developed by CAUH. As with all prefabricated and industrialized systems not considered traditional construction methods, it is necessary to undergo a process of empirical certification and validation. This process is required to obtain the CAT (Technical Aptitude Certificate) issued by the Undersecretariat of Housing of Argentina. To achieve this, not only are individual components of the system tested, but a full-scale prototype or model home is also built to endure two seasons, allowing its on-site performance to be verified.
Fazendinhando is a movement for physical, cultural, and social transformation in Jardim Colombo, created by and for its residents through the reclamation of public spaces and art and culture initiatives aimed at community integration.
The movement's primary focus is the transformation of a 1,000 m² area, known as Fazendinha, into a park. The development of this space relies on physical site remediation paired with a continuous cultural and artistic program that engages the local community and regular users of the space.
To showcase the valuable output of various Argentine universities, we held our open call for the fourth consecutive year, inviting our Argentine readers to submit their graduation projects.
For many years, the Catalan vault has been used in various projects ranging from residential to public programs. This design element stems from a traditional construction technique—likely originating in the Middle Ages—consisting of building a roof with bricks laid flat on their widest face—exposing their length and width—rather than on any of their thicker edges.
“Architects, not Architecture” has decided to open its archive to help us navigate the global lockdown, serving as a source of inspiration and entertainment for the architectural community. It features a selection of the best talks from their 35 past events, previously unreleased to the public—including Tatiana Bilbao, Peter Cook, Richard Rogers, Massimiliano Fuksas, Kim Herforth Nielsen, Ben van Berkel, Anupama Kundoo, Sadie Morgan, Dan Stubbergaard, Manuelle Gautrand, and Kjetil Thorsen.
Each week, ArchDaily will share one of the full talks that “Architects, not Architecture” is publishing daily on its website as part of its "new event": Home Edition 2020 (www.architectsnotarchitecture.com).
As an exclusive, Plataforma Arquitectura is presenting one of the talks in Spanish. Below is the presentation by architect Benedetta Tagliabue.
Earth is a material that has been used to construct buildings since time immemorial. Its low environmental impact and the variety of techniques available for working with this material have allowed its use to endure in architectural projects worldwide. Whether using rammed earth, wattle-and-daub (bahareque) systems, or adobe structures, numerous contemporary projects rework and reinterpret these traditional methods to shape their spaces.
"How will we live together?" The question, the theme of the 17th Venice Biennale, has been providentially timely. Indeed, it has acquired a sense of urgency with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the crisis it has unleashed, prompting us to examine the sustainability of our current civilizational model and the need to renew both thought and action regarding the environment. In response to an article published on ArchDaily titled How Will We Live Together with All Other Species?, this article aims to contribute further perspective to the debate.
Last week we announced the 15 finalist projects for the Building of the Year 2020 award (Obra del Año), which since 2008 has celebrated the best built architecture in Latin America and Spain, calling on our expert jury—that is, you, the readers—to choose your favorite completed buildings.
Today, the day has come to announce the winners of ODA2020.
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In the field of architecture, the technological, social, and cultural changes driven by 21st-century globalization processes have enabled the development of transnational teams and diverse firms designing projects with innovative perspectives and visions unmoored from a single geographical location. Hyper-communication, exchange, and advanced digital resources are design tools that have allowed architects to operate with a more global vision of the practice, transcending national borders and enabling them to approach architectural challenges in a more open and pluralistic way.
According to the UN, the share of the world's population living in urban areas, currently about 55%, will rise to 70% by 2050. Managing this rapid urban growth is a daunting task for governments; among the most common challenges is providing housing, basic services, and food to city dwellers. Food security in major urban centers depends on several factors, including food availability, access, and quality.
From remote cabins blending into the landscape to structures built entirely of bamboo, in Ecuadorian projects, wood emerges as a versatile resource, ideally suited to address the demands of daily living. Used for structure, building envelopes, or furniture—and paired with concrete, stone, brick, or metal—wood offers endless applications that materialize diverse explorations in architectural language and expression.
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.jpg?1588592283 "Prototipo Tapebicua (Virasoro). Image Cortesía de CAUH")
.jpg?1588592168 "Prototipo Tapebicua (Virasoro). Image Cortesía de CAUH")
.jpg?1588590918 "Prototipo Mesopotámico 2.0 Pilar. Image Cortesía de CAUH")
