Molière Street Renovation / PPAA Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados. Image
Over the years, interior design has evolved in response to changing needs, and above all, to the experiences it seeks to evoke for the user. Over the last two years, we have witnessed a radical shift and a heightened interest in this field, as the pandemic forced us to pay closer attention to how we configure the spaces we inhabit. This has brought about much more holistic designs aimed at user well-being, combining colors, sensory experiences, technology, and natural elements that promote health.
Polígonos en pendiente en Barcelona. Image Cortesía de Matías Falero
The contemporary urban footprint seems to expand its boundaries virtually without restriction while increasing in complexity. Major cities like Barcelona have expanded to the point where political boundaries merely represent the lines of administrative jurisdiction—which, in satellite imagery or everyday experience, often virtually cease to exist or are barely recognizable. On the other hand, a contemporary reading of its Metropolitan Area, stretched between mountain ranges, rivers, and the sea, demonstrates that this progressive expansion has always been shaped by its unique geographical enclave.
From April 11 to June 30, the Young Architects Festival (YAF), developed by Constructo, is taking place at the Ruinas de Huanchaca Park and Museum in Antofagasta, Chile. Within this space, Siglo 22 Arquitectos has created an immersive architectural installation activated by a series of events, including international lectures and a free public exhibition.
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, is one of the leading figures and great masters of the Modern Movement. Directed by Gerardo Panero, the feature-length documentary “Plan for Buenos Aires” explores the architect's attempts to shape the layout of the city of Buenos Aires with his ideas.
As part of the cultural programming for Mexico City's Art Week, PEANA presents the exhibition Por debajo del árbol at Agustín Hernández's Architecture Studio, which opens its doors to the public for the very first time. The show brings together contemporary works by fifteen artists in dialogue with Agustín Hernández's creative universe. Curated by Ana Pérez Escoto and Carlota Pérez-Jofre, the exhibition will run from February 10 to March 4.
Today, understanding the properties of materials used in vernacular construction is essential to ensuring a better quality of life and spatial habitability, both of which have evolved alongside new technologies in the market. Spatial design now represents a commitment to the natural environment and, consequently, to improving quality of life.
Figure 6. Matilde Cassani, Countryside worship/A celebration Day, 2014 — XIV Venice Biennale. Source: http://www.matildecassani.com/. Image via VAD
Italian law never explicitly denied women access to university. Nevertheless, their minimal presence in the 19th century—only 224 women graduated in Italy between 1867 and 1900—demonstrates how a double discrimination, based on both gender and social class, operated through an inherently elitist and dualistic educational system.
It is well known that the construction industry is one of the largest producers of CO2. Although significant progress has been made in technology and in design and construction processes, there is still a long way to go to minimize or nearly eliminate carbon emissions in the development of the built environment.
Indeed, as revolutionary as the construction industry may seem today, it remains responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 11% of which result from the manufacturing of building materials such as steel, cement, and glass.
What are the latest trends in reducing emissions in both design and material manufacturing? How should the industry transition toward net-zero architecture? These are some of the questions we want you to help us answer.
Traducciones: la utopía y el vacío performativo. Image Cortesía de Juan Manuel Sandoval Perdomo
To showcase the valuable work emerging from Latin American and Spanish universities, this year we launched an open call inviting architecture students to submit their graduation projects completed in 2021.
After thoroughly evaluating 137 proposals, our editorial team has selected and highlighted 10 projects that demonstrate rigorous critical thinking in response to their self-defined challenges. The selection valued not only those projects that delivered the best possible architecture through efficient design tailored to their context, program, and users, but also those that paid significant attention to human scale, the environment, experimentation, and new ways of addressing architecture in cities.
Today, technology is increasingly ubiquitous in major cities, driven by the rapid pace of capital-driven movement. A popular term to describe the relationship between urbanism and technology is “Smart Cities,” which centers on leveraging data to enhance building connectivity. However, widespread access to these new technologies has revealed how our unique experiences as citizens—driven by a strong desire to document urban environments—allow us to map and experience cities from alternative perspectives.
Publishing architecture is necessary for the discipline itself to be understood as such. Without it, architecture becomes an endeavor devoid of public inquiry, confined to private practices. Yet its presence opens up a field that translates a material language into a written one, reformulating the discourses emerging from this arena. Among the “smallest” of these publications are fanzines—mediums that arise from a desire for self-management and low-cost, small-run production, capable of adapting to diverse content, whether in the form of a booklet or simply folded paper.
The playful potential of the fanzine has sparked growing popularity in Chile, culminating in its inclusion in the XXI Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism in 2019. Although awareness of this medium predated this event, there is still a gap in understanding its characteristics. This necessitates asking simple, almost naive questions about the specific conditions of its production—discussions that ultimately reveal an invisible network woven among individuals who, without knowing it, were already connected.
It is well known that the construction industry is one of the world's largest producers of CO2. While significant progress has been made in technology and design and construction processes, a long road remains to minimize or virtually eliminate carbon emissions in the development of the built environment.
Is there a future for our cities without a sustainable way of life? For some time now, urban sustainability has been viewed primarily through the lens of climate change rather than a holistic vision that integrates society and the way we live in community.
What new ways of living are we experiencing amid social, economic, and ecological shifts? We need to bring to the table different reference cases from around the world and understand the latest trends shaping how we live in our cities.
We want you, our readers, to not only be the first to share examples of co-living, cooperatives, and any new types of social housing you consider benchmarks, but also to share your thoughts on the matter in the form below. Selected comments will be published in an upcoming article.
When defining the aesthetic of a space, whether interior or exterior, architects and interior designers should first ask themselves what the needs of its future inhabitants are or will be. Dialogue with users is essential to establishing the style of these spaces, which shapes their physical environment through composition, color, form, and furniture.
UNStudio y BIG invierten en la plataforma de diseño virtual SpaceForm. Image Cortesía de UN Studio
From NFTs and the Metaverse to the productive advantages of real-time rendering, this year offers a tremendous opportunity to discuss the latest trends in architectural visualization. To this end, we opened the debate to our readers around these questions: How much can we learn from other related industries like cinema, video games, and industrial design? How can architecture contribute to and advance the world of visualization?
After reading and compiling all the comments received—from construction professionals, students, and architecture enthusiasts alike—we agree that as technological advancements continue, the future of architectural visualization will likely be more democratic, liberal, and decentralized. Below, we share the most frequent viewpoints from our readers.
As part of the programming hosted by Museo Jumex from April 2 to September 18 in Mexico City, "Urs Fischer: Lovers" presents a 25-year retrospective of one of today's most celebrated international artists. Organized by guest curator Francesco Bonami, the exhibition brings together new pieces created specifically for the museum alongside works from international public and private collections, as well as the artist's own archives. Together, these works showcase the expansive creativity, humor, and depth of the artist's practice.
https://www.archdaily.com/1132140/urs-fischer-presents-his-first-major-exhibition-for-mexico-and-latin-america-at-museo-jumexArchDaily Team
Yesterday marked the opening of the seventh International Festival of Urban Interventions in Lima, Peru. The opening day featured a series of events at the Lugar de la Memoria, aiming to shape the agenda, stimulate public debate, and highlight diverse efforts from multiple fronts striving to build a better city for everyone.
https://www.archdaily.com/1132137/fiiu-7-urban-intervention-festival-opens-in-limaDiego Vivas
"I'm an architect... now what?" must be one of the most common questions for any recent graduate holding an architecture degree. Over the years, many will find jobs in different industries that do not necessarily involve working in an office designing and building buildings.
We visited “Dogon Country” in Mali (latitude 15°N) in 2008 to observe how vernacular “Dogon” architecture (a UNESCO World Heritage site) has achieved the counter-form of lived experiences. We were looking for the coherence between society and dwelling through architecture and urbanism in another dimension and another culture.
Throughout its history, CHC has participated in and supported social projects that improve the quality of life of their residents, while constantly seeking to establish new and better standards that contribute to the construction of spaces. In this particular case, the project led by architect Jaime Ovando integrates public funds through Chile's Habitabilidad Program and the Illustrious Municipality of Paine, along with private contributions from building material companies, the architecture firm, and the construction company, including CHC.
Thinking about the present and future of older adults is essential to improving the population's quality of life. According to the United Nations study on world population prospects, by 2050, it is estimated that 32% of Chile's population will be over 65 years old. According to data from the 2017 National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN), 22.1% of older adults in the country live in multidimensional poverty. The connection between architecture and social commitment develops a strategy to combat vulnerability in this demographic.
Cortesía de Museo Cooperativo de la ciudad de Eldorado
For several years, the global context of energy and ecological crises has resonated across various disciplines, and architecture has been no exception. Consequently, a crucial question arises: how do our buildings help mitigate these issues? In this context, the global architectural scene has been flooded with buildings addressing these challenges through heavy technological dependence. In their bid to tackle environmental problems, some have forgotten that architecture can offer a synthetic response through an understanding of place and the deliberate manipulation of form, matter, and energy.
To honor the life and work of architect Armando Franco—who passed away last June at the age of 100—Clásicos Mexicanos presents the book Armando Franco COLECCIÓN COFRAN (1955-2022). This publication, the result of extensive research by the Clásicos Mexicanos team, brings together biographical data, plans, sketches, designs, and photographs of the most iconic works from the career of Franco, one of the most original and enigmatic Mexican modern architects of the 20th century.
https://www.archdaily.com/1131938/clasicos-mexicanos-presents-the-book-armando-franco-cofran-collection-1955-2022ArchDaily Team
This July 11 marks World Population Day, an annual event established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 to raise awareness of global demographic issues. This is a critical issue today; not only is the global population projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, but the latest UN-Habitat reports estimate that, by then, two-thirds of the world will live in cities.
Every year, World Population Review assesses urban growth and the number of residents living in metropolitan areas to understand global development trends. While the list of the 20 most populous cities in the world features recurring Asian hubs like Tokyo, Delhi, and Shanghai, it also includes several Latin American metropolises such as Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires. Consequently, we have compiled a list of the ten most populous cities in Latin America to understand their growth and role in the global context.
Delivering productivity levels up to 50% higher than previous models, HP introduces its new range of HP Latex large-format printing solutions. The series consists of four devices—the HP Latex 700 and 800, and the HP Latex 700W and 800W—introducing white ink printing to this category for the first time. Print jobs executed by this new series will not only deliver brighter colors and finer details, but will also do so at even faster printing speeds, reaching up to 36 m2 per hour.