Physical distance is no longer an obstacle for the world's major museums. Once limited by their geographic locations and accessible only to those who could visit them in person, many museums have now digitized their collections, while others are in the process of doing so—a strategy that broadens reach and, to some extent, democratizes access to culture.

Portugal will be home to another project designed by Álvaro Siza. The renowned Portuguese architect was invited by the authorities of Oleiros to design the revitalization of the Miradouro do Zebro, a prominent tourist attraction located in the country's central region.

Budgeted at two million euros, the revitalization project will also feature the construction of a suspension bridge connecting Oleiros, Pampilhosa da Serra, and Fundão.

Closed for renovations since 2010, the Sesc branch on Avenida Paulista now has an official opening date: April 29. Designed by the firm Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados, the renovation project transformed the former Sesc Paulista space, creating three auditoriums, workshop rooms, exhibition areas, rehearsal and fitness rooms, as well as the traditional services offered by all Sesc branches, such as a café, restaurant, and shops.

Focused on performing arts and body movement, the program of Sesc Paulista is spread over 17 floors, featuring a rooftop café and an observation deck overlooking the avenue. 

The Sebrae Sustainability Center (CSS), designed by architect and urban planner José Portocarrero, won the BREEAM Awards 2018 for best sustainable building in the Americas, as well as the popular vote category. Inspired by indigenous dwellings, which are benchmarks in bioclimatic design, the building in Cuiabá (MT) stands out for its thermal comfort and maximum use of natural light. Its double-shell roof enables internal cooling and rainwater harvesting, which is filtered and stored for garden irrigation and floor washing.

The exhibition "Women Architects XIX-XX" on the role of women in the history of the profession, installed at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal, was vandalized between last Friday night and Saturday morning. Held by the Integrated Master's in Architecture of the university's Department of Civil Engineering, the exhibition occupied the building's lobby and was destroyed, likely by punches and kicks, according to an article published by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

Aiming to reflect on how "the visibility of women architects in the context of established architectural history is minimal and does not do justice to their actual and real presence in building cities and architecture," the exhibition, organized by Patrícia Santos Pedrosa, showcased the results of research on the production and presence of female architects over the past two centuries who contributed to expanding "the way we make, think, and question architecture."

National Architect and Urban Planner Day, celebrated on December 15, has officially become law. Law 13,627/2018, which adds the date to the official Brazilian calendar, was signed into law by the Presidency of the Republic on January 16. This marks an important step in the process of professional recognition initiated by CAU/BR and regional CAUs since their creation in 2011. The Council began operating precisely on December 15 so that its establishment would coincide with the birth date of Oscar Niemeyer.

This week, Congress approved the creation of 231 positions for the office of the federal interventor in Rio de Janeiro and the Extraordinary Ministry of Public Security — to fund these new roles, positions will be eliminated at the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan).

Of the newly created positions, all of which are appointed roles, 67 will be allocated to the office of the interventor, General Walter Braga Netto, and 164 will be chosen by the Extraordinary Minister of Public Security, Raul Jungmann.

The open call for projects for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale closed on Friday, January 19, at 11:00 p.m., after being open to the public for one month. 

The initiative aimed to find projects across Brazil that demonstrate architecture as a tool to mediate conflicts, negotiate transitions between the public and private realms, and articulate connections between distinct urban fabrics. 

Over the past five years, Lisbon has attracted significant international attention, driving major changes in the Portuguese capital's urban life. From foreign technology investment to the promotion of cultural initiatives, these transformations are both positive and negative—a complex issue currently debated through the lens of gentrification, echoing developments in other global cities such as Berlin, Portland, and San Francisco.

On the cultural front, the city boasts an impressive diversity of initiatives, ranging from the opening of major, world-class museums—such as MAAT and Coches—to a rich culture of urban graffiti murals. This scene is supported by initiatives like the Underdogs cultural platform, which has worked with artists from around the world since 2013 to bring these paintings to the city's walls.

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The open course Arquitetura Paulistana, organized by Estúdio Artigas, offers guided tours of prominent contemporary projects in São Paulo. Accompanied by the architects behind the designs, participants gain insight into each work through the eyes of those who conceived them.

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released last week the 2017 edition of the Profile of Brazilian Municipalities (Munic). According to the document, fewer than half of Brazilian cities have structured planning for housing. The report points out that last year, of the country's 5,570 municipalities, 59.6% had some type of housing-directed initiative, but only 39.7% had a Municipal Housing Plan.

Announced in 2016, the Cidade Matarazzo complex is currently under construction near Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. In addition to a tower designed by Jean Nouvel, the development includes the restoration of the former Matarazzo Hospital and the Santa Luzia Church, both heritage-listed by Condephaat – the Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic, and Tourist Heritage of the State of São Paulo.

To protect the church's structure during excavation work, the engineering team behind the Grupo Allard development carried out a delicate procedure to keep the 1,200-ton building suspended 31 meters above the ground. 

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) has released the publication Urbanized Areas of Brazil, which maps the urban footprints of major Brazilian cities. Covering the changes that occurred between 2011 and 2015, the study presents an overview of the country's recent urbanization process.

One of São Paulo's primary historical and tourist landmarks, the Pateo do Collegio—the founding site of the state capital—awoke with its facade covered in graffiti. "Olhai por nois" [Look out for us] is the phrase that, in red letters, covers the facade of the Museum of Sacred Art and the chapel of the complex, which belongs to the Society of Jesus.

Under Brazil's environmental crimes law, defacing monuments is a crime, and perpetrators can face up to one year in prison. At the time of publication, those responsible for the act had not been identified by the Metropolitan Civil Guard.

Indivisível (Indivisible) is the title of the graphic novel created by Marília Marz as her final thesis project at Escola da Cidade – Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. The project aims to identify and analyze the narrative possibilities intrinsic to the architectural and urban elements of the Liberdade neighborhood in São Paulo across two distinct historical periods.

The new award, a partnership between the Tomie Ohtake Institute and Leroy Merlin, has extended its submission deadline. Until August 10, university students of any discipline can submit design projects related to products, furniture, fashion, interiors, landscaping, web, graphics, services, and other fields, under the theme SHARE.

Afastado de Quem Fala is a diptych short film about Adega Baía da Arruda, a project by the Portuguese-Swiss studio Barão-Hutter, built on Pico Island in 2017.

Last Thursday, during the opening of the exhibition featuring the 13 finalist projects – selected from 244 submissions representing 17 Brazilian states and the Federal District – the winners of the 5th Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize were announced.