The "Kilometer Zero" concept has been gaining popularity in contemporary architecture, promoting environmentally conscious approaches to reducing carbon emissions. One application of this concept is the blōma project by SPBR arquitetos, led by Angelo Bucci. The São Paulo-based firm's first project in Curitiba, the residential building was designed to prioritize local resources and labor.

Through August 31, 2023, CAU Brasil will accept proposals for papers on the theme of Education, Professional Scope, and Practice. The goal is to discuss ideas that answer the question: What kind of architect do we need and what kind of architect do we want? Selected papers will be presented during CAU's 2nd National Seminar on Education, Professional Scope, and Practice. The free, hybrid event is organized by the Education and Training Commission of the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil (CEF-CAU/BR) and is scheduled to take place from September 18 to 20 in Brasília.

On August 24, Romano Guerra Editora will release the book Arquitetura e escrita: relatos do ofício, which brings together twenty-four interviews with Brazilian and international architectural historians and critics from various theoretical and professional backgrounds, academic disciplines, and generations. Mostly previously unpublished, the interviews were conducted both in response to local interest in the subjects and to reflect the global momentum of theoretical and historiographical debates in the field over recent decades.

The firm gru.a, established in Rio de Janeiro in 2013 by Caio Calafate and Pedro Varella, has developed small-scale projects and installations, focusing particularly on the intersection of art, architecture, and infrastructure. Notable works include the installation La playa y el Tiempo and the Abrigo Alto and Academia shelters.

On Monday, August 14, the Di Tella Architecture Prize—organized by the School of Architecture and Urban Studies (EAEU) at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella (UTDT) through its Center for Contemporary Architecture Studies (CEAC), and funded by a donation from the Instituto Di Tella—was awarded to this emerging practice.

The Mayor's Office of Bucaramanga, together with the Colombian Society of Architects, sought innovative proposals for the orderly and sustainable development of Bucaramanga's urban peripheries in Colombia. Through viable, long-term management, financial, social participation, and regulatory models, the initiative aimed to foster the creation of a “Nuevo Norte” (New North) as a key central hub for the city and its metropolitan area, serving as an epicenter for inclusive, cohesive, productive, biodiverse, connected communities with high-quality habitats.

The public ideas competition for the territorial occupation model of the municipality's North Border aimed to gather urban proposals that integrate the needs and opportunities of both rural and urban environments. In this competition, the jury—composed of José Alejandro Gómez Suárez, Giovanna Vittoria Spera Velásquez, Helga María Rivas Ardila, Diana Wiesner Ceballos, and Manuel Sánchez Ruiz—awarded first prize to TA – El Taller De Arquitectos. Read on to learn more about the winning project.

One of the leading names in Brazilian photography, Hans Gunter Flieg (1923) worked in the fields of industry, advertising, and architecture. His images document the country's industrial development and verticalization, particularly in the city of São Paulo, starting in the 1940s. Through highly technically sophisticated photographs, he documented industrial facilities, machinery, buildings, and objects, challenging the boundaries between the objectivity of documentary photography and formal rigor.

The film Volume II: Inhabiting the Territory is part of the project From the Periphery, which comprises a trilogy of documentaries exploring various themes related to contemporary Latin American architecture.

This second installment is an audiovisual essay focusing on the academic practice of the Talca School of Architecture and its relationship with the inhabitant, the landscape, and the materiality of Chile's Central Valley through the experience of the Taller de Obras. Specifically, the narrative is set during the 2006 edition of the course, held in the town of Curtiduría under the theme of vulnerability as the workshop's central axis.

The US Cities Forward program selects various municipalities in the Western Hemisphere requiring urban assistance based on environmental, economic, and social criteria, focusing on the concepts of "sustainability, inclusion, and resilience." The initiative recently announced the 24 cities that will participate from this year through 2026, engaging in peer-to-peer learning with US cities while gaining access to tools and funding to achieve their sustainability goals.

The German company Sono Motors became world-famous for developing the Sion, an electric car powered by solar energy. However, due to a lack of funding to support pre-series production, the project was terminated in February of this year, and the company’s focus is now on adapting and integrating its patented solar technology into third-party vehicles.

This business setback could be good news for the environment, since instead of focusing on individual vehicles, the business model has been restructured to serve a wide range of vehicles, including buses, trucks, and refrigerated vehicles.

Aiming to build a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future, the U.S. Department of State, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, Resilient Cities Catalyst, and the Institute of the Americas recently announced the list of Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. cities that will participate in the “Cities Forward” program. The city of Rosario, Argentina, was selected to work in connection with Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the United States.

A Drug Rehabilitation Center in the Cracolândia region of São Paulo. This was the theme of the first design competition organized by Labideias, open to students and recent graduates in architecture and urbanism with up to two years since graduation.

Architecture can play a critical role in questioning existing possibilities. It can be a voice that, through the built environment, proposes more humanized, creative, and inclusive approaches. Based on this premise, the organization invited participants to develop a proposal that addresses the needs of a marginalized and increasingly persecuted population. Discover the winners and honorable mentions of the #001 Labideias Competition below.

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While Chile is recognized as having one of the best education systems in Latin America, it also maintains a dual public and private system where disparities can often be significant. To address this issue, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) launched the Educational Reactivation Plan, which aims to allocate 100 billion Chilean pesos to preserve the infrastructure of public educational facilities.

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Last year, the samba school Unidos da Tijuca announced the theme for its 2020 parade at the Marquês de Sapucaí: "Architecture and Urbanism." The choice was inspired by the unprecedented title Rio de Janeiro received from UNESCO as the World Capital of Architecture, as well as the city's selection to host the World Congress of Architects—an event organized by the International Union of Architects (UIA) that is expected to draw around 15,000 professionals this July. In addition to honoring architects and urban planners, the school will bring critical issues facing the field to the parade, such as the right to the city, the construction industry's role in the climate crisis, heritage preservation, and even ancestral architectural knowledge.

The Institute of Architects of Brazil - Federal District Department and the Arena BSB Consortium have announced the results of the National Architecture and Landscape Competition for the Redevelopment of the Arena BSB Sports and Leisure Complex, which includes, among other facilities, the Mané Garrincha National Stadium.

The National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage - Iphan has opened applications for 10 fellowships for the Professional Master's in Cultural Heritage Preservation. Interested candidates can apply until March 2, 2020.

Nearly eight years after the project's inception, the Comandante Ferraz Research Station, Brazil's Antarctic research base designed by Curitiba-based firm Estúdio 41, will soon be inaugurated. With construction completed since March of last year, the official opening is scheduled for this January.

The Region V association of the Federation of Architects of the Mexican Republic (FCARM) issued a call for entries for the "Second Biennial: Living Architecture." The event aims to identify, recognize, and promote the best architectural works, publications, research, and theses by architects from Region V, which comprises the states of Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Jalisco, Sinaloa, and Colima.

Several new projects have been introduced this year that bring significant changes to transit options for Chile's residents. These include the addition of the new Santiago Metro Lines and a new preliminary cable car project designed to connect Valparaíso with Placilla de Peñuelas.

In August, the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile celebrated its 81st anniversary at its National Headquarters in Santiago. To mark this anniversary, the 2023 CA Awards ceremony was held. 

The firm Solss Arquitetura was awarded first place in the national competition Iconicidades, organized by the State Government of Rio Grande do Sul and launched in April this year. The initiative sought to select the best proposals for transforming public spaces into hubs that foster the creative economy in the cities of Pelotas, Rio Grande, Santa Maria, Cachoeirinha, and São Leopoldo.

The firm won the competition in São Leopoldo, which aimed to choose the best revitalization project for the Casa da Feitoria and the Immigrant Museum, preparing the site for the bicentennial celebrations of German immigration in Brazil. Discover the project below:

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This “unsolicited architecture” project is driven by the pursuit of professional practice that makes an active contribution, an ethical commitment to promoting the field of architecture and urbanism, and a desire to address pressing local and global challenges through a distinct, positive, and multidisciplinary approach.

Professionals registered with the Council for Architecture and Urbanism (CAU) are invited to participate in the 2020 Census of Architects and Urban Planners. Much like the 2012 Census, this survey aims to map the profile of the architecture and urbanism sector as well as inform CAU's initiatives. In addition, it will update the data collected in the first survey, which saw participation from 90% of registered professionals at the time.

The international architecture and city festival Open House will take place in Madrid from September 21 to 24, 2023, inviting residents to visit and explore some of the capital's most iconic buildings. Extending beyond Madrid to open several spaces in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, this ninth edition will open the doors of over 120 buildings and studios, while also offering 13 outdoor routes and itineraries to discover Madrid's architecture.

London is one of the world's great metropolises and faces a challenge common to urban centers: air pollution caused by fossil fuel vehicles. To combat this issue, the city established Low Emission Zones in 2008, fining large vehicles operating with pollutant emissions above established limits.

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