Teatro Amazonas in Manaus and Theatro da Paz in Belém could soon achieve recognition as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The first step toward this distinction for the Amazon theaters will be taken between December 13 and 15, during the first mobilization workshop in Manaus. This event will gather representatives from the governments of Amazonas and Pará, the city halls of Manaus and Belém, civil society, researchers, and the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN).
In a year marked by physical distancing, social media became even more crucial for connecting with others and staying informed. @archdailybr's Instagram expanded its reach, and in 2020, brought our audience not only Brazilian and Portuguese projects, but also the top articles and news from the architectural world.
When designing a building, one of the greatest challenges lies in integrating its base with the street level. To foster a more beneficial relationship with the city, bring "eyes on the street"—as Jane Jacobs put it—or even establish an active facade, architectural professionals employ various solutions.
Photovoltaic panels are increasingly gaining ground as a clean, renewable energy source. However, many of these systems only work under certain conditions—solar panels rely on direct sunlight, and photovoltaic plants are horizontal developments that require large areas.
The solution to these limitations may have been found by a 27-year-old Filipino student. Carvey Ehren Maigue, from Mapua University, developed a system that converts UV radiation into visible light to generate electricity. AuREUS System Technology, as it has been named, is a material that can be applied to pre-existing surfaces or structures.
In a year deeply marked by virtual interactions, a temporary suppression of urban public spaces, and a profusion of digital exhibitions, the Virtual Online Museum of Art (Voma)—the world's first fully virtual art museum—has opened. Set in a context as intangible as its concept–perhaps on the shores of a lake or an inlet, one cannot be sure–the virtual building features a unique architecture, composed of complex, somewhat ambiguous volumes and a simulated materiality reminiscent of pigmented concrete.
The future has always been impossible to predict with absolute certainty. While various films, books, and theories have attempted to decipher it—and many have come close—we continue to be surprised by what actually emerges. Take, for instance, artificial intelligence tools. As we wrap up 2023 and head into 2024, does this dynamic remain the same? Can these tools also drive social change?
During the week celebrating Architects and Urbanists Day, TV Cultura will broadcast the documentary Social Housing: A Matter of Public Health. Premiering on national television, the production shows how the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the country's chronic social housing crisis to all of society. Directed by Paulo Markun and Marcelo Amiky and hosted by Adriana Couto, the mid-length film will air this Wednesday (12/16) at 10:45 PM.
Today is National Architect and Urban Planner Day in Brazil. Since 2018, Law 13,627/2018 has officially established this date on the Brazilian calendar. The day was chosen to honor architect Oscar Niemeyer on his birthday, and also commemorates the founding of the Council of Architecture and Urbanism (CAU).
The firm Bloco B arquitetura, led by architects Júlia De Fáveri, Camilla Ghisleni, and Gabriela Fávero, was awarded second place in the competition for the renovation of the CAU/SC headquarters building. The competition sought solutions for the building's primary areas, such as the atrium, reception, and facade, in an effort by the Council to "welcome all architects and urban planners, connect with society, engage with the street, and practice the commitment to making the city more human."
The IABsp has just registered its new Bylaws, approved by the Superior Council of the IAB (Cosu) in September of this year, enacting the first major statutory restructuring since 1957. The newly effective bylaws were approved during a general assembly of the IABsp in August, with unanimous support from the 80 members in attendance. The changes aim to increase transparency and representation, while streamlining management and governance within the São Paulo department, strengthening its institutional role.
Honoring and reaffirming the importance of Porto Alegre's modernist icons, a new series launched by AsBEA-RS on its YouTube channel invites the public to visit, alongside architects, market experts, and users, six of the most important buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1960s in the state capital.
Faial, Santa Tecla, Santa Cruz, Palácio da Justiça, Centro Administrativo Fernando Ferrari, and Grêmio Náutico União: six projects that shape the skyline and reaffirm the construction quality of fifty-year-old structures, revisiting the legacy and lessons of prominent architects from Rio Grande do Sul for contemporary urban development.
Having a backyard and the willingness to learn how to grow their own food are what unite low-income families participating in an innovative project in Roraima. This is "Sustainable Backyards" (Quintais Sustentáveis), an initiative by Embrapa in partnership with Lar Fabiano de Cristo (Casa de Timóteo unit) and funded by CNPq, which seeks to stimulate the production and consumption of vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants in backyards across Boa Vista.
Launched in 2018, the project's pillars include sustainable agroecological production, food and nutritional security, income generation, and the social and productive inclusion of vulnerable populations.
During the first two months of isolation due to Covid-19, designer Ivan Jerônimo accumulated more than forty drawings depicting objects and rooms in his apartment. These are ordinary scenes that were suddenly brought to the forefront during the pandemic.
The City of São Paulo launched the digital platform for the Urban Design and Road Works Manual in December last year. This document compiles guidelines for urban projects aligned with the principles of accessibility, social equity, road safety, and environmental sustainability. Coordinated by Elisabete França, José Renato S. Malhem, and Maria Teresa Diniz, the manual aims to guide the design of projects in the road space to meet citizens' well-being needs.
In November 2020, IABsp, the organizer of the International Architecture Biennale of São Paulo, launched a Co-Curatorship Competition for the Biennale's 13th edition, scheduled for 2022. Proposals, which can be submitted through the website until January 24, 2021, will be evaluated by a jury representing diverse fields of knowledge, composed mostly of women and Brazilians.
The 13th Biennale presents RECONSTRUCTION as its initial central provocation, starting from the idea of rebuilding, reshaping, and renewing the relationships of social groups with their domestic spaces, citizens with public spaces, and the personal and professional dynamics unfolding in spaces of confinement and collective use, during and after the pandemic. The Competition also proposes that this reflection involve one or more guiding themes: democracy, bodies, memory, information, and technology.
To celebrate the 467th anniversary of the city of São Paulo, the Museu do Ipiranga is launching the digital campaign São Paulo – Território em Construção on January 25. Through the collection's rich iconography, along with testimonies from historians, architects, and urban planners, the public is invited to reflect on the city's transformations, from its founding in the colonial period to the grand metropolis we know today. The content, formatted as web stories, will be available on a website featuring a timeline, photos, paintings, and maps from the collection, as well as explanatory audio and videos about the evolution of São Paulo's urban space. Visitors can also learn more about the city's main landmarks, such as Pátio do Colégio, Paulista Avenue, and Nove de Julho Avenue.
Iphan has announced the winners of the 33rd edition of the Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade Award (2020 Rodrigo Award). The 12 selected initiatives will each receive R$ 20,000 in funding from the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage, while five others were recognized with honorable mentions. Organized by the institute, the awards program has been held since 1987 and is the largest in the field of Cultural Heritage in the country, recognizing exemplary initiatives of excellence.
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In celebration of São Paulo's 467th anniversary, street artist Criola gifted the Liberdade neighborhood with a massive mural. Produced in partnership with Instagrafite, the work was funded by a special edition of the Street Art Museum (MAR) and prompts a deep reflection and reclaiming of a long history as a stronghold of Black resistance in the city, starting with the neighborhood's very name.
A study conducted by Fundação Espaço ECO and Instituto Akatu seeks to understand the impact of urban mobility based on Brazilian conditions. The research used the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to analyze the different modes of transportation used in cities across their entire chain: equipment production, transport across the chain, use, maintenance, and disposal.
The city of São Paulo was chosen as the focus due to its diverse transit options and population consumption habits, along with access to existing and secondary databases to gather the information that enabled the analysis.
Exponential population growth versus a lack of affordable housing is a challenge affecting urban areas worldwide. To address this issue, the Italian firm Mario Cucinella Architects proposes a new circular housing model: a 3D-printed home made from organic materials.
The prototype uses regionally sourced materials, such as local clay, making it the first printed house of its kind. This reduces emissions from transporting materials and also ensures the building process is zero-waste.
Developed by the Brazilian studio Democratic Architects, the O-SI - Immediate Health Bus (Ônibus de Saúde Imediata) was conceived by designers and doctors focused on creating a modular platform to provide public healthcare services in a modern, safe, and efficient way, based on cutting-edge technology and contemporary concepts of mobile healthcare, sustainable reuse, and social inclusion.
A brief preview of Uncertainty, the Spanish Pavilion for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which will take place from May 22 to November 21.
Motivated by the enrollment of a classmate with a disability at the Dona Escolástica Rosa State Technical School (Etec), logistics students at the institution developed a project that could transform public transit in the city of Santos, São Paulo. The project consists of an audio system designed to assist and offer autonomy to passengers who face mobility challenges.
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), through its Library and Information System (SiBI), has conducted a detailed survey of academic publishers across Brazil's leading universities, compiling a list of 2,650 titles available for free download.
