Photographer Rafael Schimidt has shared with us a recent series of photographs of the Prudência Building, designed by Rino Levi in 1944. Located on Higienópolis Avenue, near central São Paulo, "this apartment building presented, for its time, a high standard of comfort due to its dimensions—four bedrooms and large living rooms—the materials used, and central hot water and air conditioning systems, representing an initiative without parallel in its time," comments Simone Barbosa Villa in an article on Rino Levi's buildings.

The effects of urban heat islands, which are particularly noticeable during high summer temperatures, are closely linked to paved areas in urban centers. Because it is impermeable and absorbs significant heat due to its dark color, the asphalt covering streets can considerably raise a city's average temperature—especially in areas lacking vegetation.

With this in mind, the local government of Tietê, a city in the state of São Paulo, implemented a remarkably simple and inexpensive strategy: they painted the streets cyan blue. According to the city's Secretary of the Environment, George Nicolosi, studies show that this blue color reflects more light than the dark gray of traditional asphalt, helping to lower the surface temperature.

In January, the Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism opened the call for submissions for the event's 11th edition, the XI BIAU. The Biennial will be held in Asunción, Paraguay, this October, and will focus on modes of living in Latin America from an everyday perspective. The Brazilian curation is led by Cristiane Muniz, Fábio Valentim, Fernanda Barbara, and Fernando Viégas, partners at the firm Una Arquitetos.

Students, faculty, and staff of the Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism & Design of Alagoas, led by professors Adriana Capretz Borges da Silva Manhas and Josemary Omena Passos Ferrare, alongside student Cecília Oliveira do Nascimento Rossé, have organized an online petition to award professor Zélia de Melo Maia Nobre the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from UFAL (Federal University of Alagoas).

Boxing Boxes is a project resulting from two years of architectural research by Carlos Ortega Arámburo and Daniel de León Languré that combines boxing, as a tool for self-discipline and violence control, with a structure that activates civic space in marginalized areas. For this year's Lisbon Architecture Triennale, the Mexican architect, along with a local interdisciplinary team, installed the equipment in the Portugal Novo neighborhood, in Olaias, Lisbon.

The 2019 Building of the Year Award—ArchDaily's annual recognition where the winning projects are selected by public vote—has announced its list of winners, and as usual, the selection spans buildings from all over the world. Among the projects chosen by our readers, a Brazilian design won the award in the "Public Architecture" category: Sesc 24 de Maio, by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in partnership with the firm MMBB Arquitetos.

The Gife Pavilion was designed as an exhibition display for the Gife Exhibition, on view at CCSP in September of this year. Beyond its installation at the Cultural Center, the solution had to accommodate a traveling setup in different configurations that could adapt to new venues, which were still undecided at the time of the design. At the same time, it needed to be well integrated into the context of CCSP. 

On January 19, Japan House São Paulo will open the exhibition Architecture for Dogs, curated by Japanese designer Kenya Hara. Through the work of renowned architects, the exhibition presents doghouses in a pioneering exercise in scale that considers society's current relationship with these pets.

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Many buildings pique the curiosity of passersby about what lies behind their doors. Instead of merely imagining the uses and privacy of these typically inaccessible spaces, next weekend—June 29 and 30—visitors will be able to explore the interiors of various architectural works in the cities of Porto, Matosinhos, and Gaia during the Open House Porto festival.

Saint-Gobain has announced the winning projects of the 6th Saint-Gobain Architecture Award – Sustainable Habitat. In the Best Project of the Edition category, the winner was Sesc Avenida Paulista, by Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados. The winners in the “Comfort,” “Innovation,” and “Sustainability” categories were, respectively, the Nova L’Oréal Building, by RRA – Ruy Rezende Arquitetura; the Fecomércio Sesc Senac Administrative Headquarters (RS), by Estúdio 41; and Sesc Osasco, by Spadoni & Associados Arquitetura e Urbanismo.

Drawings, photographs, silkscreens, and other original pieces by architects and artists from around the world will be auctioned at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto. Organized by second-year students of the Integrated Master in Architecture (MIArq) at FAUP, the "Quem dá mais" initiative—an open-bid auction—will feature works by Norman Foster, Álvaro Siza, and Eduardo Souto de Moura, among others.

WRI Brasil has launched a free online publication detailing the benefits, costs, and barriers of adopting sustainability measures in social housing developments. Jointly produced by Lara Caccia, Henrique Evers, Luana Betti, and Camila Schlatter, the study examines simple, low-cost actions and technologies aimed at reducing water and electricity consumption in buildings.

The UN-Habitat Public Space Programme has opened a call for proposals to fund public space projects with up to $100,000 in Brazil. According to the New Urban Agenda, the planning and management of quality public spaces are understood as fundamental prerequisites for poverty reduction and the fulfillment of human rights in urban areas.

The federal government's Minha Casa Minha Vida housing program risks running out of funding starting this June, Regional Development Minister Gustavo Canuto declared this week. The current budget of R$ 4.17 billion is one of the lowest since the program was created in 2009, during the administration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Last month, the city of Cuiabá inaugurated its first bus shelter built by repurposing shipping containers. The shelter was developed under a public-private partnership model, in which the companies Pantanal Shopping and Edificatto Arquitetura provided the bus stop to the city in exchange for advertising rights.

Unesp (São Paulo State University), through its virtual communication channel Univesp TV, is offering a free online course in Art History. Comprising 29 video lessons, the course is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students interested in art, history, research, and culture.

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Within the scope of The Poetics of Reason, this year's Lisbon Architecture Triennale explores the nexus between Agriculture and Architecture, two complementary fields that emerged around 10,000 years ago during the Neolithic Revolution and, later, in the Anthropocene. Given the current environmental crisis, the core hypothesis of the exhibition Taking the Country's Side: Agriculture and Architecture, curated by Sébastien Marot, is that no consistent thinking can develop in the future of either discipline unless they are once again allied and fundamentally reconsidered together.

The open call Outros Territórios – International Call for Urban Intervention Projects has selected the seven finalists of the program's first stage. All will be presented in an exhibition at Viaduto das Artes, an intriguing cultural space in the Barreiro region installed under two overpasses and aligned with the call's general concept of exploring possibilities for activating urban gaps.

In Asunção, Paraguay, the XI Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism announced today the winners of the Panorama of Works section for this edition of the event, "all faithful to the spirit of the XI BIAU: inhabiting, the inhabitant," according to the organizers.

Out of 997 projects in Latin America, 17 architectural works—predominantly for collective use—built in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay, and Venezuela were awarded.

Projects working to preserve and promote Brazilian Cultural Heritage can now access the official guidelines to participate in this year's Rodrigo Melo Franco de Andrade Award. Globally recognized for its cultural diversity, Brazil is a country whose identity reflects the influence of various groups that helped shape Brazilian society. For 32 years, the Rodrigo Award, organized by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), has encouraged and recognized those who work to preserve the country's cultural assets.

Applications are now open for the 6th Instituto Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize. The initiative continues to map contemporary architectural production by highlighting, for the sixth consecutive year, significant projects built in the current Brazilian landscape that demonstrate a commitment to their site and sustainability, as well as design and constructive inventiveness. 

On October 19, a workshop on implementing an ecological sanitation system will be held. The event will take place in São Paulo's South Zone and is open to anyone interested. The workshop is organized by the social-environmental project cooperative Sapiência Ambiental in partnership with the UFABC Agroecology Center.

In April, UMAPaz is offering a course aimed at individuals who want to learn more about sustainability applied to architecture and construction projects, including small renovations. With an introductory approach, it seeks to clarify concepts of sustainable construction for anyone interested in the topic, without requiring prior knowledge.

One of Italy's most important culinary hubs, Bologna is aiming to encourage its residents to adopt cycling, public transit, or simply walking as their primary means of transportation—leaving their cars at home. To achieve this, the city has launched an incentive program.