Registration is now open for the 27th World Congress of the International Union of Architects (UIA), the world's largest architecture event, which will be held for the first time in Brazil, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, in 2020.

The Tomie Ohtake Institute has announced the 15 projects selected for the 2nd Tomie Ohtake Institute Leroy Merlin Design Award. This edition's theme, CIRCULAR, prompted proposals and discussions on the word as a form, and as a synonym for displacement, movement, communication, exchange, renewal, and sustainability, among other interpretations.

The Projetar.org portal has released the results of its 30th competition, which challenged participants to design a Bauhaus campus in Brazil. The project would be located next to the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, where Max Bill envisioned one of Brazil's first design schools, based on the principles of the Bauhaus and its German successor, the Ulm School.

Building certified sustainable public buildings is now a viable reality. At least, that is what the Hassis Daycare project in Florianópolis, designed by architect Rachel Braga, demonstrates. The 1,182-square-meter building is the first of its kind in the world and the first public building in Brazil to receive the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating: Platinum.

On Monday, September 16, the São Paulo City Hall signed the concession of the Pacaembu Stadium to the Patrimônio SP consortium, comprising the engineering firm Progen and the investment fund Savona. The stadium will undergo renovations and is expected to remain closed to the public for the next two years.

The new space of São Paulo's Museum of Image and Sound (MIS) will open its doors with an exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci. Scheduled for October of this year, the opening of the museum's new branch, located in the Água Branca neighborhood in São Paulo's west zone, will host the exhibition Leonardo da Vinci – 500 Years.

The City of Camaçari and the Institute of Architects of Brazil – Bahia Department have announced the winners of the national design competition for the public park on Morro da Manteiga. The goal was to select a viable project that provides Morro da Manteiga with a socially inclusive and environmentally healthy use.

An overview of the work of Ruy Ohtake, spanning from his early career as a recent graduate to his current projects, will be featured in two exhibitions in São Paulo. While the Museu da Casa Brasileira exhibits about 40 projects, either built or under construction, curated by Agnaldo Farias, the Instituto Tomie Ohtake showcases his work as a designer, featuring approximately 25 pieces selected by curators Fábio Magalhães, Marili Brandão, and Priscyla Gomes.

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Marcelo Crivella, has signed into law Bill No. 642-A of 2017, authored by former councilwoman Marielle Franco, which establishes free, public technical assistance for the design and construction of social interest housing for families with a monthly income of up to three minimum wages in the state capital.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) is offering free online courses on smart cities and future cities. Available through the edX platform, which is shared by institutions worldwide, the courses last ten weeks and are conducted via video.

The United Nations, through its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), launched a publication this month focusing on strategies to integrate nutrition policies into urban planning. The document highlights best practices in reducing food waste, promoting healthy diets, and strengthening local production chains.

The Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Brazil, through its Commission for Gender Equity (CTEG), has launched a public survey to collectively build a women's agenda aimed at overcoming challenges in the practice of architecture and urbanism.

Construction of the Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station, the Brazilian Navy's research base in Antarctica, is complete after three years of work on the planet's most extreme continent. A masterpiece of architecture and engineering, the facility features 700 tons of steel structures, an aerodynamic shape to withstand winds of up to 200 km/h, and a stilted base to prevent winter snow accumulation from reaching the building. 

On December 15, we celebrate "Architect's Day." While this date is an opportunity for celebrations and tributes to the profession, it also serves as an occasion to reflect on what the practice of architecture and urbanism in Brazil is—and what it could be. At this time of year, it is also common to take stock of the past and look toward the future. Therefore, let us take this opportunity to reflect on our professional practice and our role as architects, asking: "Where were you in December 2017, and what were you doing then?"

André Schmitt, one of the most respected architects in the state of Santa Catarina, passed away this Thursday (12). Schmitt served as Secretary of Tourism in the 1980s and was a frequent collaborator of the IPUF (Florianópolis Urban Planning Institute), actively participating in public discussions and contributing his knowledge to society. On Florianópolis' anniversary in 2018, he received the Virgílio Várzea Medal of Merit, an honor awarded by the Legislative Assembly of Santa Catarina.

The Casa das Canoas, a landmark residence designed by Oscar Niemeyer in 1951 in Rio de Janeiro and listed as a heritage site by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN), is currently closed. Considered a milestone of modern architecture, the house became famous for being built at the foot of Pedra Bonita in the São Conrado neighborhood. Today, it is at the center of a dispute between the family of the architect who designed the residence and the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation, which is responsible for the property's preservation.

Growing concern over the use of natural resources in architecture has drawn increasing attention from professionals and researchers, pointing toward a future where architects must not only design but also facilitate the decommissioning and recycling of buildings. Against this backdrop, raising awareness about water waste on construction sites has become a major priority—an issue addressed in a recently launched guide by the São Paulo State Construction Industry Association (SindusCon-SP), Caixa Econômica Federal, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The city of Belmonte, on the southern coast of Bahia, has just opened Brazil's first museum entirely dedicated to the chair. The Museum of Brazilian Chairs is a project by designer Zanine de Zanine, son of Zanine Caldas—a Belmonte-born artist and one of the leading figures of Brazilian modernist furniture design—construction entrepreneur Daniel Katz, and the Belmonte Secretariat of Culture and Tourism.

The city of São Paulo is the first in South America to freely release laser-scanned data covering its entire territory. The files are available for download on the GeoSampa Portal. The technology, known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), goes beyond standard satellite imagery or aerial photography to provide a high-resolution geometric representation of a city. Consequently, it offers a much more accurate and detailed model of the mapped area.

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NAPPE is a permanent art installation designed by Portuguese studio FAHR 021.3 and built next to the Nangang Exhibition Center, in a redeveloped area of Taipei, Taiwan. Drawing on the country's culture and geography, NAPPE is inspired by Jade Mountain, the island's highest peak and a symbol of purity, honesty, and national values. The outdoor pavilion seeks to draw citizens into a new urban experience.

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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.

The CAU/BR is studying new rules for issuing Technical Responsibility Records (RRT) and Technical Collection Certificates (CAT) by architects and urban planners. The Professional Practice Commission, which is presenting the proposal to the public, aims to improve the registration system to protect both architects and their clients regarding the technical responsibility of architecture and urbanism services.