Organized by the Jujuy Association of Architects and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architects' Organizations (FADEA), the National Ideas Competition for the Former Penitentiary Site in the city of San Salvador de Jujuy is based on reimagining a new purpose for this walled, self-contained architectural and urban complex. Once located on the city's outskirts, the site now occupies a central position within the urban fabric. The goal is to transform it into an urban element that revitalizes and links degraded sectors.

The jury awarded first prize to architect Edgardo Barone, alongside collaborators Valentín Augusto De la Fuente, Juan María Mandalari, Joaquín Mortatti Perez, and Tomas Smachetti, and traffic engineering consultants Eng. Tomás Daels and Eng. Franco P. Di Biase. Discover the project below.

Moradas is a visual-literary project initiated in 2020 by Rafael Baldam, using illustrations based on floor plans and short texts to reflect on domestic space and the act of dwelling. At the beginning of quarantine, the architect and poet began contemplating the domestic sphere, anticipating that it would become a permanent backdrop for the coming months—a reality that indeed materialized and, as of February 2021, still persists.

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The Rio de Janeiro City Hall has announced the expansion of vegetable farming on municipal land along the Madureira Park railway line. In 2022, the area will host what is set to become the world's largest urban garden, covering 110,000 square meters.

The primary objective is to generate income and food security for 50,000 low-income families per harvest by 2024. The initiative will also establish a green corridor of vegetables running along Madureira Park to Guadalupe, in partnership with Embrapa and the utility company Light, as part of the crops will be located under the company's power transmission towers.

Arquis, the new HBO Max series about the life and work of six of Latin America's most renowned architects, has premiered. It is no surprise that the first one-hour episode features Alejandro Aravena, the Chilean architect who won the Pritzker Prize in 2016.

The winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards Next Generation for Latin America have been announced. The winning projects from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia address key aspects of sustainability. The winners of the LafargeHolcim Awards (Gold, Silver, and Bronze) and Acknowledgements for Latin America will be announced at a hybrid event on November 13, 2021, as part of the 17th International Architecture Biennale in Venice, Italy.

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The former Cine Cosmos, designed by architect Carlos Crombé, was built on a 2,000-square-meter lot on the corner of Calzada México-Tacuba and Melchor Ocampo (Circuito Interior) in Mexico City's Miguel Hidalgo borough. Its opening was delayed until 1948 due to a fire. Along with many other theaters like the Ópera, Teresa, and Alameda, it was part of the so-called “Mexican cinema corridor” that stretched from this avenue to the city's Historic Center.

In the context of the current health crisis, the new edition of Open House Santiago (OH! Stgo) will be dedicated to “The City and Care” as a way to create inclusive opportunities that bring people together in buildings that are typically closed to the public. Scheduled from Friday, January 14 to Sunday, January 23, 2022, the event will focus this time on priority groups such as older adults, people with disabilities, and children. Organized by Fundación Aldea, the initiative has celebrated the contemporary city since 2017 through events aimed at providing citizens with practical knowledge about Santiago's architecture, urban design, and environment through its various urban landmarks.

Today, the passing of architect and academic Erich Coufal Kieswetter (Vienna, Austria; May 11, 1926 – Guadalajara, Mexico; January 31, 2021) was announced. He settled in Mexico in 1950 and was one of seven European architects who arrived in Guadalajara in the 1950s to found the first School of Architecture at the University of Guadalajara. He was responsible for teaching the freehand drawing class, aiming to improve students' skills and introduce technical drawing to the profession.

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The results of the National Ideas Competition for Public Space and Mobility in the Central Area of the City of Resistencia, Chaco Province, Argentina, have been announced. Organized by the Professional Association of Architecture and Urbanism of the Province of Chaco (CPAUCH) and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architecture Organizations (FADEA), the competition invited professionals to develop urban proposals that integrate the city's diverse activities, strengthen the identity of the urban center across different scales (city, neighborhood, and street), address environmental challenges, and structure various modes of mobility.

On December 13, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) building, one of the first projects to kick off the transformation of the hospital campus into a new "research city" concept, designed by architecture firms BAAS Arquitectura and Espinet / Ubach.

As part of the C40 Cities "Students Reinventing Cities" competition, the winning projects from all participating cities have been announced, including Barcelona, Bogotá, Dubai, Paris, and Athens, among many others. Among them, the "Balvanera 2030" project stands out in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. This initiative aims to contribute ideas to redesign the Balvanera Sur neighborhood, incorporating ecological and sustainable guidelines that go beyond addressing local issues. Based on the guiding principles presented by C40 Cities and ARUP, the proposal seeks to rethink the neighborhood's current dynamics, ranging from how citizens interact with the site to structural issues like public space and real estate.

Mexican architecture firm gutarqs has been awarded an honorable mention in the International Architecture Competition for the Development of "Coziness Valley" in Murmansk, the largest city in Russia located above the Arctic Circle. Jointly organized by the Government of Murmansk and the ANO Urban Development Center of the Region, the open call invited participants from around the world to develop an ambitious project to transform the 23-hectare area into a major public space adapted to the polar climate, promoting comprehensive development and urban improvement in the region.

The National University of Rosario, one of the most prestigious universities in Argentina, will award an honorary doctorate (Doctor Honoris Causa) to Spanish architect Alberto Campo Baeza on June 24, 2021, during a public online ceremony.

The Official Associations of Architects of Castilla y León (COACYLE - COAL) have announced the winners of their 11th Architecture and Urbanism Awards, aiming to recognize and showcase the innovative, imaginative, and cutting-edge work produced each year in the region.

The Nemesio Antúnez Commission in partnership with the Architecture Directorate and the General Directorate of Concessions of the Ministry of Public Works (MOP), held two open calls for national artists and architects to create public art pieces for the "Boulevard Poniente" and "Boulevard Oriente" at the New Arturo Merino Benítez Airport in Santiago, Chile.

Pilar Mackenna, Domingo Arancibia, and Gonzalo Peña have been named the winners for the east sector with their work "Sonitus," a steel volume designed to become a temple of sound. Read on to learn more about the project below.

The latest data from SICCAU reinforces the importance of architects and urban planners during times of crisis and necessity. With the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty and business restrictions caused demand for projects and construction to drop drastically in the first months of last year. However, after this initial shock, the architecture and urban planning market showed a strong recovery. In the final three months of 2020, the number of activities registered by architects and urban planners grew by 12% compared to the same period in 2019. 

The National Cultural Heritage Service (SERPAT), with technical advisory from the Ministry of Public Works' Directorate of Architecture and sponsorship from the Chilean Association of Architects and the Association of Architecture Offices (AOA), launched the Los Ríos Regional Infrastructure Design Competition for the Library, Archives, and Collections Repository. The initiative aimed to select the best design proposal to deliver a distinctive and iconic public building for the region while fostering discussion on contemporary local architecture.

The Museum of the Portuguese Language will reopen on July 31, rebuilt after the fire that struck it in December 2015. One of the first museums entirely dedicated to a language, located in the historic Luz Station in the city with the largest Portuguese-speaking population in the world, the museum celebrates the language as a founding element of Brazilian culture. Through interactive experiences, audiovisual content, and immersive environments, visitors are taken on a journey into the history and diversity of the language spoken by 261 million people worldwide. The official opening ceremony on July 31 will be streamed live on the museum's social media channels.

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According to the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB), the construction industry is the largest consumer of natural resources. To minimize environmental impacts, the concept of sustainable construction has emerged, employing techniques that ensure greater efficiency and responsibility from the beginning to the end of a project.

The first consideration is the layout of the rooms, as each space has an ideal location based on the local climate. “The layout of rooms in a residence can establish baseline conditions for comfort or discomfort. It is the role of the architectural design, through the organization of the floor plan, to ensure the appropriate level of sunlight and natural ventilation for each space,” states the free sustainable renovation guide published by the Ministry of the Environment.

A modular, prefabricated bike lane was recently inaugurated in Chapultepec Forest Park, Mexico City. Made from post-consumer plastic waste, its smart design also provides drainage and rainwater storage.

The plastics repurposed for the construction of the bike lane would otherwise have been discarded or incinerated. Another advantage is that if the material wears down, it can be recycled again, creating a circular life cycle.

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With their project Campo de Retamas, the firms Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos and MAPAAC have won the design competition for the comprehensive renovation of the La Paz University Hospital complex (Madrid, Spain). Although the proposal had already been unanimously selected in November 2019, on March 24, the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid approved the final project, establishing the construction start dates. The initial phases of the project are expected to begin in March 2022, with the entire construction process estimated to take about 11 years. To keep the hospital fully operational throughout this period, the renovations will be divided into three phases: the General Hospital, the Maternal and Child Hospital, and finally, the complementary services building and the Maternity Tower.

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Elevating a building off the ground using pilotis frees up the ground floor for pedestrian circulation. This solution, identified by Le Corbusier as one of the five points of modern architecture, creates an open area that fosters a stronger connection between the public space of the street and the private space of the building. Today, contemporary projects adopt various strategies to design active ground floors that engage with the city and generously share their plots with the public.

The Rafael Manzano Prize for New Traditional Architecture aims to promote the value of traditional architecture as a proven reference for contemporary architecture in Spain and Portugal. It seeks to do so both in the restoration of historical and artistic monuments and urban ensembles, and in the construction of new buildings that, based on local traditions, integrate harmoniously into these contexts.

The CA Awards, organized and curated by the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, aim to recognize professionals who stand out for their "excellence, work, and contribution" to the field of architecture across the country. Marking the end of the institution's 79th anniversary celebrations and Architecture Month, the awards honored 12 members who, according to the National Board, are "role models for architects throughout the country." See below the awards and distinctions for each category in this new 2021 edition.