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On June 5, 2019, the College of Architects of the State of Oaxaca, a member of the Federation of Architects of the Mexican Republic (FCARM), officially launched the call for entries for the First Oaxacan Architecture Biennale 2019. The initiative aimed to showcase and promote architecture developed within the state, elevating Oaxacan architecture to a national stage. For this inaugural edition, the jury consisted of architects Aldo Paul Ortega Molina, Victor Sánchez Ruz, Prometeo Alejandro Sánchez Islas, Miquel Adriá, and Andrea Griborio.

Today, architecture is a fertile ground for experimentation—a laboratory for testing solutions and building theory. It offers an opportunity to question paradigms, rethink contemporary ways of living, and understand our inherent cultural heterogeneity. Ultimately, it provides a space to enhance the critical value of design and investigate the current place of local practices within a global context.

With a deep understanding of their territory and an exploratory spirit, these emerging firms approach the discipline in innovative ways. Many are defined by an open and evolving character, featuring a multidisciplinary makeup where architecture, urban planning, design, and art seamlessly merge. Below, we present six architecture firms based in Argentina whose work prompts us to reflect on contemporary needs, domesticity, objects, the city, and local production:

Ink and paper were enough to immortalize the charm and spell of balconies, courtyards, and houses—both iconic and everyday structures. The giants of Argentine literature draw their pens to confront the concrete, reminding us once more of what moves and concerns us about architecture.

After receiving 94 proposals from 29 different countries, the Hyde Park Music Pavilion (HPMP) international ideas competition, organized by arquideas, has announced the winning projects. Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in London, England, and one of the city's nine Royal Parks, three of which form a chain from the entrance of Kensington Palace, through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, to Buckingham Palace.

The results of the International Ideas Competition for the design of the Thematic Pavilions for Expo 2023 on the Tecnópolis grounds have been announced. Organized by the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos (SCA) and the Colegio de Arquitectos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (CAPBA), and sponsored by the Federación Argentina de Entidades de Arquitectos (FADEA), the fifth of the six international competitions involved the design of two pavilions to serve as exhibition areas for the themes addressed by the Expo, creating ideal spaces to explore creative industries in an educational and entertaining way.

Iconoclast, painter, musician, photographer, visionary, genius… and architect. Fernando Higueras [Madrid, 1930-2008] left his mark on the history of Spanish architecture in an emotional way, showcasing architecture in its most essential quality.

Born in Madrid on November 26, 1930, Fernando Higueras was, like many others, a key exponent of late architectural modernism in 1960s Spain. Far from being merely novel or exceptional, his approach reiterated the timeless lesson of the creative process: talent and grace were not enough; they had to be accompanied by immense perseverance and, above all, passion. 

Argigram is a project that explores the possibilities of developing a local version of the future, presented as an exhibition from July 23 to September 8 at the Mar del Plata Museum of Contemporary Art (MAR). Curated by Martin Huberman, the exhibition focused on the production of nine cities for the 2050-2100 period, where various architects from Argentina had the opportunity to study and test territorial relationships, aesthetic tensions, and cultural developments to reclaim the creative and cultural sovereignty of Argentina's future.

Fifty years after its last participation, Cuba returns to the Milan Triennial for the XXII International Exhibition, titled "Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival."

Addressing the relationship between humanity and nature, the Cuban Pavilion showcases unconventional examples of organic architecture: the National Art Schools of Havana, born of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara's desire to offer art education to all developing nations.

More than 10,000 readers nominated their favorite projects from nearly 1,000 built works in Latin America and Spain: the day has come to meet the finalists of ODA19.

On Wednesday, December 4, Mexican architects Arturo and Jorge Arditti received the Honorary Doctorate Latin America Leaders Awards 2019 at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna. The distinction was awarded by The Global School for Social Leaders in collaboration with 1MillionStartups, The Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens, the Humanist World Foundation, and the Analysis and Opinion Research Group (GIAO).

On Tuesday, November 19, 2019, the College of Architects of Mexico City and the Society of Mexican Architects (CAM-SAM) held a ceremony to recognize the contributions of architecture to Mexican society over the last two years, presenting the 2019 CAM-SAM Awards.

Building sandcastles on the beach is an ancient practice that allows us to dive deep into our imagination, ideas, and dreams. For many, it was likely our first approach to construction. Water and sand merge, transforming into space—something greater than the sum of its parts. While fortresses, bridges, and moats are a thing of the past for some, another typology has emerged to take their place: the house.

Below, we present a selection of Argentine houses built on sand dunes, designed by architects who turned castles into houses, sand into concrete, and dreams into reality.

EMS Arquitectos, Pantoja Arquitectos and ALCUADRADO Arquitectos present their second-place winning proposal for the public design competition for the preliminary design of the infrastructure replacement of the UIMIST hospital unit in the municipality of Bucaramanga. The concept is based on redefining the traditional role of the hospital through four perspectives: urban, clinical, landscape, and technical.

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The following project, commissioned to architect Sebastian Castro Aedo alongside Bowlpark, proposes seven new interventions and a series of repairs to the skatepark originally designed by Plan Rampa in Parque Araucano. Located in a public park in the eastern sector of Santiago, in the commune of Las Condes, the project demonstrates various ways to activate specific areas, enabling new, more fluid ways of navigating the circuits.

“In this house are the books that helped me write the history of Argentine literature, which is the history of Argentine pain; here is the copious correspondence exchanged over half a century with many wise minds; here is my archive—all of which I have been unable to organize or classify, because my work did not allow it, but everything has been cared for and arranged by my wife. With her consent, I say today that all of this no longer belongs to me: it belongs to the homeland, so that future researchers may find here the elements that will allow them to know how the heart of the country beat...”

These words welcome visitors to the Ricardo Rojas House Museum. A prologue, if you will. Ricardo Rojas's house is an enigmatic piece that encompasses several cultural layers. In the library rest the masters: Borges, Arlt, Walsh, Rojas. In the courtyard, fountains and mermaids, suns and stars. Symbols that appeal to our memory.

The Kalmanani Prize is an annual event held in Mexico City that has recognized the work of various prominent architects over the years, including SANAA, Sou Fujimoto, Steven Holl, and Álvaro Siza. This year, NODE is honored to present Bjarke Ingels of BIG in Mexico City, recognizing the career of one of today's most innovative and prominent architecture firms. Recently named Chief Architect of WeWork, Bjarke Ingels will deliver a keynote lecture in addition to receiving the eighth edition of the Kalmanani Prize.

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For the third time, the Architecture and City Festival MEXTRÓPOLI is hosting the competition Arquine No. 21 | MEXTRÓPOLI Pavilion 2019. On Monday, January 14, from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, all registered proposals were submitted. Following a deliberation at the Arquine offices at Avenida Ámsterdam 163 in Mexico City to evaluate the 297 proposals submitted (out of 371 registered), the jury—composed of Víctor Alcérreca, Sol Camacho, Mario Corea, Hernán Díaz Alonso, Jimena Hogrebe, and Fermín Espinosa (as technical juror)—reached the following decisions:

The Maestranza de San Bernardo, an abandoned railway complex declared a historical monument that was once one of the largest railway hubs in South America, located south of Santiago, Chile, is making progress on its restoration and conversion into a boulevard. Designed by the firm Uno Proyectos, led by architect Gonzalo Martínez de Urquidi, the project aims to revitalize the area by introducing a program of economic and civic exchange spaces.

On September 25, the winners of the International Ideas Competition for the design of the new Public Space, Main Boulevard, and Connection Bridge to be built in Tecnópolis for Expo 2023 were announced. Organized by the Central Society of Architects (SCA) and the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA), and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Entities (FADEA), this is the last of the six international competitions launched this year within the framework of Expo 2023. Across all competitions, a total of 199 proposals were submitted, with the participation of at least 2,000 architects and engineers from around the world.

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The tenth edition of the "Single-Family Home" Architectural Design Workshop, organized by the architecture firm Cota Paredes Arquitectos, has concluded. The workshop invited graduate architects and senior architecture students to develop a single-family home over four weeks, in either in-person or online formats.

At first glance, the title of this article might seem difficult to grasp, given that the vast number of visitors to this prominent city—the country’s primary tourist destination—are active walkers and urban catalysts. Why then the demand for a city designed for people? Those who do not just pass through, but actually live there, understand this reality best. Cars are increasingly being prioritized over pedestrians, threatening and endangering the city, its conservation, and its heritage.

I remember experiencing the magic of walking there amid drizzle, stone-paved streets, narrow alleys, colonnades, and cathedrals. It must be one of the most unique places in the world, where walking is a mystical and immersive experience.

Cusco is the historical capital of Peru, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. It was once the capital of the Inca Empire and later one of the most important cities of the Viceroyalty. It preserves a vast number of monuments from those eras, reflected in its churches, palaces, and plazas. The Plaza Mayor, majestically flanked by two cathedrals, is one of its main draws due to its centrality, architecture, and cultural activity, drawing large crowds—but also heavy vehicle traffic. This is the crux of the debate: Should it be pedestrianized? What is the current state of urban mobility?

Just two months ago, the final phase of Parque de la Estación was inaugurated in Buenos Aires, a project that reclaimed underutilized land at the Sarmiento Railway's 11 de Septiembre station to create a public park. One of the most significant aspects of this urban revitalization project was the active role citizens played in the design and planning process, serving as a clear example of how public participation and co-creation can be powerful tools for designing high-quality public spaces that provide real solutions for local residents.

On November 27, four major works of brutalist architecture in Argentina were declared "National Historic Monuments" four: the Mariano Moreno National Library, the Manuel Belgrano School of Commerce, the 6 de Julio Municipal Palace, and the School of Architecture at the University of Mendoza. These buildings, considered outstanding examples of brutalist architecture, will be protected under Decree 791/2019, which establishes that they cannot be modified, sold, encumbered, or alienated, nor can their facades be altered without the prior intervention of the National Commission of Monuments, Museums, and Historic Places.

In the middle of last year, media outlets and social networks erupted: the debate over Rafael Viñoly's project for the San Rafael Hotel in Punta del Este, Uruguay, had begun.