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 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 Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio de Janeiro (CAU/RJ) is conducting an unprecedented study to profile architects and urban planners working in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The survey primarily aims to gather data on professionals working outside the capital and those employed in the public sector. The initiative also seeks to gather input for the council's strategic planning for the 2021–2023 triennium.

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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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.

Organized by the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA) and promoted by the Ministry of Territorial Development and Habitat, the Casa Propia – PROCREAR II Housing Project Competition was launched with the goal of implementing an action plan to facilitate access to permanent housing. This initiative aims to improve the affordability of housing solutions for all social sectors in response to current demand in Argentina.

Fundación Mi Parque in collaboration with Transelec, has developed a manual focusing on the technical and landscaping aspects of pruning urban trees near power transmission lines. This task is identified as an opportunity to move toward building an integrated and sustainable city image.

The renowned Fritz Höger Award for Brick Architecture announced the winners of its 2020 edition, which recognizes architectural practices from around the world for their outstanding achievements in brick construction. With nearly 600 projects submitted once again and a strong international response, the competition—now in its fifth edition—is one of Germany's most important architecture awards.

The Albeida Tourism Complex, designed by architects Alfonso Salgado Suárez and Francisco Liñares Túñez, and the new Spatial Planning Guidelines of the Basque Country are the winning projects of the latest edition of the 2020 Architecture and Urbanism Awards, presented by the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE).

Organized by the Central Society of Architects (SCA) together with Clarín Arq and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architecture Entities (FADEA), the Clarín-SCA National Prize for architecture students aims to foster the development of future architects. The competition received individual and group projects completed during the final two years of study in 2020 and 2021.

Shaped by the pandemic, how can we address a challenge as complex as the proper functioning of supply markets and street vending? We all know that, in one way or another, we need to reinvent them.

More than 20 spaces and buildings of high architectural, cultural, and heritage value will open their doors, allowing the public to rediscover the architecture and urbanism of Buenos Aires. In its ninth edition, this in-person festival will take place on December 4 and 5, offering unique tours with innovative and accessible activities for all.

The National Public Competition for the Basic Scheme and Urban, Landscape, and Architectural Preliminary Design outlines the development of the “Water Landscapes” project for the Rio Negro Linear Park, located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia. Organized with the advisory of the Colombian Society of Architects (Antioquia Chapter), the competition aims to gather urban, architectural, and landscape design proposals for the urban stretch designated for the park.

The jury comprised architects Giovanna Vittoria Spera Velasquez, Jorge Pérez Jaramillo, Martha Cecilia Fajardo Pulido, John Octavio Ortiz Lopera, and Paola Catalina Castro Gomez. Out of 17 submissions, three prizes and two honorable mentions were awarded. The winning entries are presented below.

Under the agreement between the Government of San Juan and the province's Association of Architects, a preliminary design competition was held for the construction of a new police headquarters. The winning project, designed by ABCH Arquitectura, proposes an urban piece that fosters a relationship between society and the police department as an institution.

Eleven projects were submitted to the competition, evaluated by a jury consisting of an architect from the State Secretariat for Security and Public Order, two architects from the Ministry of Public Works and Services, an architect representing the College of Jurors for FADEA, an architect from the Argentine Federation of Architects' Associations, an architect chosen by the participants, and a representative from the San Juan Provincial Police.

International architecture studio Mestres Wåge has been selected to design Barcelona's future educational and technological hub for the maritime sector. The project, presented last April, stood out for its relationship with the surroundings, its permeability, its integration of public space, and its coherent functional layout.

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The Federal Government and the Association of Engineers and Architects of Mexico will award the 2020 National Architecture Award to Guadalajara-born architect Fray Gabriel Chávez de la Mora, who at 91 has stood out for his 175 projects over a 65-year career.

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The results of the ideas competition to rehabilitate the Raixa estate in Mallorca, Spain, have been announced. Organized by the Department of Sustainability and Environment of the Consell de Mallorca with the collaboration of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, the call invited participants to design architectural proposals to rehabilitate the existing building complex (a traditional estate of Moorish origin and high heritage value located at the foot of the Sierra de Tramontana) and transform it into an agroforestry training school (Margers) and a mountain shelter that highlights the Dry Stone Route (which begins in Valldemossa, passes through Raixa, and reaches Bunyola, Orient, and Alaró).

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.

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.

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The winners of the Provincial Preliminary Design Competition for the Refunctionalization and Enhancement of Independencia Park in Bahía Blanca (Buenos Aires, Argentina) have been announced. Organized by the Association of Architects of the Province of Buenos Aires (CAPBA D 10) and promoted by the Municipality of Bahía Blanca (MBB), the competition invited architects to develop projects to revitalize the site's facilities and consolidate the park's heritage value.

With a total of 80 entries submitted, the awards and honorable mentions have been announced for the National Preliminary Project Competition for the Technology-Educational Hub and Park, to be built on the ArcelorMittal Acindar site in the city of Villa Constitución, in the southern province of Santa Fe, Argentina. Conceived as an educational space open to the community, the Technology-Educational Hub and Park aims to boost interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and technology in society. The goal is to promote engineering skills and vocations among youth, while showcasing the materials and construction methodologies used by ArcelorMittal Acindar.

The 2015 earthquake that struck the Coquimbo region in Chile resulted in the relocation of 88 households from the Baquedano sector to safe zones. Consequently, the Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (MINVU), through SERVIU, launched a call for proposals to design public rental housing complexes based on general design, energy efficiency, and social participation criteria.

The team composed of Fundación Urbanismo Social and Cristián Fernández Arquitectos won first place in the competition, followed by the proposal submitted by TECHO + Sabbagh Arquitectos. The winning proposal includes a community-support plan that, alongside the construction of public spaces and social housing with mitigation measures, aims to provide displaced families with a safe space to settle and rebuild a sense of community.

The 2021 National Competition for Undergraduate Projects (CNPP) and National Competition for Thesis Projects (CNPT) by Arquitectura Caliente are open competitions that seek to recognize and reward the best student projects in Chile. In this latest edition, a total of 371 registered projects were submitted, representing 29 schools across the country and 10 different cities.

The Danta Awards are held alongside the Guatemala Architecture Biennial 2021 to recognize the hard work and innovation of Guatemalan and Central American architecture professionals and students. Over 100 projects have competed in previous editions, highlighting numerous architecture firms such as Shoarq, Piegatto, and Paredes Aleman Arquitectos.