Starting in February, Instituto Inhotim will offer free admission on the last Sunday of every month. This promotional initiative is sponsored by B3 (the Brazilian Stock Exchange) and will run through 2024.
The first free-admission Sunday will be February 26. Currently, free admission is offered on the last Friday of every month, except holidays.
Registration for the 5th Tomie Ohtake Design Award, aimed at university students and recently graduated professionals from all fields, has been extended until February 16. The initiative has established itself as the leading Brazilian design mapping award, welcoming multiple languages due to its transdisciplinary nature and avoiding rigid categories, as it encompasses projects of diverse natures.
Macaé, a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro with over 266,000 residents, has just extended free public transit to people experiencing homelessness. While free access was already guaranteed for people over 60 and individuals with disabilities, it now also benefits the city's vulnerable population.
Unanimously approved during a session of the Macaé City Council, the measure was introduced by council member Iza Vicente (Rede) following a request from the Rio de Janeiro Public Defender's Office. This is the first law in the state of Rio de Janeiro to guarantee free public transit for this demographic.
On Jeju Island in South Korea, Spanish architect Fernando Menis is designing the Park Seo Bo Museum of Contemporary Art, dedicated to the legacy of the Korean artist. Inspired by both his introspective work and collection and the volcanic nature of the site, the building aims to merge with its surroundings. Built mostly underground and utilizing local materials, natural light and shadow combine to form the essence of its interior spaces.
Known for its impressive architecture, Dubai could add a 93-kilometer city-wide bike path to its list of mega-projects. Designed by architecture studio Urb, the mega-structure would be a covered pathway designed exclusively for cyclists and pedestrians, aiming to encourage Dubai's three million residents to swap their cars for more sustainable and healthier modes of transportation.
The Madrid City Council aims to encourage bicycle use as a means of transportation. To this end, the city has operated BiciMAD since 2014—a public bike-sharing system integrated into the Spanish capital's transit network. Now, the program will be free for trips of up to 30 minutes.
In December 2022, the Government of the Republic of Costa Rica launched an architectural and urban ideas competition for the area where the first phase of Ciudad Gobierno will be developed—an urban renewal project in downtown San José that aims to transform nearly four city blocks of the capital with office, retail, and public spaces.
At the end of February 2023, the winning proposal was announced from among 28 submitted designs to serve as a model for the building complex that will house 18 public institutions west of Plaza González Víquez. Designed by Venezuela-based Micucci Arquitectos Asociados, the winning project is titled "Metropolitan Civic Park."
Álvaro Siza, the first Portuguese Pritzker laureate, is undeniably a figure of major importance in the history of contemporary architecture, with projects that have shaped the urban landscape of numerous cities around the world. While his name and work are widely recognized, Siza remains a deeply private and introspective figure who prefers to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
Directed by producer and director Augusto Custódio, the documentary Siza offers an intimate, personal look at the renowned Portuguese architect. The film covers his childhood, his relationship with his wife, his passion for sculpture, and his appreciation for classical music, exploring both his influences and his professional journey.
Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. Going beyond rooftop installations or large power plants, various innovations are emerging to harness the power of sunlight. One such recent initiative is being developed by startup Sun-Ways, which will install removable solar panels along railway tracks in Switzerland.
Today is the day to meet the finalists of ODA2023, the award celebrating the best architecture in the Spanish-speaking world. Our expert jury—you, the readers—has selected 15 of your favorite projects from nearly 1,000 architectural works built across Latin America and Spain.
Now in its fifteenth year, this award has become a true tradition. It is an open invitation to all our readers to recognize the projects published in 2022 that inspired them and that represent the identity of their local contexts in a globalized planet—shaping how architecture is made in Latin America and Spain within an increasingly heterogeneous and multicultural world.
In 2021, Spanish architect Fernando Menis won the public competition to build the two Essential Services Buildings (ESE) of the Canary Islands, to be located on each of the archipelago's largest islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Gran Canaria. By implementing a project focused not only on operational safety but also on hyperconnectivity, functional flexibility, worker well-being, and environmental regeneration, the Government of the Canary Islands aims to enhance public safety, risk prevention, and emergency management to address potential natural hazards, climate change, and other threats such as pandemics, cyberattacks, or terrorism.
Menis's proposal, which features two identical yet autonomous buildings, is expected to achieve greater economic sustainability through lower long-term maintenance and operating costs. Energy-efficient and adaptable to external factors, the Essential Services Buildings (ESE) will provide citizen services year-round.
We are pleased to present the finalist projects for the 2023 Obra do Ano Award. After two weeks of nominations, our readers have chosen their favorite projects from hundreds of works built across Portuguese-speaking countries. Our jury of experts, made up of our very own readers, has once again done an outstanding job of selecting these 15 finalists.
From today until April 3 at 11:59 PM (Brasília time, GMT-3), you can vote once a day for the projects you consider to be the best examples of contemporary Portuguese-speaking architecture. The winners will be announced on April 4.
The renovation project for the Pacaembu Complex was named among the winners of the AR Future Projects awards, organized by the British magazine The Architectural Review. The announcement was made on March 14, and the official awards ceremony will take place in London in early June. Featured in the “New and Old” category, the project was among the three “highly commended” entries among this year’s winners.
A week ago, we announced the 15 finalist projects for the 2023 Building of the Year Award—a recognition of the best architecture in Spanish. Our expert jury—that is, you, our readers—selected an initial shortlist of 15 projects from nearly 1,000 works of architecture built across Latin America and Spain, before proceeding to a final vote that resulted in 3 projects representing the very best of the architecture that inspires us, defines us, and leaves its mark.
Today, the winners of the 2023 ODA are finally revealed!
Organized by the College of Architects of the Province of Córdoba (CAPC) and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architects' Associations (FADEA), the Provincial Ideas Competition was held for Freyre Central Park, located on the former grounds of the Argentine Central Railway in the town of Freyre, Córdoba, Argentina.
The past week brought chaos and despair to thousands of Brazilian families living in the country's North and Northeast regions. Heavy rains hit cities in Pará, Maranhão, Acre, and Amazonas, flooding hundreds of homes while others were completely destroyed by currents.
The Government of the Province of Neuquén, along with Region 1 of the Neuquén Association of Architects (CAN) and the Argentine Federation of Architects' Organizations (FADEA), launched a national competition for ideas and preliminary designs for the Neuquén Memory and Identity Park. The park will be developed on a four-lot federal plot belonging to the Argentine National Army in this region of Argentine Patagonia.
According to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC), President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed Decree No. 11,456, which updates and expands the Support Program for the Technological Development of the Semiconductor Industry (PADIS). The program now includes the photovoltaic sector, focused on solar energy production.
Last week, we announced the 15 finalists for the 2023 Building of the Year, an award celebrating the best of Portuguese-speaking architecture by inviting our readers to select their favorite projects built in Portuguese-speaking countries. The day has come to reveal the winners of the 2023 ODA.
The 2023 Building of the Year Award is presented by Dornbracht, an internationally renowned brand for kitchen and bathroom design.
Marking its first hybrid (online and in-person) edition, the 3rd International Facade Forum 2023 will take place on April 26. Broadcasting from Mexico City, the event will feature 15 lectures by international speakers under the academic direction of Marshall Academia de Fachadas (Bill Marshall and Karina Tarrisse) and organized by the Sarzabal agency (Hernán Barbero Sarzabal and Maui Cittadini), alongside Daniela Ruiz de Chávez, who is managing the organization in Mexico.
Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, has just implemented an intelligent lighting model for crosswalks. Installed at the Praça Portugal roundabout, in the middle of the intersection of two of the city's major roads, the system could help reduce traffic accidents.
Powered by artificial intelligence, the system is capable of detecting human presence based on movement. When the dynamic lighting is activated, light beams track pedestrians from the start to the end of the crosswalk. The light improves driver visibility, especially at this specific location, where vehicles navigate a curve.
The National Ideas Competition for "Buenos Aires and the River – Costa Urbana Public Park" was organized by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCBA) in collaboration with the Central Society of Architects (SCA) and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architecture Entities (FADEA). Given its non-binding nature, its primary goal is to reconnect the city of Buenos Aires with the river through an accessible waterfront designed to expand and link public green spaces, while fostering a sustainable relationship with the riparian environment.
On Wednesday (29), the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) formally presented the nomination of the Artisan Minas Cheese-Making Practices to the Representative List of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, through the Permanent Delegation of Brazil to UNESCO (Brasunesco). The list comprises intangible cultural assets that are considered representative of global cultural diversity and require protection and appreciation.
Under the name "Comfort Room: The Empathic Room," PMMT Arquitectura presents a new double inpatient room model designed to improve the patient experience by putting people at the center of the design process. Already implemented at the Nou Hospital Evangèlic in Barcelona, the firm has made the plans available to architects and other professionals. These can be downloaded for free from their website, allowing this new layout to be implemented in projects while fostering interdisciplinary collective intelligence.
