Architecture News

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On Thursday, October 11, a new space named Design House opened in Mexico City, showcasing a series of interventions that blend design, architecture, and interior design. Over the past nine years, the event has presented cutting-edge proposals from 100 participating firms across various venues. This is done in collaboration with showrooms along the Ruta del Diño (Design Route), which provide the furniture and accessories featured in the various spaces.

For this year's edition, Design House features 24 renowned architecture and interior design firms. Guided by their unique visions, they have transformed different spaces, drawing inspiration from prominent personalities across various social spheres in Mexico.

One of the first courses I took in the introductory cycle at the School of Architecture was Design Studio. Around 100 young students gathered in the studio, where an architect warmly welcomed us and spoke about the course syllabus. She happily explained that she had recently become the course chair. At the time, I was not aware of academic hierarchies, but I understood it was significant. Over the years, I noticed that most courses were led by men. Therefore, what that architect had achieved was uncommon: she had shattered the glass ceiling by reaching a position of leadership and authority.

This situation is particularly striking because this disparity is not reflected in the classrooms of FADU (University of Buenos Aires). In the architecture program, over 60% of students are women, according to architect Carolina Quiroga. Although women hold 45% of teaching positions, according to a report by the FADU Teaching Administration Department, none of the 'Design' studios—the core subject of the curriculum—are led by female tenured professors.

Unfortunately, the academic world is not the only place where this inequality exists.

The open call for projects for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale closed on Friday, January 19, at 11:00 p.m., after being open to the public for one month. 

The initiative aimed to find projects across Brazil that demonstrate architecture as a tool to mediate conflicts, negotiate transitions between the public and private realms, and articulate connections between distinct urban fabrics. 

Before discussing how and by whom this project is internationally acclaimed, it is important to recognize its regional relevance. Built for the University of Piura, this classroom building is a robust educational project located in the middle of the northern desert. In light of the events of 2017 in various parts of Peru caused by the devastating El Niño phenomenon—where the north was hit hardest, losing many poorly situated buildings made of inadequate materials—this building stands firm. It exemplifies how to intervene with sensitivity, coherence, and respect for the local climate and landscape, serving as a replicable model for national reconstruction. Furthermore, it represents a major contribution to improving the quality of—and investment in—educational spaces outside the capital, promoting decentralization and offering better education and opportunities to students.

Beyond its domestic impact, the project has also garnered significant international recognition:

Over the past five years, Lisbon has attracted significant international attention, driving major changes in the Portuguese capital's urban life. From foreign technology investment to the promotion of cultural initiatives, these transformations are both positive and negative—a complex issue currently debated through the lens of gentrification, echoing developments in other global cities such as Berlin, Portland, and San Francisco.

On the cultural front, the city boasts an impressive diversity of initiatives, ranging from the opening of major, world-class museums—such as MAAT and Coches—to a rich culture of urban graffiti murals. This scene is supported by initiatives like the Underdogs cultural platform, which has worked with artists from around the world since 2013 to bring these paintings to the city's walls.

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What is the manufacturing process of a chair like?

Our partners at Herman Miller opened the doors of their factories and offices in Michigan, United States, to show us the complex yet efficient design and manufacturing process of their various furniture pieces and products. During a three-day tour, we saw that their production involves a high level of detail and craftsmanship, where the experience and skill of their workers are essential.

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The tragic end in early 2017 of the Guzmán House, designed by architect Alejandro de la Sota, seems poised to repeat itself—this time with the Vallet de Goytisolo House, one of three works built in the capital by José Antonio Coderch (1913-1984), a prominent 20th-century Spanish architect, and his partner Manuel Valls.

According to the newspaper El Mundo, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid has issued a report rejecting the designation of this example of modern residential architecture—located at 5 Belisana Street in Madrid's Ciudad Lineal district—as a heritage site.

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Fronteira Livre was a process that generated interventions in six stations of the São Paulo Metro Red Line for the 11th Architecture Biennial: Em Projeto. The initiative was collaboratively developed by immigrants, activists, architects, social workers, and artists during a ten-day immersive workshop at CAMI (Immigrant Support Center) in São Paulo.

Two young entrepreneurs from Curitiba have developed a technological innovation that brings a long-held dream within reach for many Brazilians: owning a personal power plant. As reported by Tribuna do Paraná, mechanical engineers Felipe Wotecoski (31) and Juliano Rataiczyk (30) have created a device capable of generating electricity in a backyard with minimal environmental impact.

Similar in size to a four-burner stove, the micro-plant can generate up to 720 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month—enough electricity to power three to four homes and feed the surplus back into the grid. According to the engineers, this output translates to savings of approximately R$ 500 per month on electricity bills.

Google has launched the Environmental Insights Explorer tool to provide users with access to data and technology that can contribute to the transition toward a lower-carbon world. The information is primarily based on data already available on Google Maps.

The goal is to enable cities worldwide to calculate their greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories to facilitate climate action planning. “The inventory can help prioritize investments in the areas of greatest impact, as it highlights key emission sources or hotspots and can be used as a baseline to measure progress,” the company states on the tool's website.

The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) released last week the 2017 edition of the Profile of Brazilian Municipalities (Munic). According to the document, fewer than half of Brazilian cities have structured planning for housing. The report points out that last year, of the country's 5,570 municipalities, 59.6% had some type of housing-directed initiative, but only 39.7% had a Municipal Housing Plan.

One way to make cities visible is by intervening in forgotten or peripheral areas, as well as by addressing basic needs, bringing them to light and raising an urgent call to action. A few months ago we announced the call for entries for this competition, and today it surprises us with the variety of responses. It is also interesting to see how participants from other countries view our context and what they propose; this is a great contribution, expanding the possibilities for multi-perspective interventions in building projects with and for society.

CIUDADES [en] VISIBLE is a competition that invited architects and engineers, whether students or professionals, to design in agreement with the beneficiary families: the Salazar, Acarraz, Teccse, Huamán, and López families. Five families, five homes. Housing is itself a basic need, making this competition both a city laboratory in search of alternative solutions for planned housing construction in a country like Peru, where nearly 70% of homes are self-built. The site of intervention is the 3 de Diciembre Community, located south of the city of Lima, in the District of Lurín.

Behind this initiative is the organization MUTUO, which seeks to positively impact the self-built housing situation in Peru by collectively engaging the architectural community in the issue. Additionally, it aims to provide citizens with a tool that encourages environmental awareness and active involvement in creating change to improve living conditions for disadvantaged sectors. The call for entries received 108 proposals, including many international submissions. After a thorough analysis, three winning proposals and five honorable mentions were selected.

Phaidon recently published Elemental, a monograph that fully illustrates the social commitment and methods of Alejandro Aravena and his colleagues.

The project Casa sobre las rocas by the Chilean firm Schwember García-Huidobro Arquitectos has been recognized at the German Design Award 2019. The accolade, awarded in Germany by the Ministry of Technology, "identifies and presents unique design trends," according to the organization.

Built in a forest in the town of Cunco, Chile, Casa sobre las rocas received a Special Mention in the Architectural Design Communication category of the competition. The project is a second home that prioritizes communal areas, featuring a Y-shaped floor plan designed to optimize views and natural light.

A historical platform available online offers a look at the last one hundred years of architectural competitions in Uruguay, exploring the shape of the city its society set out to imagine.

100 Years of Architecture Competitions in Uruguay is a project created by authors Virginia Delgado, Francisco Magnone, and Marcelo Staricco (architects and design instructors, DEAPA - FADU, UdelaR) along with research advisor Mag. Arch. Diego Capandeguy.

The destruction of the National Museum at Quinta da Boa Vista in Rio de Janeiro cannot go unnoticed. This tragedy must serve as a cry of "enough!" against the abandonment, neglect, and destruction of the nation's memory. The unfortunate reality is that the situation of the National Museum is not unique. Similar tragedies could happen again.

The values that define us as a society cannot turn to ashes like the National Museum. We call upon the State, architects and urban planners, universities, intellectuals, professional associations, and ultimately, Brazilian society as a whole to mobilize.

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The Colegio de Arquitectos del Estado de Michoacán is a non-profit association established 54 years ago serving the city of Morelia, dedicated to heritage preservation and fostering debate on contemporary architectural production and urban development. To provide an adequate space for these activities, a competition was launched after securing a site for the new headquarters to support and foster contemporary architecture.

On November 29, the National Competition for the Headquarters Project of the Colegio de Arquitectos Michoacán, A.C. was held at its current headquarters. The jury—composed of Pedro Núñez González, Isaura González Gottdiener, Salvador Reyes Ríos, José Muñoz, Carlos Marín, and Jorge Humberto Flores Romero—evaluated 17 completely anonymous proposals.

As part of Architecture Week, celebrated by the Official Association of Architects of Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro (Spain), the Oraá Architecture Prizes were awarded, recognizing the best architectural achievements of the last 10 years on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, and El Hierro.

The Spanish accolade highlights new construction, restorations, renovations, landscape, public space, and interior design, along with special distinctions for outstanding career achievements, emerging talent, patronage, and the best architectural photography.

These are the winning projects: