Architecture News

For the first time, a team of Peruvian architects has won first prize in the prestigious EUROPAN competition. The theme of this 14th edition was "Productive Cities" (Villes Productives), which explored the connection between habitat and production within a framework of sustainability. YDEA, the national team comprising Sebastián Morales, Johana Salazar, Elaine Sanchez, and Diego Morales, presented an urban regeneration project for the Terres Saint-Lazare sector in the communes of Grigny and Ris-Orangis, located south of Paris, France.

"It is a remarkable proposal due to its genuine understanding of the site and its challenges. The proposal fully aligns with the competition's theme (productive cities) by exploring how people can become active participants in their environment and producers of their own services," noted the jury.

This also marks the first time that a team composed entirely of non-European professionals has won the competition. EUROPAN is a biennial urban design competition and one of the most prestigious architectural awards for emerging talent in Europe, open to architects and urban planners under 40 years old. Since 1971, mayors from various European cities and communes have put forward their territories for the development of innovative urban and architectural proposals. Below are the details of the project.

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Undoubtedly, 2018 has been one of the most important years in the history of ArchDaily México. Through both our existing and newly introduced tools, we have succeeded in providing inspiration, knowledge, and tools to architects currently facing the challenge of designing the future, aiming to improve the quality of life for those living in the world's urban centers.

This year, we connected more closely with our readers through various tools that fostered dialogue, participation, and the work of our Instagram community, aligning more closely with your interests. This community now consists of 71k followers who actively participate daily to discuss the present and future of architecture.

The Agisa Todeschini Ideas Competition brought together architects and students of architecture and urbanism to select and award the three best free-design concepts utilizing one or more habitable modules as an interactive space for the beneficiary institution. In addition to a cash prize, the competition winner will design a furnished habitable module to be built and donated to Lar Infantil Sol Amigo—an organization supporting vulnerable children in Curitiba—to serve as an educational and interactive space.

The Van der Driesche House, designed by Spanish architects José Antonio Martínez Lapeña and Elías Torres Tur—winners of the 2016 National Architecture Award—has narrowly escaped demolition, avoiding yet another loss of contemporary Spanish architectural heritage to cultural insensitivity.

On Tuesday, September 18, the Island Council of Ibiza approved a decree suspending the demolition of the Van der Driesche House for up to three months. Because the building is currently neither listed nor declared of cultural interest, the next step is to take the necessary measures to preserve its cultural value, preventing any work or intervention that could alter the complex's original features.

The construction of a four-tower housing complex just steps from the historic center threatens Cartagena (Colombia)’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The community is currently awaiting a judicial ruling on the Aquarela case, the name of the multi-family social housing (VIS) project.

According to statements by the Bolívar Business Council (Consejo Gremial de Bolívar)—the organization tasked with promoting competitive development in the city and department—the situation is delicate, as the advanced stage of construction complicates potential decisions. Given that the city is one of Latin America's primary tourist destinations, the lack of oversight from national and local authorities—who failed to act in accordance with the planning principles outlined in Article 2 of the Colombian Constitution—is difficult to explain.

Closed for renovations since 2010, the Sesc branch on Avenida Paulista now has an official opening date: April 29. Designed by the firm Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados, the renovation project transformed the former Sesc Paulista space, creating three auditoriums, workshop rooms, exhibition areas, rehearsal and fitness rooms, as well as the traditional services offered by all Sesc branches, such as a café, restaurant, and shops.

Focused on performing arts and body movement, the program of Sesc Paulista is spread over 17 floors, featuring a rooftop café and an observation deck overlooking the avenue. 

The Sebrae Sustainability Center (CSS), designed by architect and urban planner José Portocarrero, won the BREEAM Awards 2018 for best sustainable building in the Americas, as well as the popular vote category. Inspired by indigenous dwellings, which are benchmarks in bioclimatic design, the building in Cuiabá (MT) stands out for its thermal comfort and maximum use of natural light. Its double-shell roof enables internal cooling and rainwater harvesting, which is filtered and stored for garden irrigation and floor washing.

The exhibition "Women Architects XIX-XX" on the role of women in the history of the profession, installed at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal, was vandalized between last Friday night and Saturday morning. Held by the Integrated Master's in Architecture of the university's Department of Civil Engineering, the exhibition occupied the building's lobby and was destroyed, likely by punches and kicks, according to an article published by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.

Aiming to reflect on how "the visibility of women architects in the context of established architectural history is minimal and does not do justice to their actual and real presence in building cities and architecture," the exhibition, organized by Patrícia Santos Pedrosa, showcased the results of research on the production and presence of female architects over the past two centuries who contributed to expanding "the way we make, think, and question architecture."

National Architect and Urban Planner Day, celebrated on December 15, has officially become law. Law 13,627/2018, which adds the date to the official Brazilian calendar, was signed into law by the Presidency of the Republic on January 16. This marks an important step in the process of professional recognition initiated by CAU/BR and regional CAUs since their creation in 2011. The Council began operating precisely on December 15 so that its establishment would coincide with the birth date of Oscar Niemeyer.

With one month to go before its opening, the details of the official program for the 21st Pan-American Architecture Biennial of Quito (BAQ2018) have been announced. Marking its 40th anniversary, the event will focus its dialogue and debate on architecture itself.

To be held from November 19 to 23 in the Ecuadorian capital, the event offers a prime opportunity to discuss and debate a discipline that, in recent years, has seen a decline in the spaces dedicated to fostering such encounters and dialogue.

Videos

For the first time in its history, the São Paulo International Architecture Biennale opened a call for proposals to select the curators for its next edition. Consequently, on August 31, the Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil - Departamento São Paulo (IABsp) announced the curatorial team that will lead the XII São Paulo International Architecture Biennale.

With the proposal Todo Dia, the winning team is composed of Brazilian architects Ciro Miguel and Vanessa Grossman, alongside French architect Charlotte Malterre-Barthes.

Below is an excerpt from the winning proposal's statement:

The impact of the Santiago Metro's new lines, recognition for a new metropolitan park in the capital, and the final design for the Barón Pier in Valparaíso. Indeed, a week dedicated to major metropolitan projects is the focus of this edition of La ciudad chilena en la prensa, the ArchDaily column where we cover what is happening in Chile's major cities.

Videos

The Catalan architecture firm Flores & Prats Architects presents the launch of the documentary series ESCALA 1:5, which explores the design process of the international drama center at the new Sala Beckett in Barcelona. Produced by the independent production company 15-L, the documentary consists of five 10-minute episodes directed by Patricia Tamayo and Albert Badia.

Following its premiere on December 14, 2017, at the Girona Cinema in Barcelona before an enthusiastic crowd of about 200 spectators, the episodes are now available on demand on The Architecture Player channel on Vimeo.

Colombian architect Konrad Brunner passed away this Tuesday, September 25, in Bogotá. Grandson of the historic urban planner Karl Brunner, Konrad was born on November 17, 1950, in the Colombian capital and graduated from the Universidad de los Andes in 1974.

Brunner founded his own architecture firm in 1978, a practice noted for projects such as the Plaza de Jubileo at Compensar, the master plan for the Ciudadela El Recreo (alongside Germán Samper and Gustavo Perry), the Arroyoviejo and El Vigía residential buildings, and the Casa Vélez. Additionally, the architect balanced his private practice with teaching at the Universidad de los Andes starting in the 1980s.

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The president of the Venice Biennale, Paolo Baratta, and directors Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara presented, via videoconference, the official curatorial proposal of the Artistic Direction for the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.

What began as an audiovisual production for an architectural project—Vive Bambú—turned into a lifelong passion. This is the story of Colombian architect and professor Alberto Moncayo, who shared details of his latest film project with the newspaper El Espectador.

"Architecture earns me a living, but I live for cinema," comments Moncayo, while working on the filming of "De topos y sapos," inspired by the historic Banco de la República heist of 1977. In this event, two brothers dug a tunnel to the vault of the bank branch in the city of Pasto, stealing 82 million Colombian pesos at the time (equivalent to USD 38.2 million today).

The controversial "sun tax," a measure implemented several years ago by the Spanish government, has been eliminated thanks to the new Royal Decree-Law 15/2018 on energy transition. Approved by the Council of Ministers, this measure comes at a time when Spain remains far from meeting the targets set by the European Union in this area.

Among other measures, the Royal Decree establishes the right to self-consume electricity free of charge; recognizes the right to shared self-consumption (multiple users sharing a single installation); simplifies administrative procedures; limits electricity bill prices; and introduces measures to promote electric vehicles. 

The "Single-Family Home" Architectural Design Workshop, organized by the architecture firm Cota Paredes Arquitectos, concluded its fourth edition, inviting recent graduates and final-semester architecture students to develop a single-family housing project over four weeks, either in person or online.

The project involved designing a home for a small family within a gated community in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico. The proposal also had to comply with the building regulations of the "Los Robles" development, incorporating essential guidelines to achieve a single-family home design based on the concepts of introspective architecture.