Architecture News

Buenos Aires, 2018. Population? Almost 3 million. High-speed maglev trains? Zero. Skyscrapers interconnected by railways? Zero. DeLoreans flying through the air? Unfortunately, zero. Transportation innovations? The Metrobus and bike lanes. In urban terms, the city seems not to have progressed at the pace once imagined.

There was blind faith in the future—a future where anything was possible, the sky was not the limit, and people could move freely above the clouds along a network of pathways connecting towering high-rises. What happened? To find out, we must travel back in time. To the past, to be precise.

On January 13, 1943, New Yorkers—and, indeed, architects worldwide—were introduced to Brazilian architecture. Brazil builds : architecture new and old, 1652-1942 was an exhibition organized by MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) showcasing the architecture produced in Brazil, not only at that moment but since the mid-17th century.

As part of The New York Times' documentary series "En los ojos de México" –where six filmmakers present a perspective on their country– Santiago Arau and Diego Rabasa present "Ciudad Herida" (Wounded City), a chronicle of the 2017 earthquake in central Mexico. Through drone footage, the film captures the strength and resilience shown during a moment of crisis.

'Alta Densidad' (High Density) is a project by architect Jorge Taboada comprising a series of aerial photographs that depict the stories of a city. This series is presented as an "archaeological vestige" where "people lose their face and identity and become invisible."

The history of social housing in Mexico has come a long way, undergoing transformations that concern not only architecture, but also the organizations leading their construction and the government. 

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile, the professional association has announced the winners of the 2018 CA Awards, the country's most important national honors.

Following a 2017 edition heavily criticized for the absence of women among the honorees, this year's awards not only introduced two new categories promoted by the Mujer Arquitecta organization—the Dora Riedel and Eliana Caraball awards—and another recognizing regional contributions, but women also swept 9 of the 12 categories awarded by the Colegio de Arquitectos to its members.

Below are the winners of this edition:

In early 2016, we reported that construction had been completed on BD Bacatá, Colombia's tallest skyscraper (216 meters), and that its opening was just months away. However, an official opening date has yet to be set, while elsewhere in the Colombian capital, construction is progressing on a project that will surpass BD Bacatá in height: the Atrio Towers (268 meters), designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) and El Equipo de Mazzanti.

On November 24, 2016, the Superior Council of Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE) awarded the Gold Medal of Spanish Architecture to architects Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra and Víctor López Cotelo. This would have been routine, were it not for the complete absence of women architects among the winners, nominees, finalists, jury members, and the presenting panel.

This discrepancy was highlighted in a petition on Change.org addressed to Jordi Ludevid, then-president of the CSCAE, in which the signing architects called for greater active participation of women at all stages of the process, seeking equal representation with their male colleagues.

The year 2018 marks the centennial of artist Athos Bulcão. In celebration of the life and work of one of Brazil's most influential 20th-century painters, sculptors, and muralists, the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan) has launched an updated version of the inventory of his work.

Titled Inventário da Obra de Athos Bulcão em Brasília (Inventory of the Work of Athos Bulcão in Brasília), the book builds upon an initial study conducted by the institute between 2008 and 2009 and published in 2010. That first edition documented 261 works, revealing the sensitivity, versatility, and richness of the artist's creative universe. Officially launched on July 30, the new edition spans over 200 pages, featuring a conceptually expanded and revised content alongside a playful and inventive graphic design.

The Federal District office of Iphan did not approve the project submitted by the Federal District Department of Roads (DER-DF) for the reconstruction of the section of the Eixão Sul that collapsed in February of this year, burying two cars and the tables of a restaurant.

The agency responsible for Brazil's artistic and cultural heritage blocked the proposal, claiming that the DER-DF/Novacap project "significantly alters the original architecture and compromises the architectural and urban integrity and, by extension, that of the Plataforma Rodoviária complex and complementary road system."

Featuring references to his career, projects, and travels, the Ocupação Paulo Mendes da Rocha celebrates the 90th birthday, on October 25, of Brazil's most important living architect. Through sketches, technical drawings, models, and other materials selected from Mendes da Rocha’s personal archive, curator Guilherme Wisnik reveals some of the architect’s most radical ideas, which use ideology and technique to challenge and subvert colonial mindsets that still echo in Brazilian architectural design.

After two editions at the Parque Cultural de Valparaíso, the Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism will return to Santiago in 2019. On Wednesday, June 6, the Mayor of Santiago, Felipe Alessandri, and the President of the Chilean Association of Architects, Humberto Eliash, signed the official agreement during a ceremony at the Mercado Matadero Franklin, which was attended by city council members, Minister of Housing and Urban Development Cristián Monckeberg, undersecretaries, regional authorities, and other officials.

During the ceremony, organizers confirmed that the 21st Biennial will take place in October 2019, with both the Mercado Matadero Franklin and the Teatro Huemul serving as the main venues for the country's premier architectural event.

The IABsp Awards, one of the most anticipated and competitive honors in Brazilian architecture, revealed yesterday, December 7, the 2018 winners across 14 categories. Over the years, since its first edition in 1968, the IABsp awards have established themselves as an important platform for critique, recognition, and dissemination of national architecture and urbanism, promoting the exchange of ideas and new solutions among Brazilian architects.

In addition to the category awards, the Rino Levi Prize was awarded for lifetime achievement. This year, the honor went to Rosa Kliass for her lifetime body of work in landscape architecture.

Discover the winners in each category below:

James Wright retraces the steps of Walter Gropius in the new documentary Konstruktion Argentina. The film explores various Argentine architectural works, revealing their German influence.

Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, and Berlin are some of the settings where the journey takes place.

Videos

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During the Real Estate Show 2018—an event bringing together leading national and international industry figures, and a premier showcase for iconic, cutting-edge architectural projects—La Mexicana park, in Santa Fe, Mexico City, was awarded first place by the Association of Real Estate Developers (ADI) during the sixth edition of the event.

Since its inaugural edition, the European Landscape Biennial has sought to deepen the discussion on landscape intervention, from both landscape architecture and other disciplines related to its study and evolution. As part of its tenth edition, the awards ceremony for the 10th International Landscape Biennial and the Rosa Barba Prizes was held in Barcelona on Friday, September 28. Over 300 projects were submitted to this edition, resulting in nine outstanding finalists from around the world.

Our team is proud to introduce a new editorial partner for ArchDaily en Español: Paisaje Transversal, a Spanish urban innovation firm. Operating with its own proprietary methodologies, the firm specializes in urban regeneration through initiatives like Sustainable Urban Development (DUS) and currently serves as the National URBACT Point in Spain.

Through this partnership, ArchDaily's Spanish-language network will publish articles authored by the Spanish firm, bringing the ongoing dialogue around urban challenges directly to our readers. Citizen participation, turistification, smart cities, public space, mobility, urban negotiation, and urban planning tools are among the topics we will cover weekly across our Spanish-language sites.

On January 24, 2018, Schmidt Hammer Lassen (SHL), one of the world’s leading architecture practices, formally joined the global design firm Perkins+Will in Shanghai. The strategic partnership will expand SHL’s presence in China and reinforce Perkins+Will's commitment to sustainability and design excellence, combining the strengths of both firms to jointly develop the Chinese architecture market.

Harrison noted: “This partnership is founded on shared values between Perkins+Will and Schmidt Hammer Lassen: design excellence, sustainability, innovation, and the highest standards of client service. We also share a design philosophy, firmly believing that extraordinary architecture is always democratic and serves the greater good. We are aligned at every level.” 

The Official Association of Architects of Madrid has awarded the 2018 COAM First Prize ‘ex aequo’ to the renovation of Sala Equis, designed by architects Lorenzo and Luis Gil (Plantea Estudio), to Espacio SOLO by Juan Herreros and Jens Richter, and to the book Oiza by Javier Vellés.

Regarding Sala Equis, the jury highlighted that the renovation of the former Duque de Alba cinema “equips the available space with contemporary uses, materials, and furniture, balanced with the memory of the existing structure,” and emphasized that it “encompasses the traditional movie theater alongside other activities surrounding this main function.”

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