Known for projects situated at the intersection of research, design, biomimicry, and sustainability, Atelier Marko Brajovic recently developed a proposal for the Amazon Creative Laboratories, a series of biospheres composed of geodesic structures inspired by the internal geometry of the cacao fruit. The project aligns with the premises and goals of the Amazon 4.0 initiative, which aims to combine the economic potential of Amazonian socio-biodiversity with the new technologies and opportunities emerging from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Proposta da equipe Asa, vencedora do concurso. Image Cortesia de Prefeitura de Belo Horizonte
In 2019, to mark its founding anniversary, Belo Horizonte received a gift in the form of an architectural competition. The national contest sought preliminary technical studies for the requalification of the historic and landscape heritage of Bernardo Monteiro Avenue.
This heritage site, characterized by a dense grove of large, leafy Ficus trees, was affected by infestations of the so-called "ficus whitefly." This caused defoliation and dried branches, severely compromising many of the trees, damaging the area's historical-cultural identity and public character, and forcing the relocation of the craft, flower, food, and antique markets that once operated there.
Today, May 18, is International Museum Day, celebrated under the theme "The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine." Amid the pandemic landscape imposed by COVID-19, some museums have reopened with major restrictions, while many others have remained closed. Regardless, these institutions have begun to reconsider their models and redefine their role in society. In this sense, the pandemic catalyzed a shift in exhibition formats, bringing new solutions and innovations to the public, such as virtual tours.
According to the Brazilian Photovoltaic Solar Energy Association (ABSOLAR), in February 2021, Brazil reached the milestone of 500,000 distributed solar photovoltaic generation (DG) consumer units, with the majority of installations (73.6%) located in residential properties. The association points out that, of the total consumers, small businesses represent 16.6%, followed by the rural sector and industry, at 7% and 2.4%, respectively. To supply these 500,000 units, 400,000 solar systems have been installed.
Following the themes of previous editions that addressed contemporary issues concerning the built environment, the Arquiteturas Film Festival, taking place from June 1 to 6 in Lisbon, continues to offer an open forum for discussion through personal, collective, and global audiovisual stories from around the world.
The 8th edition of Arquiteturas explores the theme Bodies Out of Space through an exploration of the social construction of space, connected by a thread running through narratives of domination. These are also narratives about an identity that is often stripped away or forced to represent our bodies. Challenging current assumptions, we view this perceptual paradigm—an epitome of the vision of our times—as fundamentally social, spatial, and bodily.
To create a cozier scale in large open-plan spaces or accommodate diverse uses under a single roof, defining areas through custom furniture design has become a highly effective solution. Serving as functional storage or even display units, shelving systems that double as room dividers can generate new perspectives, guide circulation, and foster greater permeability between different spaces.
Videos
Still from "PMR 29’: twenty-nine minutes with Paulo Mendes da Rocha".
In the early hours of May 23, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the Capixaba architect who earned the highest honors in world architecture, passed away. Defined by a sharp, critical mind, his entire career was a profound ode to the city and a humanist perspective. Fortunately, several of his inspiring talks were recorded, and here we have selected five videos made over the last decade that offer insight into how he reflected on the field of architecture and urbanism, as well as his own work.
The Fondazione Teatro dell'architettura has announced the architecture firm Al Borde (Ecuador) as the winner of the 2024 BancaStato Swiss Architectural Award. Founded in Quito by Pascual Gangotena, David Barragán, Maríaluisa Borja, and Esteban Benavides, Al Borde conceives a collective approach to design and construction, paying special attention to climate variables, the involvement of local communities, traditional construction techniques, and innovation. As they state, Al Borde“inhabits the territory of questioning, where certainties about what architecture should or should not be are constantly under construction.”
A capsule-based transportation system that runs on magnetic propulsion, moving people and cargo at speeds of up to 1,200 km/h using renewable energy, could soon become a reality in Brazil. This futuristic concept is being brought to the country by Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT), which develops and licenses the Hyperloop—the urban mobility technology originally conceived by Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Resembling a wingless aircraft without turbines, the Hyperloop has a capacity of up to 50 passengers and operates in a low-pressure environment, allowing it to travel at high speeds with virtually zero friction.
Leuven Station, Belgium. Photo by Bernard Hermant, via Unsplash
The Brazilian Center for Steel Construction (CBCA) has launched its 2021 call for proposals for its Undergraduate Research Scholarship. The nationwide selection process is open to undergraduate students in architecture and civil engineering, who must be supported by an advising professor from the same higher education institution.
Primeiro lugar: Síntese Arquitetura. Image Cortesia de Secretaria Nacional de Habitação/MDR e Agência Alemã de Cooperação Internacional – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ)
To bring together innovative, sustainable social housing architectural designs that reduce energy consumption. This was the goal of the National Competition of Architectural Ideas for Energy Efficiency in Social Housing, organized by the German government cooperation agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Liceu Pasteur is a public institution under private law that is part of the network of French schools abroad, present in 135 countries. In São Paulo, it has been located on Mairinque Street, in the Vila Mariana neighborhood, since 1923, occupying a building designed by Escritório Técnico Ramos de Azevedo, which is listed by São Paulo's municipal heritage preservation agency.
Yona Friedman (1923-2020) at the Museum Without a Building [Musée sans Bâtiment], held at the CNEAI = Centre National Édition Art Image, Pantin, France (2018). Courtesy
The Memorial da Resistência de São Paulo, an institution of the State Secretariat of Culture, opens the biographical exhibition “Yona Friedman: Democracy” on Saturday, June 26, 2021. Curated by Ana Pato, the Memorial's coordinator, the exhibition presents a selection of works by the French-Hungarian architect, artist, sociologist, and anthropologist Yona Friedman (1923-2020), featuring animations, manuals developed with the UN, installations inside and outside the building, urban interventions in partnership with collectives from the central region, as well as public events in partnership with Sesc Bom Retiro.
The sofa is a recurring element across a wide range of programs. Defined by the comfort and coziness it provides, its color, shape, and texture help convey the personality of a room while assisting in its layout. We have searched our archives for twenty examples of how this element can add value to a project through different design solutions.
Videos
Aerial view of the Za'atri refugee camp. Photo: U.S. Department of State, via VisualHunt
They are architects, but they do not believe architecture alone can fully address the complexity of urban life. Rahul Mehrotra, from India, and Zulu Araújo, from Brazil, came together for the debate on Migrations and Diasporas, part of the June programming for the 27th World Congress of Architects. They shared their experiences and both argued that architecture, in dialogue with other fields of knowledge, must encompass movements of a social and cultural nature. The debate was moderated by engineer Daniella Abreu, Executive Secretary of International Affairs for the State of Santa Catarina.
En Ribeira da Barca, en el interior de Santiago, Cabo Verde, se está probando un proyecto que propone trabajar con mujeres que se ganan la vida extrayendo residuos inertes de la construcción. Aunque se trata de una actividad ilegal, es donde se basa gran parte del presupuesto familiar local, en un país donde una mayoría significativa de familias monoparentales están representadas por mujeres (alrededor del 32%, frente al 6,5% representado por hombres, datos del INE 2017). El mayor rigor en las prácticas de inspección y la caída de la demanda de materiales inertes naturales en los últimos años ha puesto en riesgo inminente a innumerables familias vulnerables.
Enmarcado como proyecto satélite de la Bienal de Diseño de Porto 2021, impact tiene como principal objetivo trabajar con las mujeres de la recolección de arena en la reinvención de una actividad alternativa, que busca dotarlas de mayor dignidad en su acceso al trabajo y fomentar nuevas formas de vida. .
We are about to enter the coldest season of the year in the Southern Hemisphere: winter. When considering how to heat a home, one of the first solutions that comes to mind is the fireplace. After all, the fire brings warmth and provides a cozy gathering space. In addition, its design and placement can be key to the spatial composition of a room.
The Level Building, an eight-story corporate building constructed in downtown Tubarão, Santa Catarina, took just 100 days to complete, with 20 of those days dedicated exclusively to on-site assembly. This was made possible by using off-site construction methods, meaning it was fabricated in a factory. Due to its scale and rapid timeline, the off-site building is being hailed as a milestone in Brazilian construction. “It is the largest volumetric off-site building in Latin America,” says Ricardo Mateus, CEO and founder of the construction tech company Brasil ao Cubo, the firm behind the project.
