The Romano Guerra Editora and the Instituto Tomie Ohtake are launching a new book on the work of Ruy Ohtake, exploring aspects of the architect's career that have received little attention in previous publications. According to editors Abilio Guerra and Silvana Romano Santos, “the nine previous monograph publications lacked consistent technical drawings. Unrestricted access to the architect's archives, however, made it possible to analyze and present the complexity of the designs.”
The World Stage at UIA2021RIO, the 27th World Congress of Architects, hosted three award-winning architects from its keynote speaker lineup this week: Elizabeth de Portzamparc, a Brazilian-born architect based in France; Anna Heringer of Germany; and Tatiana Bilbao of Mexico.
Elizabeth de Portzamparc discussed the concept of “Nexus Architecture,” which advocates for connecting various elements when thinking about and creating architecture. Meanwhile, Anna Heringer advocated for a working method focused on social justice and community inclusion in projects that can transform lives. Finally, Tatiana Bilbao gave a poetic presentation on the home as a social act, housing rituals that architecture must always consider.
Brazil has just gained another World Heritage site. The legacy of one of the 20th century's greatest landscape architects, the Roberto Burle Marx Site (SRBM) was recognized on Monday, July 26, during the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Site was recognized under the Cultural Landscape category, which includes properties that represent the interaction between the natural environment and human activities, resulting in a modified natural landscape. Brazil now has 23 properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a registry of sites considered to possess outstanding universal value for human culture.
The Women’s House in Africa design competition aimed to promote the involvement and empowerment of the female community in Senegal. The competition was organized by Kaira Looro International, a non-profit organization that hosts contests open to students and young architects to foster humanitarian projects in developing countries and spotlight emerging architectural talent.
The competition, which challenged participants to design a “women’s house” featuring symbolic, ecological architecture inspired by local traditions, selected a Brazilian team among its finalists, composed of students Marcela Luana Sutti and Adenir Filho. Read more about the featured proposal and its project description below.
Anyone who has played with wooden blocks or the famous LEGO toy knows the satisfaction of imagining something and building it with their own hands. In Belgium, this concept has taken on a whole new scale. Construction specialist Gabriel Lakatos has always loved playing with blocks and turned this passion into a building system for wooden houses. His company, Gablok, sells home construction kits designed to make building simple and efficient.
The Rio de Janeiro Charter, which outlines proposals for the urban development of cities worldwide in the coming years, was presented during the closing of the 27th World Congress of Architects on July 22. The document advocates for a new city model in the post-pandemic world—one more attentive to climate change, quality spaces, public health, dignified housing, and the reduction of inequalities. The UIA2021RIO Executive Committee announced that the Rio Charter will be delivered to the mayors of all state capitals in Brazil, marking the consolidation of the proposals discussed throughout the event, which was hosted in the country for the first time.
On Tuesday, July 27, it was announced that Eladio Dieste's Church of Atlántida, one of his most renowned works in Uruguay, has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Museu dos Emboabas Competition, an initiative of the municipality of Caeté, Minas Gerais, seeking architectural proposals to honor the memory of the War of the Emboabas, has selected the firm ARQLIQ arquitetura and architect Laila Bentes, with collaboration from Márcio Motta and Giulia Sgarbi, as the winners. The winning proposal was chosen for its careful attention to both the building's interior, with its spacious and versatile areas, and its surrounding environment.
The MArch Valencia Postgraduate School offers a unique educational proposal, featuring three postgraduate programs and two master's degrees designed to effectively connect academic knowledge with professional experience. Its teaching methodology is based on a practical approach and collaboration with renowned professionals and architecture and design studios, providing students with the necessary tools to excel in a highly competitive job market.
Through its Seminar on Culture and Contemporary Reality course, Escola da Cidade hosted professor Alfredo Bosi to discuss the notion of culture—or cultures. In the conversation, drawing on personal experiences that touch on various spatial encounters, the professor interrogates and exposes the multiple facets of the word culture.
Architect Wandenkolk Tinoco passed away today, August 4, 2021, at the age of 85. Born in Recife in 1935, Tinoco graduated in architecture from the School of Fine Arts of Pernambuco in 1958, and in 1960 began teaching at the same institution, which later became the Federal University of Pernambuco.
The Cultural Department of the Abrigo do Marinheiro (DCAMN), in partnership with the Brazilian Navy, and the Rio de Janeiro Department of the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB/RJ) have announced the results of the Architectural Competition for the Brazilian Maritime Museum. The team led by architect and urban planner Rodrigo Quintella Messina, from São Paulo, won first place in the competition, which received 110 preliminary studies. In total, 191 teams from 17 Brazilian states registered to submit projects—a record in the history of public calls organized by the IAB/RJ.
A team of Brazilian architects was awarded third place in the international Toronto Affordable Housing Challenge, organized by Bee Breeders. Developed by Ana Luisa Rolim (Coletivo-rt arquitetura), Isabella Trindade, Beatriz Bueno, and Larissa Falavigna, the project LaneWAY OF LIVING: Green Villages in The Heart Of Toronto’s Urban Fabric proposes a series of units featuring a cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure and a charred wood exterior finish.
Planning and implementing projects to prioritize active travel has been a requirement in Brazilian cities since 2012, under the National Urban Mobility Policy. Walking is the most significant mode of transport in urban life, accounting for 39% of daily trips in Brazilian cities. Furthermore, walkable cities are more sustainable, resilient, healthy, social, and democratic.
To this end, the Walkable City Award, organized by SampaPé! with support from ITDP Brasil and Walk 21, sought to discover and recognize public sector projects and initiatives implemented in recent years to prioritize walking. Its inaugural edition received 28 eligible projects from 16 different cities across 10 states and the Federal District, representing every region of the country except the North. All submissions are featured on a map of public walkability initiatives available on the Award website to inspire future projects.
Renewable energy storage, particularly for wind and solar, remains a challenge. However, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are taking a major step toward creating an eco-friendly cement-based battery. Still in the prototype stage, the project focuses on the construction industry.
In search of sustainable and scalable materials, researchers Emma Zhang and Luping Tang, from the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, developed a new concept for rechargeable batteries. The process begins with a cement-based mixture containing small amounts of short carbon fibers to increase conductivity and flexural toughness. A metal-coated carbon fiber mesh—iron for the anode and nickel for the cathode—is then embedded into the mixture. This is the first concept of its kind in the world.
The Brazilian Center for Steel Construction (CBCA) has announced the winners of the 14th CBCA Competition for Architecture Students. The nationwide competition was open to students from architecture schools and colleges across the country, focusing on the theme "Health and Well-being."
In honor of Cultural Heritage Day, celebrated on August 17, CAU/GO has launched the National Design Competition for Quilombola Housing. The objective is to select the best design for home construction in historical quilombola communities located in Goiás, as part of the housing programs of Agehab (Goiás Housing Agency), a partner in organizing the competition.
The 4th Tomie Ohtake Institute Leroy Merlin Design Award, dedicated to university students and recent graduates, announces the 10 selected projects. The jury, composed of Cláudia Zacar (Curitiba - PR), Diego Mauro (Salvador - BA), Érico Gondim (Fortaleza - CE), Iran Pontes (Recife - PE), and Sâmia Batista (Belém - PA), evaluated 233 proposals submitted by 412 authors from 19 states and the Federal District.
