Architecture News

Past, Present, Future is an interview project by Itinerant Office that invites prominent architects to share their perspectives on the constantly evolving world of architecture. Each interview is divided into a three-part video series—Past, Present, and Future—where interviewees discuss their architectural philosophies and experiences. The project's first installment featured 11 architects from Italy and the Netherlands, while the second edition comprises interviews with 13 architects from Spain, Portugal, France, and Belgium.

The aim of this interview series is to study these successful firms and understand their methodologies. The videos seek to offer a clear picture of what it means to be an architect in the 21st century, while serving as inspiration for the next generation of emerging architects and students entering the field.

The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has announced the curatorial team for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, scheduled to open on May 10, 2025. The task will be led by the group Plano Coletivo, composed of architect Luciana Saboia and architects Eder Alencar and Matheus Seco. The selection of the group reflects the Foundation's commitment to highlighting architectural practices that foster positive social and environmental impact.

Plano Coletivo is recognized for its collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, integrating architecture, urbanism, and design with a focus on sustainable and inclusive solutions. The team has carried out significant projects across various regions of Brazil, always seeking to engage local communities in the design and implementation process.

The Architects Association of Chile and the Ministry of Cultures announced the results of the competition for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism. The winning proposal, "Double Exposure: reprogram, revitalize, rebuild", by Sebastián López, Ángela Carvajal, and Óscar Aceves, addresses interventions in disused heritage spaces, merging old and new works. In addition, awards were presented to "Urban Amusements" and "Weaving Territories". The event reflects on historical architecture and its revitalization.

The curatorial team for the XXIII Chilean Biennial of Architecture comprises Sebastián López Jeldes, Ángela Carvajal Fernández, and Óscar Aceves Álvarez, and the jury is composed of Fernando Pérez Oyarzún, Amarí Peliowski, Cristián Izquierdo, Macarena Cortés, Pablo Rojas, Beatriz Buccicardi, Fernando Miranda, Martín Urrutia, and Vicente Burgos.

The Council for Architecture and Urbanism of Amazonas (CAU/AM) announced the winners of the ATHIS Ideas Competition - Arquiteto e Urbanista Zezéu Ribeiro Award, which sought to promote technical assistance projects for social housing (ATHIS). The initiative's main goal is to address the housing challenges of vulnerable communities in the state through affordable, innovative, and socially responsible architectural solutions.

The winning projects stood out for their sensitive and contextualized approach to local needs, incorporating principles of sustainability, community participation, and the efficient use of resources. Focusing on housing improvements, land tenure regularization, and the upgrading of urban spaces, the proposals align with the objectives of the ATHIS program, established by Federal Law 11,888/2008, which guarantees free technical assistance to low-income families.

Urban agriculture is increasingly seen by organizations and communities as a sustainable alternative that, besides putting vacant land to use, promotes social engagement and reduces the distance from seed to plate, as food is produced within the city itself—often in the very neighborhood or block where the consumer lives. In Brazil, Curitiba offers an interesting example, where a vacant 300-square-meter plot, which served as a trash dump for four decades, was converted into an urban garden in just over ten months.

The São Paulo Court of Justice today cleared the concession of Ibirapuera Park, the largest in the state capital, to the private sector. According to reports by Folha de S. Paulo, the process had been suspended since March of this year, after being challenged by the Public Prosecutor's Office and Green Party council member Gilberto Natalini.

On Saturday, September 21, the City of Paris inaugurated the Marielle Franco Garden in honor of the Brazilian councilwoman assassinated in 2018 in Rio de Janeiro. Located in the city's 10th arrondissement, next to the Gare de l'Est, one of the French capital's main train stations, the project was led by the European Network for Democracy in Brazil (Red-Br) association with the support of the collectives Autres Brésils, France Amérique Latine, Amnesty International France, Coletiva Marielles, Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, Inter LGBT, and Amis des Sans Terre.

The City of Salvador is launching the second phase of the "Eu Curto Meu Passeio" program, which aims to promote the renovation of poorly maintained sidewalks that pose a risk to the public.

The São Paulo Association of Art Critics (APCA) announced yesterday the list of winners for the 2019 APCA Award. The awards are divided into ten categories, encompassing architecture, visual arts, cinema, literature, fashion, popular music, radio, theater, children's theater, and television.

Since 2010, APCA has included architecture critics, who this year presented seven awards: best architectural work; environmental resistance; promotion of architecture in public debate; appreciation of architectural heritage; career dedicated to public university and academic research; urbanity; and urban appropriation.

A crowdfunding campaign is now open to fund the creation of the "Mulheres na Cidade" guide. Conceived by Carmen Guerreiro and Fernanda Carpegiani, communicators and founders of Formiga-me, the guide will map locations in São Paulo that value, welcome, and bring together women's learning and experiences in the capital.

The restoration and reconstruction of Notre-Dame Cathedral—one of the most well-preserved examples of Gothic architecture, tragically devastated by a fire this week—will take several years (five, according to French President Emmanuel Macron's promise) and hundreds of millions of euros. Meanwhile, Patrick Chauvet, rector of the famous Parisian icon, has proposed building a "temporary" wooden cathedral to welcome worshippers and tourists.

Álvaro Siza was born in 1933, the same year the Bauhaus closed its doors. He is perhaps the last practicing modernist, or at least the most significant voice still carrying the incomplete modern project into the 21st century. The exhibition Siza - Unseen and Unknown, opening on February 20 at the Tchoban Foundation in Berlin, presents a series of one hundred sketches that narrate the Portuguese master's work, interwoven with the modern project and personal stories.

The "Building of the Year" has reached its tenth edition and is now considered the world's largest crowd-voted architecture award, showcasing the projects that you, our readers, consider the most significant of the year. In the 2019 edition, "Sesc 24 de Maio," one of the most recent landmarks of Brazilian architecture, was voted the winner in the Public Architecture category, while the Portuguese "Capelas Imaculada e Cheia de Graça" project also stood out in the Religious Architecture category. However, this is not the first time both countries have been featured among the award winners. With this in mind, we look back at the last five years of the awards, showcasing the Brazilian and Portuguese projects that stood out across various categories to offer a glimpse of the best work being produced in both Portuguese-speaking nations.

Federal Police experts found strong evidence that a series of makeshift connections in the electrical wiring caused the fire that swept through the National Museum eight months ago, keeping its doors closed ever since.

What if you could send a WhatsApp message and a bright green van delivered native tree saplings directly to you? In Salvador, the local government does exactly that. Painted with the image of a biodiverse Brazilian forest, this green van is part of the "Disque Mata Atlântica" (Atlantic Forest Hotline) program. Since its launch in 2017, the initiative has delivered 4,500 trees to residents wishing to plant them at home.

Starting February 11, the Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand is offering a course on the life and work of architect Lina Bo Bardi. Lina Bo Bardi from Ideas to Construction: Architecture as Cultural Action will be coordinated by Marina Grinover, founding partner of the firm Base Urbana and author of two books on the Italian-Brazilian architect.

Female architects and urban planners account for 63.47% of the 174,513 registered professionals currently in the country. Despite being the majority in the profession, the spotlight remains focused on men. To break this paradigm and promote dialogue and ways to foster the inclusion and visibility of women in the multiple fields of Architecture and Urban Planning, the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of Rio de Janeiro (CAU/RJ) has launched the CAU + Mulheres Award.

One of the most beloved and undeniably successful museums in the Portuguese-speaking world, the Museum of the Portuguese Language is preparing to reopen its doors after the fire it suffered in 2015. The opportunity to rethink the institution and understand its relationship with the public were the guiding principles that aligned with the new usage needs and desires for improvement that permeated the entire concept behind the building's rehabilitation.