Architecture News

On December 20, the final curatorial review of the first National Essay and Research Competition, Written Architecture 2017, took place at the national headquarters of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile.

Organized by Grupo Arquitectura Caliente and co-organized by Ediciones ARQ, the competition awarded the 20 best articles out of 87 submissions in the undergraduate and graduate categories, representing 18 architecture schools across 9 different Chilean cities.

The competition was directed by Gabriela García de Cortázar and featured a jury of 30 prominent academics and professionals on the Evaluation Committee.

Below is the article by Universidad de Chile student Pablo Schmidt, winner of the Graduate Category.

The new illustrated version of the Building and Works Code (COE) is now available online. Released by the São Paulo Municipal Secretariat of Urbanism and Licensing (SMUL - PMSP), this edition features graphic design by oitentaedois, making the legislation more accessible to the general public.

To celebrate the diverse groups that built the cultural heritage of São Paulo and helped shape the city's identity, the Municipal Secretariat of Culture will host the Jornada do Patrimônio (Heritage Journey) on August 18 and 19, under the theme "One City, Many Hands."

The event offers a free, diverse program aimed at connecting the public with historical and emotionally significant spaces that define the city's history. In total, 320 activities will take place, including tours, lectures, workshops, building visits, guided tours, and book launches.

The 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, promising to amaze spectators with its stadiums. There are eight projects in total—some built from scratch, while others are existing structures undergoing renovation.

In May 1999, 17 historic buildings in Santiago opened their doors to launch the very first edition of Chile's Cultural Heritage Day. Nearly two decades after that inaugural event, the upcoming edition will span an entire weekend for the first time, taking place on Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27.

Inaugurated in 1960, Brasília is perhaps the city in the world that most closely followed the principles and guidelines of modern architecture and urban planning in its design and construction. A synthesis of the vision of some of the most respected figures in the history of Brazilian architecture, its layout and buildings drew the world's attention to the nation's economic growth and Brazil's expansion into its own interior.

"Brasília is the dream come true of architects and urban planners. It is the only city in the world built where there was nothing but the cerrado, in central Brazil, and where the builders had complete freedom to apply the principles of the most modern urban planning without restrictions." 

The 20th century in Mexico was a period of vibrant artistic and architectural experimentation. This era marked the establishment of the Modern Movement, bringing with it innovative ideologies that nurtured new talent and shaped the frameworks of artistic and architectural production.

For many years, architects worked as multidisciplinary designers, creating both spaces and furniture under a single, cohesive vision. Yet despite this, some of these pieces have faded into obscurity, overshadowed by major architectural works and the fast pace of modern life, where mass-produced furniture renders these unique designs invisible.

The Norman Foster Foundation is one of 21 institutions and individuals awarded Spain's 2018 Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts. Granted by the Spanish government through the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the distinction recognizes those globally who "have stood out in the field of artistic and cultural creation, or have rendered outstanding services in the promotion, development, or dissemination of art and culture, or in the conservation of artistic heritage."

Possibly the largest exhibition dedicated to Brazilian architecture held outside the country since Brazil Builds, shown in 1943 at MoMA, opens today at Casa da Arquitectura in Matosinhos, Portugal. The Portuguese Centre for Architecture is also presenting the exhibition "Duas Casas" (Two Houses) by Paulo Mendes da Rocha, who will receive the title of Honorary Member of Casa da Arquitectura at a ceremony on September 30. This exhibition will feature the Gerassi House and the House on Rua do Quelhas in Lisbon, which was co-designed with Portuguese architect Inês Lobo.

The Infonavit Cuauhtémoc Neighborhood Library is the latest project by Proyecto Reacciona A.C. located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. Led by architect Antonio Garza Ferrigno in collaboration with muralist Juan Alcocer Zúñiga, the project spans 135 m² (1,453 sq ft) and was completed on a budget of 120,000 Mexican pesos. Read on to learn more about the project:

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Santiago Arau is a renowned photographer whose work focuses on aerial shots of the Mexican territory. His lens travels from Ciudad Juárez to Cancún and Holbox, from the northern border to the Mexican southeast, spanning from 5,500 to minus five meters above sea level, from minus 15 to 45 degrees, and covering over 5,000 kilometers. Arau defines this approach as "a different perspective than what we are used to, since seeing things from above situates where we stand; it is a way to calibrate the human, urban, and geographical scale within a territory. The framing possibilities a drone offers are infinite; you can choose the height, framing, and technique to photograph an object, maximizing the power of a camera."

On December 18, the winning projects of the national architecture competition for the restoration and modernization of the monument building of the Museu Paulista (MP), located in the Ipiranga neighborhood of São Paulo, were announced. The competition was launched on September 7, as part of the "Museu do Ipiranga em Festa" celebrations. Out of a total of 13 entries, nine qualified to participate. The evaluation criteria included aspects such as rationality, functionality, and technical feasibility; respect for the building's material, structural, compositional, and documentary characteristics; creativity, aesthetic solution, and design innovation; compliance with specific uses and circulation and accessibility solutions; and the adoption of environmental sustainability criteria and solutions.

The winning project was selected by a judging committee comprising 11 members appointed by the competition promoter, including representatives from federal, state, and municipal heritage preservation agencies, the Brazilian Institute of Museums (Ibram), and institutional partners such as the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB) and the Council of Architecture and Urbanism of São Paulo.

Originally titled "Colombian Bamboo: A Strategic Ally for the Sustainability of Tropical Ecosystems," architect Luca Bullaro reflects on the work of architect Simón Vélez and designer Marcelo Villegas with bamboo—often called vegetable steel—through new assembly methods, new connections, and various structural support systems.

Simón Vélez, a Colombian architect recognized for his contribution to sustainable architecture, has earned an international reputation backed by outstanding works across the globe. With over forty years of experience in bamboo construction, he is a tireless traveler, inaugurating projects and exhibitions, and leading workshops and lectures.

Today, he seems to have entered a new phase of his professional life. At one point, Vélez remarked: "I want to focus on social housing, but on my own terms. I want to show that high-quality, affordable housing can be built using a hybrid technique of concrete, steel, and laminated bamboo. We have already opened a factory in Manizales to create the first prototypes."

Known as the most German city in Brazil, Pomerode (SC) is home to the largest collection of half-timbered buildings outside of Europe. The preservation of this rich architectural heritage is the focus of the Immigration Cultural Heritage Requalification Project in Pomerode. Developed through a partnership between the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), the Municipal Government of Pomerode, and the Regional University of Blumenau (FURB), the project aims to assess the conservation status of the city's protected properties to identify restoration needs for these cultural assets.

Once again, the EUROPAN competition for urban and architectural ideas—which aims to deepen knowledge and research in the fields of habitat and urban planning—has highlighted the high caliber of Spanish architecture and its young architects. Through their hard work and dedication, these professionals deliver outstanding proposals with high levels of creativity, providing coherent and effective solutions to the contemporary challenges facing our cities.

Indeed, the jury for this latest edition of EUROPAN 14 awarded five first prizes, seven second prizes, and ten special mentions to projects by young architects under 40 submitted for the Spanish sites in this cycle: Alcoy, Barcelona, La Bazana, Madrid, Playa de Palma, and Torrelavega. A total of 165 teams submitted proposals in Spain.

Identity, memory, and ways of living are the main themes explored by Chilean architect Nicolás Norero in his new personal podcast, where he converses with prominent architects from across the Americas, such as Chilean Mathias Klotz, American Rick Joy, and Mexican Frida Escobedo.

"My goal is to talk with people I admire and respect. Memory, identity, and ways of living are intangible concepts, but in my view, they are fundamental to our discipline," Norero told ArchDaily. "Through a biographical lens, we understand how architects develop their own language and a unique way of doing things," he adds.

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Humberto Eliash, architect, academic at the Universidad de Chile, and former vice dean of the university's Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, is the new President of the Colegio de Arquitectos de Chile. This was ratified following the first meeting of the national board on January 12, after the online voting held among members throughout Chile last December.

Although the position of national President is determined by an internal agreement of the board of directors, historically the candidate with the highest majority takes office. Eliash—with 21.5% of the valid votes cast—was widely expected to secure the position, as ArchDaily en Español reported a few weeks ago.

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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