Architecture News

The Ministry of Culture, through the National Institute of Indigenous Languages, invited multidisciplinary teams, communities, and groups of graphic and industrial designers, architects, curators, exhibition designers, artists, and engineers, among other disciplines, to submit individual or co-authored conceptual design proposals for the Indigenous Languages Pavilion at the 2019 Oaxaca and Guadalajara International Book Fairs. This year, the Ministry of Culture's participation in these prominent international book fairs will not focus on book sales—which will be managed by the relevant institutions—but will instead align with the country's cultural policy.

Under the theme 'Factory of Ideas and Innovation,' the 33rd CAP Steel Design Competition for architecture students awarded first place to the team from Universidad Central, composed of students Hugo Valenzuela and Diego Lacazette, guided by professors Ricardo Atanasio and Álvaro Herrera, for their proposal "Biome and Seed Research Center."

The student team's proposal consists of "a controlled space for experimentation and observation of crop species in the face of desertification," as explained in the official project description.

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The degree to which heritage is crucial for the tourism and commercial value of cities like Cartagena is highly debated. As this value rises, the real estate sector invests more heavily in buildings that clash with the historic urban landscape. Especially since Cartagena is a warm, Caribbean, coastal vacation city, massive high-rise developments like Miami are often used as benchmarks. How far can real estate ambition go?

The answer is likely: until the city's long-term interests override those of private developers. This is the case of the controversial Aquarela building, whose already advanced construction was halted following a statement by UNESCO warning that they would remove the walled city of Cartagena from the World Heritage list. Consequently, the mayor of Cartagena reaffirmed his commitment to demolishing the unfinished structure.

Chilean architect and academic Fernando Pérez Oyarzún has been named the new director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Chile. The announcement by the Ministry of Cultures concludes the open call organized by the National Cultural Heritage Service, which drew 58 applicants.

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As part of our ongoing effort to highlight the important academic work being done in universities, we launched an open call last January inviting Mexican architects to share their thesis projects. We sought academic research and theses addressing key issues in the Mexican context—projects that often remain on paper but deserve international recognition. This call in Mexico joins the recognition already granted to architects in Colombia and Argentina.

Guadalajara 90210 presents “Pabellón de las escaleras” (Staircase Pavilion), an exhibition consisting of a series of installations by artists from various disciplines—architecture, contemporary art, and industrial design. The venue is an unfinished building located in Santa María la Ribera—a neighborhood that has recently experienced a surge in cultural events, art installations, and architectural proposals—featuring open-air sections, a concrete labyrinth, and exposed pipes.

The "Microcentralidad la Y" ideas competition, organized by the Metropolitan Institute of Urban Planning (IMPU) and the Pichincha College of Architects (CAE-P), aimed to develop a plan for the former "La Y" northern station, proposing a management model for its execution that incorporates environmental sustainability aligned with the New City Model outlined in Vision Quito 2040. The jury awarded first place to the team from Raíz Estudio. Read on to learn more about the winning project in the words of its designers.

Every four years, the city of Olympia hosted athletic competitions in honor of the god Zeus. During this period, time stood still: the city-states declared a truce and wars were suspended. These festivities were known as the Olympic Games. These new activities required new building typologies; architecture was put at the service of sports, a tradition that continues to this day.

For the third edition of the Youth Olympic Games, held in Buenos Aires, architects from across the country participated by creating various spaces. The multidisciplinary team from Galpón Estudio, along with Gruba and Hacelo Sonar, among other professionals, led the creation of Espacio Infancia, which invites visitors to awaken their senses. Running, climbing, walking, pausing, observing, listening, imagining. Learn more about the project in the words of its designers.

The National Ideas Competition for the Pabellón del Centenario and its surroundings, promoted by the State Property Management Agency and organized by the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, closed on April 22, yielding a total of 65 proposals and the participation of architects from across the country.

The significance of the competition lay, on one hand, in the opportunity to restore the architectural value of the Pavilion which, designed by Virginio Colombo, is the only standing building of the 20 constructed for the Centennial celebrations in 1910. At the same time, it presents an opportunity to enhance and revitalize the adjacent areas, generating urban-scale impacts that will drive the future development of the area and integrate a wide variety of scenarios.

On September 11, the winners of the National Ideas Competition for the “Architectural, Urban, and Landscape Development of the Northeast Entrance of the Port District - City of Santa Fe” were announced. The call for entries sought to offer new spatial responses for the area, contributing to the material and symbolic reconstruction of this sector and helping to strengthen its connection to the city and the waterfront.

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This November, Mexico City cements its status as one of the most exciting creative capitals in the world, featuring a circuit of activities designed to highlight the avant-garde, experimentation, and new digital art models that the city attracts and inspires. After 16 years of continuous work, MUTEK Mexico is proud to be part of this circuit, collaborating with other organizations to offer the public one of the year's most intense and stimulating weeks dedicated to digital art and sound.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to remove the Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works in northern Chile from the List of World Heritage in Danger, a status they had held since 2005.

On Friday, December 6, Chile's Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage announced the results of the first phase of the ideas competition for the curation of the Chilean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2020, themed How will we live together.

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As part of the cultural program of the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao presents an exhibition exploring and interpreting Mexico's historical culture and building traditions. Titled The Architect’s Studio - Tatiana Bilbao, this is the third installment in Louisiana's The Architect's Studio exhibition series, which features internationally renowned architects showcasing their careers.

Architect Belén Hermida has been elected dean of the Official Association of Architects of Madrid (COAM).

In 2018, a group of former political prisoners who had been incarcerated at the Punta Carretas prison from 1968 to 1985 formed a "pro-Memorial Site commission" to promote a project that would invite reflection and memory regarding the events that occurred during their years of confinement in the former penitentiary. Seeking to create a site that fosters memory for current and future generations, they launched a call for proposals to develop a Memorial. This project honors the victims, their families, and the entire community, continuing the struggle for truth, memory, and justice in Uruguay.

In the heart of Palermo, a large iron and glass structure houses species whose origins date back to distant eras predating the dinosaurs. This is the main greenhouse of the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden in Buenos Aires.

On October 18, during the 17th edition of the Buenos Aires International Biennial of Architecture and concluding a series of keynote lectures, debates, and exhibitions held at the Usina del Arte in Buenos Aires, the winners of the “Evolución Ladrillo” (Brick Evolution) award, the CICA (International Committee of Architectural Critics) awards, the Bienal BA category awards, and the Grand Biennial Prize were announced, honoring a total of 28 architecture firms, institutions, and organizations for their work in the field of architecture.