Articles

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With a century of history, the Confitería del Molino, designed by architect Francisco Gianotti—who was born in Italy in 1881 and arrived in Argentina in 1909—is one of the heritage landmarks of Argentine architecture. After remaining closed for more than 20 years, in July 2018, the National Congress took possession of the property and began restoration efforts. In Argentina in particular, where neglect or disinterest has led to the loss of a vast number of heritage works, projects of this nature invite us to reflect on the role of architecture in building a city's collective memory.

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Archivo de Ideas Recibidas is an interdisciplinary research and dissemination project that aims to record and connect the ideas of individuals who contribute to the contemporary creative ecosystem through art, design, and architecture. It is built on conversations between the team and various creators, exploring themes related to memory, academia, cultural context, their primary influences, and working methodologies.

One of the greatest challenges of urban planning lies in managing city growth. Year after year, major cities see their populations increase, and it is estimated that by 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in urban areas. But how can we build sustainable, healthy, and equitable cities that foster urban diversity?

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As part of an initiative by the UHPH Platform, co-organized with Habitat for Humanity, the 2021 call for entries was launched for the "Inspiring Practices" competition, held within the framework of the 4th Latin American and Caribbean Housing and Habitat Forum: "Action for Housing and Settlements Facing COVID-19." This initiative seeks to improve urban spaces and equip them with infrastructure that promotes community development.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design, architects Rafael-Beneytez-Duran and Peter Jay Zweig have designed a dynamic, inflated structure titled AIRSCAPES #1.

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To create, express architectural language, and be universally understood, scale models translate design ideas and projects into proportions that are more accessible and easier to comprehend.

This article focuses on scale models as acts of material thought, highlighting the practice of the model-making laboratory of Miguel Forero Barbosa. Explore their work below.

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Ciudad Juárez is an industrial city located on the northern border with the United States, directly across from El Paso, Texas. Over the years, Juárez's economy has been dominated by the ‘maquiladora’ industry, and it was once considered one of the most violent cities in the world due to a wave of crime that took hold from 2008 to 2012. In 2020, the National Workers' Housing Fund Institute (Infonavit) reported that there are 17,871 abandoned homes in Ciudad Juárez, leading the country's municipal rankings and contributing to a total of 650,000 abandoned houses nationwide.

The term ergonomics was first coined in 1857 by the Polish scholar Wojciech Jastrzębowski, deriving from the combination of the Greek words ergon (work) and nomos (laws or rules). Although initially associated with the physical comfort of workers, today the term applies to a wide range of activities, from sports to leisure. It represents a set of guidelines and procedures designed to ensure both physical and mental well-being during any given task.

Public and private sector leaders and civil society representatives from around the world gathered at COP26, held in Glasgow from October 31 to November 12, to debate and deliberate on one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century: climate change. The summit centered on four key goals:

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In the future, the Internet of Things (IoT) will play an increasingly profound role in our lives, with devices communicating independently and integrating into our daily routines as smart assistants. As a result, demand for smart home technology is growing in tandem with the range of products on offer. In a recent report, market research firm Statista predicted that this year, approximately 12% of households worldwide will own smart home devices, a figure projected to rise to over 21% by 2025—translating to more than 478.2 million users globally. But which of these devices are actually useful? A selection of outstanding technologies and designs has recently been honored with the 2021 iF Design Award, and here we take a closer look at nine of them.

This is not a book about architecture; rather, it is a book about a territory—a territory in Chile, within the Metropolitan Region, shaped by a mountain range, a river, and a valley.

"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, the series delves deep into forgotten architectural publications, books, and magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s, uncovering the fascinating stories behind them.

In this eleventh episode, titled "El Huevo" (The Egg), Carmelo discusses the 1978 book *L'Oeuf* by André Bruyère. An obsession with eggs led the French architect to propose an egg-shaped skyscraper for New York and write this book, which champions the ovoid as a fundamental form.

Green infrastructure is an approach centered on territorial planning and environmental sustainability. Moreover, it is one of the primary strategies being adopted by communities, municipalities, and governments in cities worldwide to address the climate crisis, improve public health, reduce social segregation, and protect biodiversity. Specifically, it consists of an interconnected system of diverse green spaces that support a range of functions and benefits.

How do we design spaces that are healthy for both our minds and our bodies? That is the main question we seek to answer this March as we address our monthly topic, “Indoor Well-Being.”

The rapid growth of Brazilian cities without adequate oversight by public authorities has resulted in a series of problems stemming from a lack of decent housing. Since the 1980s, grassroots community associations and academics have joined forces to pressure the government into developing housing policies that would not only construct new homes and neighborhoods, but also secure other fundamental rights, such as healthcare and education. Today, forty years after this initial push, we observe a lack of public housing policies across all three levels of government targeting the most vulnerable populations, even as we see a growing popularization of Technical Assistance for Social Interest Housing, known as ATHIS.

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“These types of projects are of vital importance because they seek to reverse social, economic, urban, and political instability, providing organized attention to community needs and creating built platforms that serve as a bridge between the intrapersonal and intra-institutional scales.” Excerpt from the project description of the Community Development Center / OCA + BONINI

Since 2008, World Social Justice Day has been observed every February 20 to support and promote the international community's efforts to achieve sustainable development, poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, universal social protection, gender equality, and access to social well-being and justice for all. According to the United Nations, “Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations," representing the core of its mission to promote development and human dignity.

As the first recreational theme park in Latin America, "La República de los Niños" is located in Manuel B. Gonnet, in the city of La Plata, Argentina. Numerous buildings make up a fantasy city built to scale which, since its inauguration in 1951, has aimed to represent basic social institutions and recognize both human rights and children's rights.