Articles

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This year marked the 10th anniversary of the release of the first episode of Black Mirror. A dystopian, character-driven science fiction anthology series that explores twisted, high-tech metaverses where, according to IMDb, “humanity’s greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide.” For this reason, the British series, created by Charlie Brooker for Netflix, sparked a wide range of reactions among viewers. While it presented future scenarios, their proximity ended up creating a distinct sense of paranoia, fear, and uncertainty.

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Dedicated to creating environments for a wide range of human activities, Armando de Holanda practiced as an architect in Northeast Brazil. Unsettled by the persistence of European building traditions that proved ill-suited to the region, he developed a set of strategies for designing and building with a focus on performance tailored to the tropical environment, prioritizing the presence of nature, light, and climate. 

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March 9 marks the birth anniversary of one of the most globally significant Mexican architects, a pioneer of the Modern Movement in Mexico whose work has transcended geographical boundaries to be studied by generations of architects who have rewritten his teachings to make them their own. Luis Barragán, the Guadalajara-born architect and 1980 Pritzker Prize laureate, left a timeless legacy that continues to pave the way for new research and discoveries today.

PILLS is a Beijing-based, research-oriented architecture studio. Our practice spans speculative endeavors, including architectural and interior design, installation and exhibition design, urban and landscape design, as well as cross-media production and cultural dissemination. Ranging from installations to public buildings, and from cultural projects to commercial developments, PILLS actively delivers a diverse range of urban and architectural design services while leveraging various media to drive the production of contemporary architectural culture.

The adaptive reuse of the former production center seeks to revitalize the history of local industry through the preservation of its physical and cultural heritage. Transforming the historic building of the former Limache Brewery in Chile into a museum open to the public is the primary goal of the open call launched by CCU. Submissions for the heritage adaptive reuse of this industrial building will remain open until August 15.

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With the growing interest in virtual tours driven by recent public health conditions, access to these experiences has become increasingly common. While not a new technology, it is rapidly evolving to engage art and architecture enthusiasts. With this in mind, a project titled "San Lázaro 40 (X) 5 / 40 years, 5 murals" was launched to showcase one of the most iconic spaces designed by architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez: the San Lázaro Legislative Palace.

Archivo de Ideas Recibidas is an interdisciplinary research and dissemination project that seeks to document and connect the ideas of individuals contributing to the contemporary creative ecosystem through art, design, and architecture. It is built upon conversations between the team and various creators, exploring topics related to memory, academia, cultural context, key influences, and working methodologies. This time, they share an interview on cinema and architecture with Mauricio Freyre (Estudio Rien).

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Ecuadorian illustrator and architecture student Ariel Triana Ayarza (Arluz Ilustraciones) has created a series that explores Guayaquil's architecture through digital illustrations. The graphic collection aims to highlight the beauty of heritage landmarks, colonial buildings, and all the representative works that shape the city's identity.

MENG ARCHITECTS is a comprehensive design and research firm specializing in forward-looking urban and architectural research, design consulting, construction management, and product R&D. Founded in Shenzhen in 2002 by Meng Jianmin—an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a National Architectural Design Master—the firm was formerly known as Meng Jianmin Studio.

Raimundo Lira, Cristián Izquierdo, the Architecture Directorate of the Municipality of Santiago, José Rosas, and the group Elemental have been honored with the 2021 AOA Medals, a biennial award recognizing professionals, offices, and public or private entities that have been instrumental to the development of national architecture.

The awards ceremony took place during the Annual Assembly of the Association of Architecture Offices (AOA), where the new directors were announced, and president Mónica Álvarez de Oro presented an account of her first year in office.

Founded in Shanghai in 2015, DYML Architects is a dynamic, diverse, and cutting-edge international architectural practice. We are committed to providing creative design services with a global perspective, passionately seeking exceptional solutions through unconventional design thinking and unique angles. 

This article by Susana Romero Sánchez was originally published under the title "La historia olvidada de la arquitectura en Colombia: la vivienda rural y la modernización durante la República Liberal" in issue 29 of Dearq journal on January 1, 2021 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq29.2021.04).

This article analyzes the "campaign for the improvement of peasant housing," launched by the Instituto de Crédito Territorial (ICT) during the Liberal Republic (1930–1946). Contrary to traditional narratives of modern architecture in Colombia, which overlook experiments in rural architecture or relegate them to a form of prehistory, this study shows that peasant housing influenced the subsequent development of modern social housing. The article argues that the rural housing campaign was central to a concept of modernity in Colombia based on the prosperous, mid-sized peasant landowner.

This article by Ana María López-Ortego was originally published under the title "Transformaciones territoriales y desbordes en la zona rurbana de la localidad de Bosa (Bogotá) desde la perspectiva de movimientos urbanos de base" (Territorial Transformations and Overflows in the Rurban Zone of the Locality of Bosa (Bogotá) from the Perspective of Grassroots Urban Movements) in issue 30 of the Dearq journal on May 1, 2021 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq30.2021.06).

This article examines the conflicts between planning culture and urban culture in the rurban areas of the locality of Bosa (Bogotá, Colombia), where an urban model is being reproduced that is disconnected from both its territorial border status and the cultural identities of its residents (rural-to-urban migrants, Indigenous populations, and youth collectives linked to urban culture, sports, and hip-hop). A bottom-up analysis of the area's transformations reveals perceptions of urban segregation and a loss of governance mechanisms, while also identifying processes of spatial appropriation and resignification by grassroots, collective, and independent rurban movements.

The following is presented as part of a joint collaboration to help disseminate research, analysis, and commentary from the national and international academic community on architecture, urban issues, and related fields.

In a privileged location in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, with unparalleled accessibility for both national and international events, the project by Frazzi Arquitectos is built upon the history of Club Vélez Sarsfield, seeking to embody the legacy left by its illustrious figure, Don José “Pepe” Amalfitani.

Following decades of informal, well-intentioned interventions aimed at addressing emerging needs, the new project proposes a comprehensive overhaul. Moving beyond a mere functional solution and drawing on the club's history and sensitivity, it seeks to bring character and local relevance to the community.

In recent years, "real-time rendering" has become an increasingly prominent concept in architectural visualization. Initially dismissed as a theoretical tool far from practical application—plagued by critiques of poor quality, lack of compatibility, and sparse asset libraries—it was deemed incapable of replacing traditional visualization workflows, let alone serving as a primary tool for architects. However, several recent animations created with D5 Render have piqued our curiosity, prompting a closer look at what real-time rendering can now achieve.

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The Ministry of the Environment of Mexico City announced the winning project of the National Thematic Garden-Ethnobotanical Garden, Environmental Culture Center Competition in the Second Section of the Chapultepec Forest, which will form part of a master plan for the “Chapultepec Forest: Nature and Culture.” Upon completing the analysis and deliberation of the projects, the jury members highlighted the quality and high standard of the participants across the five submitted proposals. The first, second, and third-place winners are listed below. Read on to discover the winning project and the four finalist proposals.

Industrial buildings are perhaps the ultimate exemplification of Louis Sullivan's famous adage: form follows function. They are typically functional, efficient, fast to build, and unornamented. Consequently, studying the industrial heritage of cities and countries allows us to understand the materials, technologies, and local construction traditions of each era, while reflecting on the industrial past. This quickly brings to mind England's red-brick factories, as well as the skylights used to flood production floors with natural light, among many other typical solutions. Today, steel frames and precast concrete structures are the most widely used due to their combination of construction efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and capacity for large spans. Typically, these industrial warehouses are also characterized by being extremely cold and impersonal, in addition to carrying a substantial carbon footprint. However, Canada's experience in recent years stands out. In this country, timber buildings for industrial programs are gaining increasing acceptance.

This article by Diego Navarro-Mateu, Oriol Carrasco, and Ana Cocho-Bermejo was originally published under the title "Diseño inverso para superficies doblemente regladas: aproximación geométrica y optimización del hypar de la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Valle de Félix Candela" in issue 27 of the Dearq journal on July 1, 2020 (DOI: https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq27.2020.08). The following text proposes a reverse engineering/design methodology based on evolutionary computation to discover the hidden, primal hyperboloid that forms the roof of the Church of Nuestra Señora del Valle (Spain), a legacy of the work of architect Félix Candela.

It is presented here as part of a joint collaboration to help disseminate the research, analysis, and opinions developed by the national and international academic community on architecture, urban issues, and related fields.