When the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, proposed the development of apartment buildings and commercial spaces on an empty industrial site, an op-ed in Growler Magazine compared the proposed development to a metal shredder. “Rather than conserving and enhancing the qualities and character of the neighborhood,” writes Charles Hathaway, “the redevelopment endorsed by the city's plan disregards the unique characteristics of the neighborhood and diminishes its quality.”
Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, global tourism ground to a halt for over a year, yet the desire to seek the inspiration that comes from traveling and experiencing new places remained. While experiencing spaces firsthand is undoubtedly one of the best ways to study architecture, reconstructing these structures through drawings and visualizations serves as another valuable educational tool, fostering a deeper awareness of the intricate details that compose them.
The Arctic covers one-sixth of the Earth's surface. Much of its territory is covered by water, with the rest comprised of vast expanses of land. It is home to approximately 4 million inhabitants, including more than 30 Indigenous peoples. Eight states (Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States) possess territories in the Arctic region. Its significance lies, among other things, in its role as the planet's air conditioner—reflecting sunlight and regulating global temperatures.
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Architectures of the Global South is the title of the course taught by architects Marco Artigas and Pedro Vada through the Escola da Cidade Association. The program aimed to broaden perspectives on contemporary architectural production, considering the urgent need for new, fundamentally counter-hegemonic viewpoints. Grounded in the concept of the Global South and a shared vision of unity among countries shaped by colonization, the course, held between September and December 2020, established ongoing dialogues with architects practicing or residing in these nations.
The goal of these sessions was to discuss what and how people are building in these countries through direct conversations about the challenges posed by different territories, societies, and cultures. By exploring the processes and decisions behind each project in greater detail—using richer documentation than typically found in publications—the course addressed structural reflections and urgent issues.
Architecture firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos (now SOMA) has unveiled the design for the new Park Hyatt mixed-use development in Mexico City's Polanco district. Comprising a luxury hotel, residences, and offices, the project marks Hyatt Hotels Corporation's first such complex in the country.
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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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The bid award meeting for the "Full-Phase Design of the Guiwan Unit 4 Nine-Year School Project" was held on January 29, 2021. The tenderer legally established a bid selection committee, and following a vote by the committee, the final rankings are as follows:
Driven by necessity, various building types have changed their use. Churches that are now libraries, abandoned warehouses turned into cultural centers—and while much has been written on the subject, from N. John Habraken's 1970s Open Building concept to Adamo Faiden's contemporary From Mixed-Use to Diff-Use, today we are experiencing, more than ever, a compelling global debate surrounding housing adaptability. Is it necessary to dedicate so much square footage to offices when, during the pandemic, we realized that a large portion of work can be done remotely? This was one of the central questions during the lockdowns of recent years.
Undoubtedly, buildings are on the radar for what we can do with them in the near future—especially as the climate crisis enters the equation. "The greenest building is the one that is already built," says Carl Elefante. Adaptive reuse and adaptability will surely be the defining terms on the lips of architecture professionals worldwide. Thus, it is time to reflect further on how design can address this challenge.
Located near Paris and symbolizing the power of French absolute monarchs, the Palace of Versailles was originally built between 1610 and 1643 as a rural hunting retreat for King Louis XIII of France. Over time, the residence was expanded and refined, becoming a small chateau in 1634. Its transformation into a grand, luxurious palace and a display of royal opulence began during the reign of Louis XIV, known as the Sun King.
This week, we feature job openings from two of China's leading architecture practices: Beijing-based People's Architecture Office (PAO) and Shenzhen-based Meng Architects. Known for their distinct design philosophies and active presence in different sectors of the architectural field, both offices are looking for talented architects to join their teams.
"Domingos Libro" is hosted by Carmelo from Enorme Studio. Every two weeks, he delves into forgotten architectural publications, books, and architecture magazines from the '60s, '70s, and '80s that carry the most fascinating backstories.
This new episode is a holiday special focusing on the December 1971 issue of Architectural Design magazine and the "12 Cautionary Tales for Christmas" proposed by Superstudio.
This week’s job openings come from two design firms based in Beijing and Shenzhen: Origin Architect and JKP Architects. Specializing in different scales and themes, both practices are active across various architectural fields and are seeking like-minded architects to join their teams.
"Domingos Libro" is presented by Carmelo from Enorme Studio, where every two weeks, he delves into forgotten architectural publications, books, and architecture magazines from the 60s, 70s, and 80s that have the most interesting stories behind them.
In this new episode, he discusses the catalog of the exhibition "Houses For Sale," published by Rizzoli and B.J. Archer in 1980. Through the Leo Castelli Gallery, one could purchase the designs for eight houses by renowned architects (Emilio Ambasz, Peter Eisenman, Vittorio Gregotti, Arata Isozaki, Charles Moore, Cesar Pelli, Cedric Price, and Oswald M. Ungers), upending the traditional "client commissions architect for their dream home" relationship.
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