Collage made with a photo by Marek Levák (via Unsplash) and an illustration by @meltedvideos
While design has become increasingly professionalized over the years, design literacy and visual thinking—the ability to understand and interpret visual resources—are becoming non-negotiable in many workplaces, even for those who do not consider themselves designers.
Visual thinking is the tool of processing information visually, using the emotional and creative parts of the brain to organize data intuitively and simultaneously through drawings, graphics, and strong aesthetic clarity and color theory.
Figure 10. Proposal for Sancho de Rivero Avenue with the contemporary canal. Image via Proyectos Espacio Público- PROLIMA
As part of the 66 interventions planned under the Rímac River Special Landscape Project (PEPRR)—and developed by the Public Space Projects team at PROLIMA (Program for the Recovery of the Historic Center of Lima)—the Monserrate Canal Promenade and Plaza project in the Historic Center of Lima seeks the comprehensive revitalization of the historic Monserrate neighborhood. By highlighting the archaeological heritage of the canal, the project aims to integrate the memory of the historic landscape and the identity of its residents into the public space.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136158/monserrate-canal-promenade-and-plaza-renaturalization-and-water-memory-in-a-traditional-neighborhood-of-downtown-limaLidia Espinoza, Varinia Prada y Susana López
From fire in prehistoric caves to street lighting in smart cities, lighting has evolved steadily alongside technological advancements. In recent years, however, it has begun to transform even more significantly in terms of design and functionality, driven by a growing awareness of its impact on the environment and human health.
The role of fire in human development is undeniable. Our ancestors leveraged this discovery to cope with low temperatures, protect themselves from predators, and cook food to make it more digestible. Over time, the ritual of cooking evolved from a simple open-air campfire to enclosing fire within chambers. These chambers gradually became more sophisticated over the years, eventually transforming into the complex, modern elements that served as the starting point for the emergence of kitchens as social architectural spaces.
Regardless of its size or layout, the kitchen as a shared space has preserved its ritualistic nature to this day. In ancient times, we gathered around the fire to prepare food and tell stories; today, we meet in our home kitchens to connect with one another. The importance of this space in daily life is enhanced by kitchen furniture lines like Wasser, a brand distributed by CHC that balances aesthetics and functionality, conceiving kitchens as utilitarian and social spaces, with special attention paid to design.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136132/5-modular-kitchen-styles-and-how-to-combine-themEnrique Tovar
There are many reasons why some urban areas deteriorate while others thrive, including economic, planning, social, and cultural factors, as well as sheer chance. Understanding these dynamics—and, more importantly, minimizing the risk of decay while fostering vitality in urban areas—is a recurring theme in urban planning, driven by the shared and legitimate desire to live in beautiful, pleasant, and prosperous environments.
Proper home insulation and selecting the right materials are fundamental when undertaking a construction project. These strategies enhance interior comfort and serve as a long-term cost-saving measure.
Today, Brazil celebrates Student Day. Established in 1927, the date marks access to a fundamental right for all citizens: education. Nearly a century later, new pedagogies and ways of looking at learning have emerged, bringing with them new architectures that embrace both pedagogical and technical advancements. With this in mind, we have gathered seven examples of Brazilian educational spaces designed after 2020. Through solutions that highlight key design aspects, these projects help outline a brief overview of contemporary references on the subject.
Increasingly robust and promising scientific evidence can assist architects and other designers seeking inclusive design by taking diverse minds into account—that is, creating built environments that engage with neurodiversity. Neurodiversity has always been a part of humanity. The term encompasses people with a wide range of neurological conditions and was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in 1999.
Each year, the National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA), through the National System of Art Creators (SNCA), honors key figures of excellence in national culture through the Young Creators Program. By providing grants, the program supports the creative and educational development of young Mexican artists, fostering favorable conditions for the execution of original, meaningful, and positive creative projects. For this edition, the grant recipients in the “Architectural Design” category were Ruy Berumen, Diego González, Juan José Kochen, Ignacio Pérez, Elsa Ponce, Luca Salas, and Tania Tovar, who worked under the mentorship of tutors Elena Tudela Rivadeneyra, Rafael Ponce Ortiz, and Patricia Ivonne Álvarez De Anda.
Zoning is the primary tool for urban regulation adopted worldwide. It consists of dividing urban territory into a series of zones, establishing permitted uses for each and setting parameters for the structures that can be built on each lot. In theory, zoning pursues two main objectives: preventing nuisances generated by specific uses and limiting development density to the capacity of existing infrastructure.
Varvito Quarries, Itu. Photo by Thaysnatani, via Wikimedia Commons. License CC BY-SA 4.0
Studies link green areas to a reduction in anxiety and depression, boosted immunity in children, relief from loneliness in cities for adults, and even increased intelligence. Seeking outdoor leisure activities in contact with nature offers numerous benefits. To help you choose interesting places to visit in the state of São Paulo, we present a list of ten protected environmental heritage sites, compiled by the São Paulo State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy.
According to the Secretariat of Infrastructure and Environment, the State of São Paulo has 5,670,532 hectares of native vegetation in various stages of recovery. This area is equivalent to 22.9% of the state's territory. Below, check out some of the spaces that preserve this greenery. In addition to urban parks, trails, and campsites, the list even includes the headwaters of the Tietê River.
Image: Prefeitura de Jaboatão dos Guararapes. Via Caos Planejado
I suspect many readers here experience the same, shall we say, “predicament” as I do: as soon as we step outside our “bubble,” advocating for urban design principles that seem obvious to us — such as eliminating fences and walls, and promoting public access, visual permeability, mixed-use zoning, and active frontages — inevitably runs into the same obstacle: the lack of public safety.
https://www.archdaily.com/1136238/are-condominium-fences-meant-to-provide-protection-the-dilemma-of-urban-prisonersVitor Meira França
Each person needs about 110 liters of water to meet their daily consumption and hygiene needs. However, in Brazil, daily consumption can exceed 200 liters per person, according to Sabesp. Due to high water pressure in apartment buildings, this consumption can be even higher. Furthermore, the country loses about 40% of all treated water captured, according to 2022 data from Instituto Trata Brasil. Nonetheless, at least within the home, this waste of clean water can be mitigated through a few simple changes.
What does 2023 hold for development and the environment?
The end of 2022 certainly left us in an interesting—yet troubling—position. A three-year-old pandemic proved far from over, sickening millions and straining economies. Global inflation reached 9%, its highest level since 2008. Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced millions of people to flee their homes, triggering cascading effects in food and energy systems worldwide. Meanwhile, the impacts of climate change—from catastrophic flooding in Pakistan to scorching heatwaves in India and severe droughts in Africa—compounded these threats.
Whether establishing greater fluidity between spaces, integrating distinct elements of an architectural design, or creating a more playful atmosphere, suspended structures in residential projects yield a wide range of spatial experiences.
You are likely familiar with the story of a man who received a divine command to build an ark to shelter his family and animals of every species, saving them from a great deluge. This flood narrative, known as the story of "Noah's Ark," is found not only in the Bible but also in the Quran and many other cultures—with the Sumerian "Epic of Ziusudra" being the oldest known flood myth, dating back to 2000 BCE. These examples show that the forces of nature, by taking center stage in religious teachings, were already recurring concerns that inspired both fear and respect in early civilizations.
Located in Argentina, approximately 56 km (35 miles) southeast of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, stands the city of La Plata, founded on November 19, 1882, as the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires. As the product of the country's most ambitious urban and architectural undertaking, La Plata was conceived as a forward-looking city—one of the first in the world designed in accordance with the new principles of urban hygiene and rational construction generated by 19th-century scientific advancements. Furthermore, the city was showcased at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, the grand exhibition celebrating the centennial of the French Revolution.
Designated by the United Nations (UN), June 17 was established as the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, a date that serves to raise awareness about these phenomena while promoting initiatives to address them. Broadly speaking, desertification refers to the process of land degradation in arid regions, caused primarily by human activities and climatic variations. This phenomenon leads to the loss of vegetation cover, soil erosion, and reduced agricultural productivity, among other negative consequences. Drought, on the other hand, is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall resulting in water scarcity, which can have severe impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, and human livelihoods.
