The UIA World Congress of Architects 2023 is an invitation for architects from around the world to meet in Copenhagen July 2 – 6 to explore and communicate how architecture influences all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For more than two years, the Science Track and its international Scientific Committee have been analyzing the various ways in which architecture responds to the SDGs. The work has resulted in the formulation of six science panels: design for Climate Adaptation, design for Rethinking Resources, design for Resilient Communities, design for Health, design for Inclusivity, and design for Partnerships for Change. An international call for papers was sent out in 2022 and 296 of more than 750 submissions from 77 countries have been invited to present at the UIA World Congress of Architects 2023 in Copenhagen. ArchDaily is collaborating with the UIA to share articles pertaining to the six themes to prepare for the opening of the Congress.

In this fourth feature, we met with co-chairs of design for Health architect Arif Hasan, former Visiting Professor NED University Karachi and member of UNs Advisory Group on Forced Evictions, and architect Christian Benimana, Senior Principal and Co-Executive Director at MASS Design Group

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Environments that inspire, promote well-being and stimulate a connection with nature. Biophilic landscaping in education spaces recognizes the importance of this bond for student development, as it benefits well-being, academic performance, and people's health. We have selected eight projects that bring natural elements to the classroom or that place students directly in nature to illustrate the qualities in these spaces.

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Urban rivers, across their various scales, can serve as structuring axes for urbanization with high environmental quality. The focus of this article, based on concepts developed by the Fluvial Metropolis Group, is the Lageado Creek Basin, located at the easternmost edge of the municipality of São Paulo and part of the municipality of Ferraz de Vasconcelos. The Tietê River, into which the basin's waters flow, the Lageado, and its tributaries establish three scales of rivers and urbanization, accommodating distinct programs related to water use: from regional navigation and energy to neighborhood-scale fluvial parks, spanning water supply, drainage, energy, and irrigation.

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In a world of extravagant textures, colors, and flavors, who would have thought that a substance that has no color, no smell, and no taste is precisely the most essential for human existence? Antagonistic in itself, water carries an ambiguity of values and meanings that confer a high degree of complexity sustained by the versatile and soluble profile that distinguishes it in a complex simplicity. In this sense, water, as a source of life, has become an object of devotion and study over time. This has fostered a continuous effort focused on understanding, transporting, and controlling this element.

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The institution of slavery shaped landscapes on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. And in turn enslaved and free Africans and their descendants created new landscapes in the United States, the Caribbean, and Sub-Saharan Africa. African people had their own intimate relationships with the land, which enabled them to carve out their own agency and culture.

At Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., a symposium — Environmental Histories of the Black Atlantic World: Landscape Histories of the African Diaspora — organized by N. D. B. Connolly, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Oscar de la Torre, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, sought to highlight those forgotten relationships between people and their environment.

dérive LAB, a multidisciplinary laboratory founded in Mexico, presents "Shared Streets" ("Calles Compartidas")—a project that seeks to spatially transform streets from spaces regulated by traffic control devices to those governed by human relationships. It reminds us that streets are not merely corridors for transit and transport, but places that host a myriad of other social, economic, and cultural activities.

Even though Isaac Newton’s experiments and observations led to the development of the color wheel during the 17th century, his revolution in the understanding and application of colors continues to influence the creation of architecture and design projects. Arranging colors in a circular format, Newton mapped the color spectrum to create the first color wheel. As a visual representation of how colors relate to each other, it has been a fundamental tool for artists, architects, and designers to understand color relationships and therefore create appealing palettes for each space. Beyond merely “eyeing” color combinations, applying the color theory based on the geometric relationships in the color wheel helps designers determine which colors are suitable together. Color has the ability to play with spatial perception, create a sense of atmosphere, and evoke emotional responses, making it essential for design.

By exploring the multiple possibilities of the color wheel, we create a guide to enhance architectural design through three color combinations: monochromatic, analogous, and complementary.

Some architects have left their mark on history; one such case is Antonio Gaudí. Through his nature-inspired conceptions, he became the foremost representative of Catalan modernism. The impact of Gaudí's work can be seen on various architectural scales, including the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Colònia Güell, Casa Milà, and Casa Battló, the latter being an iconic landmark of Barcelona’s architecture.

Casa Battló emerged from the renovation of an 1877 building, which was acquired in 1903 and subsequently commissioned to Gaudí for its transformation. Inspired by animal forms, particularly those of the ocean, the facade and interior were renovated using curves and a combination of vibrant colors. This intervention marked a turning point for the house, as it significantly changed the facade, redistributed the interior, and provided a sublime interaction with natural light. Following the nature of the renovation that began with Gaudí, a new interior project for the stairs and atrium of Casa Batlló was developed in 2021. This renovation is the result of a dialogue between the anodized aluminum chains developed by Kriskadecor and the abstraction of the ingenious use of light in Casa Batlló through Kengo Kuma's design.

Mezcal is a Mexican beverage that has gained great popularity in the last decade. Its history dates back to pre-Hispanic times when cultures consumed various drinks derived from the agave plant in different ways. During the pre-Columbian period, this plant was used for various purposes, ranging from food to the production of fibers and medicines. However, within the different processes, they discovered that they could ferment and distill the juice of the agave to obtain an alcoholic beverage, which they called "pulque".

Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity introduces the mind-blowing concept that time – as we know it – is not as stable and reliable as it first seems. As a defining characteristic upon which all of human history is referenced, the fallibility of time is a confusing prospect. 15 minutes, for example, seems an eternity while waiting in line, and yet the 300,000 years of human history equates to less than a day in the lifetime of the Earth.

So when we talk about ‘saving the planet’ by slowing and reversing climate crisis, what we really mean is extending our own existence upon it. Because no matter what we do, this rock will continue to spin for billions of years yet. In reality, humanity itself is only a temporary installation.

These four outdoor installation projects use the Earth’s environment and borrow its resources to investigate our human relationship with time, and how it affects our lives down here on the surface.

Researchers point out that "proto-greenhouses" arose to fulfill the desire of the Roman Emperor Tiberius (42 BC to 37 AD) to eat cucumbers every day of the year. Since it was impossible to grow the vegetable on the island of Capri in winter, his gardeners developed beds mounted on wheels that they would move into the sun when possible, while on winter days they would place them under translucent covers made of Selenite (a type of gypsum with a glassy appearance). But the production of large-scale greenhouses only became possible after the Industrial Revolution with the availability of mass-produced glass sheets. Since then, they have been used to grow food and flowers, forming a microclimate suitable for plant species even in places with severe climates. But in some cases, these artificial growing conditions can also form interesting living spaces. The recent Lacaton & Vassal awards rekindled this interest. How is it possible to create greenhouses that can be good for both humans and plants?

Two years ago, Starbucks' branch in Al Seef, Dubai captivated the internet with its contextual design. Located in the oldest part of Dubai, the renowned coffee outlet boasts a thatched roof, mud-like exterior finishes, traditional screens, and wooden furniture, all of which retain the picturesque charm of the landscape. The design not only garnered immense attention on social media but also attracted curious customers to the store. Effortlessly blending in with its regional context, the Al Seef branch has become an integral part of the locality. The store is one of Starbucks' many efforts at regionalizing its international outlets to create authentic connections with customers. In an era where consumers crave meaningful connections, regionalism in retail design emerges as a powerful design strategy.

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With the increasingly frequent and intense impacts of climate change on cities, nature-based solutions (NBS) have emerged as a core strategy for adapting to this reality.

Nature and ecosystems provide valuable services to people, from climate regulation to the promotion of health and well-being. Reintegrating these services into the urban landscape is a critical part of the transformation required for cities to face complex challenges, such as the impacts of increasingly intense rainfall, extreme heat, and pollution. At the same time, it can enhance resilience and expand access for the most vulnerable populations to essential infrastructure, leisure spaces, and economic opportunities.

Acquiring real estate through cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Binance Coin (BNB), is already a reality in many countries, including the United States, England, and Brazil. With the rise of this market and the increasing acceptance of these assets as a legitimate form of payment, investors and buyers are exploring new possibilities for transactions with cryptocurrencies, including the real estate sector.

June 8th was World Oceans Day 2023, which brought the theme 'Ocean Planet: Tides are Changing'. The purpose of the United Nations was to generate a "new wave of enthusiasm for caring and protecting the ocean and the entirety of our blue planet."

A new opportunity to reflect on the importance of preserving these vast aquatic ecosystems that cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface - and an opportunity to reflect on how architecture can contribute to their protection and conservation through the design of resilient coastal infrastructure, the development of marine energy technologies, sustainable design of coastal buildings, and regeneration of marine ecosystems.

An arid environment refers to specific regions characterized by a severe lack of available water and extremely dry weather conditions. More specifically, arid regions by definition, receive less than 25 centimeters of rain per year. In the immense vastness of arid environments, where extreme climates present significant challenges, the role of water in architecture takes on a new dimension.

For centuries, architects and designers dealing with harsh desert landscapes and the vital necessity of water have invented techniques, technologies, and new structures. Moreover, many creative approaches have been created to harness, collect, and cool water in arid environments. 

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In 2013, home fashion label Buster + Punch emerged from a garage in East London, with a refreshing stance on everyday detailing and fittings that elevated them into desirable and trendy pieces.

The brand’s founder Massimo Buster Minale was renowned for his work as an architect by day and maker of custom motorcycles by night – the latter sold from the garage a few hundred yards from his London flat. His motorcycle clients began commissioning one-off interior pieces and detailing for their homes. Minale had always struggled to find premium hardware and fittings for his architecture projects for Richard Rogers and Foster & Partners and now saw a clear gap in the market. 

The Recife Street Design Manual (MDR) emerges as a significant milestone in the city's urban mobility planning and design, focusing on active and collective modes of transportation. Developed as an integral part of the Recife Mobility Plan, which was approved in 2021, it represents an innovative approach to street circulation, establishing new design parameters that benefit all users. With its goal of promoting broad, safe, efficient, sustainable, resilient, and democratic access to the city, the manual seeks to transform how we think about and design streets.

The university campus has a distinctive spatial typology. Established as a micro-city, these self-contained environments are subject to their own rules and systems. They are designed as a deviation from the cities that host it to allow for the growth and proliferation of knowledge outside the status-quo. Centered around the transfer of information, academic centers are becoming increasingly relevant to urbanism. Campuses and their host cities evolve to mimic each other's structure, forming opportunities for urban renewal. 

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The satisfaction of living longer is closely tied to opportunities to lead an active life, stay engaged, and feel integrated into society. To this end, the built environment must support these goals through flexible structures that adapt gradually to users' needs, regardless of age.

The real estate sector is beginning to realize the immense potential of architecture focused on health quality and increased human life expectancy. As we look to the future of real estate, we can expect a smarter use of technology, along with innovations and new metrics to establish a better understanding of well-being and its relationship with both the natural and built environments. This quality standard will drive an exponential increase in sales by making properties flexible and adaptable throughout the different stages of their residents' lives.

It could be a parklet, a mini-plaza, or an asphalt painting to redesign a street and repurpose a public space. Cities around the world—including in Brazil—are using temporary interventions to catalyze long-term projects that make streets safer, creating inclusive, high-quality public spaces.

These initiatives employ a technique known as tactical urbanism, which promotes the reclamation of urban space by and for its primary users: people. This movement is gaining momentum amid an urban crisis in which governments struggle to provide a growing population with basic urban services such as housing, quality transport, and adequate open spaces that enable safe, active mobility. 

As part of Arte Abierto's new programming in Mexico City, artist Gabriela Galván presents "Modthern Nature," a site-specific installation that transforms the exhibition hall into a natural garden featuring endemic plants from the Pedregal region and a sensory hydroponic system, seeking to foster cognitive, contemplative, and imaginative experiences surrounding nature and our connection to it.

Land reclamation from the sea has become a popular phenomenon in coastal development. It is the most preferred solution to the need for land in coastal areas and has been implemented for various use cases, including flood control and agriculture. Nowadays, it has become a famous urban response to the rapid increase in coastal urbanization, economic activity, and global population. Countries like China and the Netherlands lead the chart on the amount of land area reclaimed. However, most reclamation projects today take place within urban centers in the global south. Cities in West Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East produce these new lands as economic forerunners for their commercial industry and as platforms to house luxury residences.

But the relationship between the design and production of reclaimed lands and the response of water in ocean environments is complex. It requires a symbiotic relationship with water bodies for stability but can provoke natural forces when negligently imposed on the sea. Ocean water behaviors, including tidal accumulation, sea level rise, connection to wetlands, and aquatic biodiversity, can question the success or failure of land reclamation projects in different contexts.

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Jazz bars around the world were the subject of illustrations by architect Jose Ricardo Basiches and provided the theme for the booth designed for the Armstrong brand, conceived and built to foster real sensory experiences within the exhibition hall. Well-known for his freehand drawings on napkins and various unconventional surfaces, Basiches says he never leaves home without a pen in his pocket. "For me, drawing is more than a hobby. It is a way of experiencing the environment I am in," the architect adds. These illustrations permeated many elements of the booth during Expo Revestir 2023, particularly the acoustic wall and ceiling panels, presenting the idea that Design + Acoustics can stem from a fresh perspective shared by architects and acoustic consultants regarding existing market products.