Extremamente versáteis, não só por sua variedade de cores e padrões, mas também por suas possibilidades de aplicação, os ladrilhos hidráulicos podem ser encontrados, nos projetos residenciais, em ambientes que vão desde áreas molhadas a salas e quartos. A orientação das peças e a área em que são aplicadas também são fatores que contribuem para a diversidade de conformações possíveis no uso do ladrilho hidráulico: quando são restritos a determinada área de um ambiente, por exemplo, podem funcionar como “tapetes” fixos.

Amid a period of restrictions and isolation, it is not only social life that has been subjected to distancing. The habit of visiting museums and exhibitions has also been disrupted. Although experiencing art in person always offers an unparalleled way to absorb the impact of an image, the opportunity to explore exhibitions and museum buildings online provides a way to keep this space alive in our daily routines. Virtual tours are also valuable because they democratize access to art and culture. Furthermore, they can engage those who do not typically participate in these activities, sparking a new interest that, once physical spaces reopen, will foster active engagement with the local museum and art scene.

Through the incorporation of various elements, interior design creates comprehensive spaces that blend functionality and aesthetics. Among these components, suspended ceilings are a solution that integrates finishes suspended from the main structure. While adapting to a wide range of styles through a diversity of materials, colors, and textures, suspended ceilings also address acoustic needs, contribute to thermal insulation, and integrate lighting systems.

Among its solutions for interior applications, Hunter Douglas combines aesthetics, comfort, and sustainability to develop the WoodLines suspended ceiling line. Integrating innovation with natural materials, the manufacturing process continuously bonds a natural wood veneer to a roll-formed metal profile. As a result, linear ceilings composed of continuous slats are obtained, combining the functionality of a metal ceiling with the warmth and aesthetic appeal of natural wood.

Confined—some with more square footage than others. I was reminded of the film Medianeras, the Argentine movie in which the protagonist reflects on urban loneliness, speaking of "studio apartments" or shoeboxes, but also of virtual encounters. That cinematic reality from 2011 feels even more real today, as we begin to plan virtual happy hours.

For most residents of São Paulo, informal settlements like Paraisópolis are viewed as a problem the city must solve. However, a deeper look at the city's urbanization process reveals that, despite its challenges, the area has much to teach São Paulo's affluent neighborhoods — such as its immediate neighbor, Morumbi.

The capacity of urban planning laws to yield results entirely different from those anticipated is notorious. As is often the case, the numerous failed attempts recorded in cities worldwide are not enough to prevent new laws and regulations from being enacted.

As an architectural element that frequently fosters the connection between interior and exterior, the balcony also serves as an intermediary between the street and indoor spaces. However, as prominent features on building facades—whether residential or commercial—balconies can lead to thermal discomfort due to direct sunlight, as well as compromise privacy, given their exposure to the gaze of passersby in the urban environment. Historically, it was during the modernist movement that architects began incorporating concrete brise-soleils and, in some cases, cobogós on building facades. Today, however, with a wide array of materials and possibilities, architects are increasingly adopting innovative shading solutions to protect these spaces from the elements while ensuring privacy.

Cities can be considered humanity's major economic, social, technological, and cultural centers, given their diverse functions and importance to their citizens' quality of life. According to United Nations data (2017), currently, more than half of the world's population lives in cities or urbanized centers, and this figure is expected to grow to around 70% by 2050. Furthermore, in late 2015, the United Nations (UN) launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved by all countries by 2030. Given the importance of cities, SDG 11, "Sustainable Cities and Communities," is dedicated to this agenda, seeking to ensure that cities and human settlements find ways to be inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

The COVID-19 pandemic is characterized by the vast territorial scope of its contagion. This is not an epidemic confined to a single specific location. Instead, transmission spreads rapidly, exploiting the highly urbanized world we inhabit. The virus spreads through gatherings in public spaces and private service facilities, transit terminals and stations, precarious settlements lacking sanitation, and, ultimately, the intense national and international flow of people and goods across the global network of cities. Airports acted as the primary gateway for the virus worldwide. Yet, the network of informal workers who roam city streets delivering goods during the pandemic—keeping commerce alive—represents one of the most vulnerable dimensions of this risk. However, while urban life has facilitated transmission, certain urbanization patterns can also help combat it.

This article offers an observation and analysis of the diverse forms of land occupation and use within informal or self-built urban fabrics on the outskirts of Luanda, examining their relationship with the Angolan capital's consolidated urban core.

Modern architecture has taught us lessons that remain highly relevant today. To this end, one of the movement's core tenets was the use of extensive glass facades to dissolve the visual boundaries between interior and exterior. As a result, what was previously grounded in mystery and privacy gave way to glass boxes that fully revealed indoor life—as exemplified by Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion and Farnsworth House, and Lina Bo Bardi's Glass House. Today, however, driven by the social media boom, a spirit of voyeurism seems to fuel our desire to observe the lives of others. Architecture, in turn, reinterprets this practice through subtle design details, utilizing transparency as a key element.

While multidisciplinarity is one of the most compelling virtues of an architect and urban planner's education, it can lead to a certain imprecision and deviation regarding the practical possibilities of the profession when interpreted too generically. From time to time, it is crucial to reiterate the nuances of the broad spectrum that the word "design" encompasses in this field, as these specifics yield distinct bodies of knowledge and professional niches that can and should be occupied by architects.

The construction industry is one of the largest contributors to climate change, natural resource depletion, and waste generation. Consequently, the way we conceptualize cities, buildings, and their various components must change. This requires transitioning from a linear mindset to a circular model—one that increases resource efficiency while reducing waste and pollutants, ultimately making cities and their buildings more inclusive, socially equitable, and sustainable. 

Wood parquet floors, or simply parquet, are made from assemblies of solid wood rectangular blocks, which can be installed in graphic patterns such as diagonal, herringbone, and checkerboard, among others. These diverse designs, combined with the varying textures and colors of the blocks, open up countless compositional arrangements through the application and repetition of identical units.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been managed differently across countries. In Brazil, several states and municipalities imposed restrictions on freedom of movement. These measures led to a sharp decline in economic activity and in the volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic in cities. Google released data on changes in mobility patterns, and in the Brazilian case, there are striking differences.

Once the period of lockdown and widespread contamination of the epidemic is over, we will no longer be the same. This phrase has been repeated time and again, and indeed, global society will never be the same. Work relations are likely to change, and labor laws may adapt to allow technology to become an ally in employer-employee relations, ultimately yielding a positive impact on mobility, the environment, and energy consumption. 

Curitiba has implemented several initiatives to strengthen biodiversity and enhance the quality of vegetation in its urban landscape. Consequently, the capital of Paraná, alongside 18 other cities worldwide, has been selected to participate in UNEP's (United Nations Environment Programme) Generation Restoration project.

Between February 2014 and September 2015—just a few months before her untimely and unexpected passing—architect Zaha Hadid was at the center of a heated and controversial debate. This debate focused, on one hand, on the growing and increasingly severe allegations concerning labor conditions in Qatar in general, and specifically on construction projects undertaken for the 2022 FIFA World Cup (ITUC, 2014; Amnesty International, 2016); and, on the other hand, on the design of the Al Wakrah Stadium—developed by the London-based architecture firm that bears her name, and signed by Hadid and Patrik Schumacher for the event.

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One of wood's main appeals is its ability to bring visual warmth to a space, making it more welcoming and comfortable. Consequently, architects and interior designers frequently specify this material for flooring and wall cladding in a variety of species, patterns, and tones. However, moving beyond traditional applications, using wood for residential ceilings has become increasingly common. This approach not only enhances the cozy atmosphere and creates a sense of a lowered ceiling, but, above all, significantly improves acoustic comfort.

When discussing indigenous peoples, it always seems like something far from us, something that does not belong to us—relegated to the distant forest, to history, and so on. This segment of the population is often met only with prejudice and stereotypes. Even the term “indigenous culture” is commonly romanticized, even by self-proclaimed experts, whether out of ignorance, lack of access to accurate information, or sheer intellectual laziness. Yet the fact remains: we have always had indigenous peoples among us. 

Les Avanchets is a Swiss town where the majority of residents grow their own food in home gardens. Beyond cultivation, trading food is also common practice: those with surplus carrots trade them for cabbage or lemons, ensuring everyone has access to a healthy, diverse, and pesticide-free diet.

With its sights set on the future, in 2024, the Universidad Católica del Uruguay is adding the Architecture, Design, and Environment program to its academic offerings. Felipe Reyno, PhD in Architecture and director of this new degree program, reflects on the need to train architects with a contemporary, contextual, diverse, critical, and collaborative perspective.   

When it comes to climate change, the headlines can sometimes seem contradictory. One day, we read about catastrophic wildfires wreaking havoc across the globe; the next, we see an optimistic article about the rapid rise of solar and wind energy. Taken together, these narratives can make it difficult to grasp the big picture of climate action. Are countries actually implementing effective solutions if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to rise? In which areas has the world made enough progress to overcome the climate crisis, and where are the gaps? What specific measures are needed to get us on the right track?

Everyone is eager to return to the new routine of the future that lies ahead. The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded daily innovation as well as adaptation in the way we live. Solutions are highly diverse. Many of them were already available but, under normal circumstances, might have taken years to be tested and approved. Others are not only old acquaintances but have long been advocated and demanded by us. Now that they have had to be implemented in record time, our only certainty is this: nothing will be as it was before.