International Expositions originated in the nineteenth century, when London (1851) hosted the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. This event gathered manufactured goods from various countries to showcase technological—and later, industrial—advancements, marking a moment of convergence and shared initiatives from around the globe.
Mercado dos Peixes, Fortaleza (CE), vencedor do 10º Prêmio AsBEA de Arquitetura, na categoria Edifícios Comerciais. Projeto dos escritórios Arcosanti Arquitetura, Esdras Santos Arquitetura e Fausto Nilo Arquitetura.. Image Cortesia de CAU/BR
Architects and urban planners evaluated the services offered by CAU/BR and the state-level CAU/UFs. Out of nine services analyzed by the professionals, seven received an average score above 7 on a scale of zero to 10. These and other findings are part of the CAU Evaluation Survey conducted by the Datafolha Institute in May. The study interviewed 1,500 architects and urban planners and 500 architecture and urban planning firms by telephone to assess the effectiveness of the Council's communication channels with professionals and society, as well as to gather information to support initiatives ensuring access to the entity's information.
Through their narrative forms, architecture exhibitions promote the dissemination of knowledge and inquiries within the theory and practice of the discipline. Beyond the direct appreciation of a specific object or architectural ensemble by experiencing that space, architecture exhibitions present content structured through narrative paths, classifications, associations, or juxtapositions. This expands architectural knowledge, if not through in-situ experience, then through the way graphic materials are displayed. In this light, curatorial and exhibition design practices can foster new questions in the field of architecture, encouraging visitors to engage in critical reflection.
For some time now, cycling infrastructure planning has become a priority for several countries around the world seeking to seriously mitigate the challenges of rapid urbanization. In this regard, it is worth looking at which countries are expanding their cycling networks and understanding the development patterns established for each of them. OpenCycleMap is a project that makes it possible to clearly identify these countries and analyze their networks in great detail.
https://www.archdaily.com/1121824/bike-paths-of-the-world-discover-opencyclemapPedro Vada
Deconstructivist architecture by Daniel Libeskind. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada. Image: Alexandre Kozoubsky/Flickr
Modernism has ceased to exist as a movement in architecture and urbanism since at least the 1980s. In architecture, movements such as Japanese Metabolism and deconstructivism helped to move past the remnants of modern architecture. In urban planning, figures like Jane Jacobs and Christopher Alexander, as early as the 1960s, helped bury the premises of modern urbanism.
https://www.archdaily.com/1121820/after-all-why-do-we-still-talk-about-modernismPaulo Sa Vale
Acervo do grupo de pesquisa Pioneiros da Habitação Social. Image Cortesia de PC3 - Pensamento Crítico e Cidade Contemporânea
After studying civil engineering at the Escola de Minas de Ouro Preto, Carlos Frederico Ferreira returned to his native city of Rio de Janeiro and enrolled in the Escola Nacional de Belas Artes, graduating in architecture in 1935. In 1939, he was hired by the IAPI as an engineer-architect and soon rose to the position of head of the institute's Engineering Department. By 1943, having overseen the partial completion of the first major housing development, the Conjunto Residencial Operário in Realengo, he was able to begin expanding the model to other locations. The designs for Vila Guiomar in Santo André and Piratininga in Osasco, as well as the apartment building and IAPI Regional Office headquarters in Recife—all designed by him—demonstrate how, through his position, he sought to shape the direction of the institute's future developments.
https://www.archdaily.com/1121836/collective-housing-notebooks-vila-guiomar-housing-complexPC3 - Pensamento Crítico e Cidade Contemporânea
Emerging in 1981 with the publication of the essay “The Grid and the Pathway” by Alexander Tzonis and Liane Lefaivre, it was Kenneth Frampton's 1983 essay “Towards a Critical Regionalism: six points for an architecture of resistance” that brought the term “critical regionalism” wider recognition. The essay was published in the anthology “The anti-aesthetic: essays on Postmodern culture,” edited by critic and historian Hal Foster, initiating a debate later revisited in "Prospects for a Critical Regionalism," also written by Frampton that same year for the journal Perspecta.
Color can be an element that contributes significantly to the quality of architectural projects. Its efficient use can completely transform the atmosphere of indoor and outdoor environments, signal specific uses in spaces with different characteristics, redefine rooms, and highlight architectural elements. This has proven to be a highly successful feature, even becoming a trademark of prominent architects, such as Mexicans Luis Barragán and Ricardo Legorreta.
Over the past week, thousands of active fires in the Brazilian Amazon captured global attention in the press and on social media, where the hashtag #PrayForAmazonia was mentioned more than 150,000 times in a single day. But what can satellite data tell us about what is actually happening in Brazil's forests?
https://www.archdaily.com/1122027/what-maps-reveal-about-fires-in-the-amazonMikaela Weisse e Sarah Ruiz
Bixiga staircase, a heritage-listed area in São Paulo. Image: Dornicke/Wikimedia
There is no doubt that preserving historical, artistic, and architectural heritage is a fundamental goal for building a just city. It is the right of all citizens, both present and future generations, to know and enjoy our collective memory and culture. However, for this to actually happen, both a discerning eye and a comprehensive vision of the city are essential.
Gentrification has been one of the main points of debate regarding the project that aims to transform the Minhocão into a linear park. Image: Felipe Rodrigues
One of the most prevalent themes in current discussions about the city is gentrification. Broadly defined as "when someone different from you moves into your neighborhood," this urban phenomenon is far more complex than that, involving issues of land use, real estate speculation, public and leisure spaces, and urban planning.
One of the most controversial topics regarding professional ethics in architecture and urbanism is the so-called "technical reserve" (reserva técnica). This widespread practice refers to the payment of commissions to design professionals by construction industry suppliers and companies as compensation for client referrals or project specifications. Despite its questionable nature, this practice is adopted by many architects and has become increasingly common.
An adequate system would be capable of collecting, storing, and treating all rainwater. Courtesy of CicloVivo
Cities that absorb rainwater and allow it to follow its natural course. It should be simple, yet we chose to channel our waterways, preventing nature from doing its part: absorbing and purifying. For Chinese architect Kongjian Yu, this is the key to solving one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary major urban centers: flooding.
In this doctoral thesis, architect Luciano Margotto, advised by Prof. Dr. Mônica Junqueira de Camargo, presents five lessons from architecture: Austerity, Generosity, Freedom, Public, and Spatiality. In his work, the author investigates the works of architects such as Carlos Millan, Marcello Fragelli, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Oscar Niemeyer, Vilanova Artigas, Fábio Penteado, Lucio Costa, Lina Bo Bardi, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Brasil Arquitetura, Gabriel Guarda, Martín Correa, and Alvaro Siza. Below is the abstract of the thesis defended at FAUUSP in 2016.
https://www.archdaily.com/1122012/lessons-from-architecture-readings-through-poeticsPedro Vada
Plasencia Congress Center and Auditorium / Selgas Cano. ImageIwan Baan
Architects are increasingly incorporating translucent materials into their facade designs to help control interior light levels, as options like polycarbonate and U-glass, for example, allow only a percentage of natural light to penetrate the building. At nightfall, however, these materials yield an entirely different, striking effect: when illuminated from within, the buildings transform into true lanterns in the urban landscape.
Downtown São Paulo. Photo: Mariana Gil/EMBARQ Brasil
Five Brazilians die in traffic accidents every hour. While highly critical statistics like this can spark positive reactions, they are not always enough to change reality on their own. However, knowing that in the city of São Paulo intersections concentrate more accidents per kilometer, and that these rose by 5% from 2017 to 2018, provides decision-makers with the concrete data needed to implement measures to reduce these numbers. Acting on the most dangerous intersections will save lives.
https://www.archdaily.com/1121376/how-sao-paulos-street-design-influences-traffic-accidentsWRI Brasil
Rio de Janeiro. Image via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC-SA
The broad scope of the term Right to the Citycan make it difficult to grasp, as its complexity demands a broader perspective on urban issues, going beyond the scope of architecture to necessarily encompass social, historical, cultural, economic, political, gender, and racial aspects. The overlapping of these—and several other—variables within the urban landscape can serve as the starting point for understanding the notion of the right to the city.
In the popular imagination, *cortiços* (tenement houses) represented the worst of urban housing in Brazilian cities. Deeply rooted in the national culture and immortalized in Aluísio Azevedo’s classic novel, *cortiços* were depicted as unsanitary, dilapidated dwellings where disease proliferated, the margins of society lived, and landlords exploited tenants with extortionate rents.
A quality public transit system does not depend on buses alone: its overall quality is also directly linked to adjacent elements—such as bus stops. In all cities participating in the QualiÔnibus Benchmarking Group, bus stops were identified by the public as one of the most problematic components. But what can cities do to improve them?
https://www.archdaily.com/1121349/bus-stops-good-impression-or-frustration-in-public-transitMariana Müller Barcelos, Priscila Pacheco e Manon Masi
Have you ever asked yourself this question? At first, it may seem strange to imagine that we have not always had windows in our buildings, let alone that they were sealed with a transparent material capable of allowing natural light into dark rooms or creating a barrier against the cold: glass.
The Bamboo Experimentation Laboratory at UNESP - Bauru is one of the leading centers for bamboo research in Brazil. The group of researchers associated with the lab has produced a vast portfolio of research and products ranging from orthopedic prosthetics, furniture, and shoes to building components. In this thesis, engineer Marco Antônio dos Reis Pereira, the laboratory coordinator, presents the Bamboo Project, which is the result of his academic and research work conducted since 1994. The thesis was presented in 2012 at UNESP - Bauru to obtain the *Livre-Docente* degree in the discipline of Bamboo Design and Construction. Read the author's abstract below.
https://www.archdaily.com/1121398/bamboo-project-species-introduction-management-characterization-and-applicationsPedro Vada
Landscape design is a fundamental component of various architectural typologies, particularly for integrating buildings with their surroundings and establishing connections between spaces. While vegetation is most commonly found outdoors, incorporating indoor gardens can completely transform a project's atmosphere.
Blind walls, or facades without openings, are rarely the primary design concept in homes, but rather the result of a need for privacy in certain spaces, especially when the setback from neighboring buildings is minimal or nonexistent. However, blind walls can take center stage in a building's overall composition—whether through the contrast between solids and voids, the enhancement of the wall in other ways (such as the application of paint, texture, vertical gardens, etc.), or, finally, by positioning the blind wall on the front facade. This creates a "role reversal" between the side facades, usually resigned to a lack of openings, and the front and/or rear facades, which normally feature them.
“On Growth and Form”, written by biologist and mathematician D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson [1860-1948], is considered the greatest work of prose in twentieth-century science, highlighting the role of physics and mechanics in determining the form and structure of organisms. The book immediately became a classic for exploring natural geometries in the dynamics of growth and physical processes. Thompson reveals himself to be a great scientist, sensitive to the fascination and beauty of the natural world, writing in a style that led the specialized press to call his work “as much good literature as science; a discourse on science as if it were a matter of humanity.”