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When discussing bioclimatic architecture, the focus is primarily on practices that reduce energy consumption and the environmental impact of buildings, both during construction—for example, by using materials with a low carbon footprint or incorporating responsible processes tailored to the site—and during their lifespan. This approach results in passive architecture designed to minimize long-term energy use. This is achieved—either by supplementing mechanical ventilation, heating, and cooling systems with passive methods, or by relying entirely on alternative systems—by adapting the design, geometry, and orientation to the topography, climate, natural vegetation, solar radiation, and prevailing winds of the site.

The past year has brought the climate emergency and racial injustice into sharp focus. Concern over the state of the environment has never been higher. Thanks to the Black Lives Matter movement and related campaigns calling for justice, voices that have tragically been marginalized for too long are finally being heard. Yet, some of the most ardent activists still view these struggles as separate.

How can waste become a resource? Or rather, when did waste stop being a resource? Why does contemporary architecture still build as if our buildings were great titans that will survive different eras and adversities? These are all questions that cross the mind of a recent architecture graduate. One of the current challenges of architectural production in a metropolis like São Paulo is understanding that, after demolition, the building does not disappear. What does our National Solid Waste Policy indicate?

Although latent, this issue is still rarely debated within academia, a space that should be constantly proposing alternatives to our way of life. And even when it is debated, where is the benefit to the public? How can we disseminate these lessons? Education is still the key to getting our future back on track.

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Just over a year after the start of the pandemic in Peru, a multidisciplinary team from OjoPúblico and Espacio y Análisis has conducted an extensive investigation based on various geographical and socioeconomic databases. The study reveals wide gaps in access to public spaces and green areas across 44 districts in Lima and Callao (Peru). In several cities around the world, the pandemic has demonstrated how unequally public space is distributed, especially in low-income neighborhoods and vulnerable areas that lack shared spaces like green areas, parks, or playgrounds. Through this mapping report, the team shows how more than half of the districts in Lima and Callao have less than 3 square meters of recreational space per inhabitant. It also highlights stark urban contrasts along district boundaries separating different socioeconomic levels and underscores the urgent tasks facing local authorities to increase and improve the quality of recreational areas.

Refocusing attention on the work of women architects in shaping Chile's modern legacy is the primary objective of the open-access research project titled Entre Líneas. Structured as a visual narrative built around five pillars, the project can be explored directly on its digital platform. Through archival research, document collection, and the creation of analytical graphics, the initiative aims to rewrite the history of 20th-century Chilean architecture from a gender perspective.

The following article is a contribution from architecture students at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Manizales campus. Juliana García Valencia, Alejandro Jaramillo Alzate, and Manuel Felipe Rincón Medina share their experience developing 'Casa Urbana de Montaña 1950 - 1970', the two-volume project that won first place in the research, theory, and criticism category of the IV Colombian Biennial of Architecture Students.

Videos

"You should know that Mr. Matías took down one of the sunshades from where you installed it and put it on his balcony, because he wants the shade right at his doorstep," says Pepe, a resident of Valverde de la Vera, a small rural municipality in Extremadura, featured in the book "Tejiendo la Calle." This new publication gathers nearly ten years of testimonies from weavers and residents who brought to life the project of the same name, initiated by Marina Fernández Ramos in 2013.

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REDES is an organization whose work focuses on the Xochimilco and Milpa Alta areas of Mexico City. They seek to address environmental challenges to improve quality of life and support conservation in the region. We spoke with Elsa Valiente—Executive Director and Founder of REDES Restauración Ecológica y Desarrollo AC—about efforts to revive chinampa production in Mexico City and conserve water in Xochimilco.

Archivo de Ideas Recibidas is an interdisciplinary research and dissemination project that aims to document and connect the ideas of those contributing to the contemporary creative ecosystem through art, design, and architecture. It is built upon conversations between the team and various creators, exploring topics related to memory, academia, cultural context, key influences, and working methodologies. On this occasion, they share with us an interview with Cristina Dreifuss on architectural Criticism, Theory, and History.

Founded in 2009 by Ian Douglas-Jones, Atelier I-N-D-J’s practice is rooted in a strong architectural foundation. Combined with experimentation, technology, and an unrestricted, interdisciplinary approach, this allows the studio to pursue a diverse range of creative endeavors.

"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.

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It is well known that Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York; André Le Nôtre, designer of the gardens of the Palace of Versailles; and Alan Titchmarsh, among others, pioneered modern landscape architecture by breaking the mold of traditional practices. Nonetheless, Mexico has developed a remarkable body of work in this field that deserves recognition.

This week, we feature job openings from two leading practices in the Yangtze River Delta: Senshang Design in Hangzhou and DYML Architecture in Shanghai. Active across various architectural sectors with their distinct styles, both firms are looking for talented designers to join their teams.

Founded in Beijing by Gao Zhiqiang, Vice President of CADG Zhubang Design Institute and Senior Interior Architect, AFFD Design Studio is a comprehensive design management firm integrating urban planning, architecture, ecological landscape, humanistic interior, and soft furnishings design. Emerging from the Zhubang Design Institute of China Architecture Design Group (CADG), the firm is led by experienced architects and engineers with a global perspective.

Beijing Shengzhe Architectural Design Consulting Co., Ltd. (SZA) is a design team composed of architects passionate about architecture and urban design. Its core team consists of senior returned architects with excellent team spirit, rich management experience, and mature professional qualifications. The founders of the firm graduated from the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University. After pursuing advanced studies abroad, they worked for several years at KPF's New York office, where they were responsible for and participated in the design and planning of a series of international landmarks and key urban districts.

Gardens have always been present in architectural compositions as testaments to the cultural moment, status, and religiosity of different peoples. In recent decades, however, this relationship between architecture and green spaces has grown stronger. This shift culminated in 2020 with a significant surge in the prominence of green environments, closely tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the social isolation it brought about. In this light, the connection between home and garden has solidified—ranging from small potted plants in downtown apartments to lush landscaping projects in and around residences, representing, at various scales, the pursuit of reconnecting with nature.

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While many projects consciously avoid adopting a definitive functional layout—intentionally leaning toward the indefinability of spaces—in many others, a clear division of uses and programmatic synthesis serve as key tools to organize, prioritize, and optimize spatial flow.

Today we live in a post-pandemic world, where human connections and our awareness of the fragility of existence have been subtly redesigned. More than just habits, it was urban and architectural space itself that learned to breathe differently, striving to accommodate an uncertain era. Today, we walk in the serenity of the "almost normal," yet the scars of that time still whisper through the streets, shapes, and silences—delicate survivors of a recent past that insists on remaining.

For millennia, clay has been the foundation of walls, facades, and claddings. There is likely no other human-made material with as extensive a history as the brick. Its enduring presence in architecture is explained not only by its technical attributes but also by its social impact, construction efficiency, and deep-seated cultural role in how cities are built.

In Chile, the brick-making tradition has historically shaped residential development, becoming a material associated with stability, permanence, and security for families. Against this backdrop, Cerámica Santiago celebrates 45 years in business, establishing itself as a leading national benchmark in the development of ceramic building products, driven by a vision that recognizes the social role of housing in the country's urban development. Since its inception, the company has sought to integrate traditional ceramic craftsmanship with modern industrial processes, innovative design, and evolving technical demands.

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Every regulation is born with a clear intention: to establish a starting point. It is a way of setting a minimum baseline, bringing order to what was perhaps previously assumed implicitly or lacked a common framework. However, like everything involving architecture—and especially our way of living—these frameworks also evolve: they expand, adjust, and become more detailed around new sustainable housing models. This is precisely the case with the new thermal regulations in Chile, which do not emerge from scratch but rather as part of an ongoing process that has steadily integrated new energy efficiency criteria within the General Ordinance of Urbanism and Construction (OGUC).

Nicolás Valencia speaks in Lima with Peruvian architects Mariana Jochamowitz and Nicolás Rivera about Revista A of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and their participation in the 2024 Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism with the workshop "Climax, Fanzine for a Community in Crisis."

Casa Áurea is a project by Elías Rizo and Taller Elías Rizo Arquitectos, with interior design by Cristina Grappin. Located in Santa Catarina, in the state of Nuevo León, this home is part of Tecnológico de Monterrey's Líderes del Mañana Program, as part of the 218th Tradicional Sorteo Tec, whose objective is to support an initiative focused on change, social mobility, and the development of academically outstanding young people.

Surrounded by the formations of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the house is designed to prioritize privacy starting at its main entrance. Moving through the space, the transition between the ground-floor social areas and the upper levels establishes different hierarchies of privacy: the second floor houses more private spaces, while the rooftop gradually opens up to the mountainous environment, visually integrating with the landscape.

For many households in Latin America, fossil fuel- and biomass-based stoves and heaters, such as natural gas or wood, are an affordable and accessible option. However, these appliances present significant challenges: they are a source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, contribute to indoor air pollution, and highlight the need for policies that promote a cleaner residential energy matrix. These challenges become even more urgent considering that 2024 was the hottest year on record, with a 1.5°C increase over pre-industrial levels driven by record GHG emissions from human activity, thereby underscoring the importance of adopting sustainable solutions across all sectors worldwide, including residential.

In construction, every task requires specific tools and every need calls for a unique solution. Factors such as building typology, construction requirements, waste generation, execution times, and context directly influence the quality and complexity of the work, making it essential to base specification decisions on these criteria. Traditional methods can hinder this process due to their rigidity and limitations, necessitating more efficient and flexible approaches that adapt to the specific demands of each project. This is especially common in residential, hotel, and hospital projects, where speed and performance are essential. In these cases, lightweight dry-construction solutions—using Volcanita boards or fiber cement over lightweight metal framing—offer an effective, high-performance alternative, enhancing functionality and, consequently, the user experience.