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"The Ethics of Dust" by Jorge Otero-Pailos, Preserving the Invisible History of Buildings and Monuments

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"I am interested in how we transition as people from one phase of life to another, and as cultures from one historical period to another. Transitions are often difficult, maybe even frightening." With this introduction, we can expect the work of artist-architect Jorge Otero-Pailos to offer a different perspective, particularly in how we understand the passage of time in architecture throughout history.

Below, he shares photographs of his series "The Ethics of Dust," which highlights the cleaning of dust and pollution residue from renowned historical buildings and monuments—making the invisible visible.

Vernacular Architecture: A Survey of the Tangible Heritage of San Pedro de Atacama

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In the past, people lived off their crops, built using materials available in their environment, and traveled great distances in search of the resources necessary for their survival. This led to a deeper understanding of the territory, close observation of nature's behavior, and the comprehension and use of local materials to construct their homes. It is from this close relationship between humans and their environment that the vernacular architecture of San Pedro de Atacama emerged, materially composed of earth, stone, tar, straw, and chañar and algarrobo wood. Today, urban growth driven by a steady rise in tourism, combined with a lack of regulations protecting the town's architectural identity, has led to new construction that threatens the area's built heritage.

Architecture in Mexico: Projects to Understand the Territory of Guanajuato

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The state of Guanajuato is located in the north-central region of Mexico, bordering the states of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Michoacán, and Jalisco. Covering an area of 30,607 km², it is one of the country's most populous regions. Its most prominent municipalities include León, Irapuato, Celaya, Salamanca, and San Miguel de Allende. The latter, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, is characterized by its Baroque and Spanish architecture. Additionally, this city is home to the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, built from the region's characteristic pink cantera stone.

Rural Wooden Houses in Colombia

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Wood is a noble material that has been used in construction since time immemorial, across all regions of the world where it is available. Although this material can be applied to almost any use, we have focused this article specifically on residential projects previously published on our site and located in Colombia.

Offices and Workspaces in Colombia: Examples of Architecture in Plan

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Even as work arrangements, schedules, and environments become increasingly fluid, dedicated office buildings remain a fixture of zoning plans in most cities.

Wooden Houses in Uruguay: Use of the Material in Interiors and Exteriors

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REPII House / VivoTripodi. Image © Marcos Guiponi

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From prefabricated modules that sit lightly on the landscape to projects built on-site and integrated into their surroundings, in Uruguayan projects, wood emerges as a highly capable resource for addressing the wide array of requirements associated with residential construction. Whether used as structure, cladding, or furniture, and paired with concrete, stone, brick, or metal, wood offers endless applications. These possibilities enable the materialization of diverse approaches to the projects' exterior language and expression, while also elevating spatial quality and generating distinct interior atmospheres.

Exposed Materials: Trend or Necessity?

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Have you ever had to convince your friends or family that an exposed brick wall can be more appealing than a plastered, white-painted one? Or that exposed building systems can offer significant advantages when it comes to maintenance? Do we connect better with a smooth backdrop for hanging art than with the textures of exposed materials?

Architecture in Mexico: Projects to Understand the Territory of Tepoztlán

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Tepoztlán is a region located in the state of Morelos, in the south-central part of the country, bordered by the states of Guerrero, Puebla, the State of Mexico, and Mexico City. Spanning an area of 242.646 square kilometers, it is one of the 111 Pueblos Mágicos (Magical Towns) designated to boost tourism by highlighting the unique attributes of each destination.

"Ya no estoy aquí": The Film That Portrays the Denied Territory of Monterrey, Mexico

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Directed by Mexican filmmaker Fernando Frías and winner of the Morelia International Film Festival, “I’m No Longer Here” (“Ya no estoy aquí”) is a film that has been widely discussed across various disciplines. It highlights the specific values and struggles of a territory while transcending borders to showcase the most human and global aspects of our shared world.

May 1968, the Torres del Parque Rise in Bogotá: A Conversation About the Inner Workings of Rogelio Salmona's Project

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This interview by Tatiana Urrea Uyabán (Universidad Nacional de Colombia) with Colombian architect Urbano Ripoll was originally published in issue 24 of Dearq journal on 01/01/2019 under the title "May '68, the Torres del Parque Rise in Bogotá: A Conversation on the Inner Workings of Rogelio Salmona's Project" (https://doi.org/10.18389/dearq25.2019.08) and is part of a joint dissemination partnership.

The cooperative housing experience in Uruguay: a brief historical overview

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Team 10 and the 3 Pioneers: First Generation Housing cooperatives in Uruguay are currently the country's most prominent form of cooperativism, though by no means the only one. This model transcends housing, having gained significant momentum in the first half of the twentieth century. For instance, Montevideo's transit company (CUTCSA) began operating as a cooperative in 1937. Specifically, while 843 cooperatives were registered in 1989, by 2017 this number had risen to 3,665 cooperatives across various sectors.

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China's Urbanization: Social Control and Economic Freedom

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Hundreds of towers repeat across a hazy horizon. Traditional buildings crumble, while others have been rebuilt into tourist shops. Colorful Lamborghinis share sluggish traffic with old taxis, laborers' tricycles, and executives riding yellow bikes from Ofo, the world's largest dockless bike-sharing company. Some pedestrians wear masks to filter the polluted air, others carry shopping bags, others spit on the ground or walk the streets in pajamas. Street vendors are extremely rare, in contrast to the police and military personnel seen on almost every corner.

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What will a city like Bogota be like after another historic pandemic?

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The city belongs to everyone; it is a reflection of who we are as a society. That is why we must care for it—because it is ours! We have a civic commitment.
(Civic, from the Latin civis / City, citizen, from the Latin civitas)

27 Architecture Office Visits at Open House Madrid 2020

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The sixth edition of the international architecture and city festival Open House Madrid was held from September 25 to 27, featuring a special edition organized to comply with necessary health measures and ensure the safety of all participants. The event offered visits to 27 renowned architecture studios across the city—some in virtual formats, others in person, and some in both.

How wars shaped our cities

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When we were still nomads, we fought our first battles with sticks and stones. The reasons for aggression against members of our own species can vary, ranging from securing resources and territory to seeking revenge or even power. Battles between different tribes have accompanied human evolution on Earth. Ever since the creation of cities, warfare and the combat equipment of each era have been important factors to consider in the planning of urban centers. 

Architecture to Rethink Colombia's Independence

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July 20th marks the date when Colombia celebrates its independence from Spanish rule. Two centuries later, the very idea of independence remains debatable. Although the Colombian republic is constitutionally independent, colonial legacies continue to structurally dominate society today.

Brazilian Interiors: 10 Natural Lighting Solutions in Bathrooms

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To ensure privacy, windows in bathrooms are typically characterized by their small size and high sills. Yet, natural light, alongside ventilation, plays a crucial role in the health and comfort of these spaces. As a result, seeking a greater incidence of daylight in these interiors expands the design possibilities for their openings.

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6 Endangered UNESCO Sites Virtually Restored

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Despite UNESCO's recognition of specific World Heritage sites, many of them remain in constant danger of disappearing due to natural phenomena like earthquakes and human factors such as urbanization. By definition, these landmarks are vital to human history, possessing characteristics that reflect the deepest values of diverse civilizations. Nevertheless, much of the global population has never experienced them in person.

On the Maya Train project on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico

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The Maya Train is the federal government's flagship project, formally announced in December 2018. It is planned as a regional train for locals, tourists, and cargo, intended to generate regional economic benefits through tourism. According to the official project brochure, it "is based on a sustainable development model that drives economic growth without depleting the environment" and "promotes a tourism scheme in which visitors travel through local communities, preventing tourist concentration in a single destination," thereby "distributing wealth throughout the peninsula."

Dubrovnik, the medieval city that invented quarantine

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The medieval city of Dubrovnik, in Croatia, boasts many distinctions. Surrounded by ancient walls and a sea of azure waters that enchant visitors, during the Middle Ages it was the only city-state with enough prominence to rival Venice.

Another lesser-known aspect is that the Pearl of the Adriatic, as this Croatian city is known, was the first known European municipality to implement a smart quarantine and to build isolation spaces to combat the major diseases that plagued humanity. This is what archaeologist Ante Milošević and physician Ana Bakija-Konsuo assert in their book "Lazaretto in Dubrovnik: Beginning of Quarantine Regulation in Europe."

Emergency architecture: on-site construction or prefabrication?

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Emergency architecture: on-site construction or prefabrication? - Featured Image
Sikorsky Skycrane transporting a prefabricated house. Image © Russavia [Wikimedia] public domain

While predicting and preventing damage and disasters are increasingly critical factors when designing our buildings, spaces, and cities, certain extraordinary events still escape our control. These situations demand immediate and urgent architectural responses capable of providing shelter and quality of life to communities affected by natural disasters and conflicts of all kinds—solutions that, in the most extreme cases, may be the only chance of survival for many.

Natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and floods, as well as armed conflicts, territorial disputes, or other global humanitarian crises—such as the COVID-19 pandemic—require an immediate response to control and prevent worsening consequences, helping to save lives. **Emergency architecture** can be defined as a constructive response to the most urgent human needs that arise during crises and exceptional situations. It materializes as responsive infrastructure aimed at providing immediate solutions, ranging from shelters for displaced people to healthcare and medical facilities in affected areas.

2020s, Forging Ahead | ArchDaily's New Year's Resolutions

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Hello, ArchDaily readers.
Happy New Year as we enter a new decade. This year marks our 12th anniversary. Thank you for accompanying us throughout the 2010s and growing alongside us to contribute to the architectural community. At our founding, we pledged to “provide inspiration and knowledge to help architects build better cities.” In this new decade, we embrace an expanded mission: “to provide inspiration and tools to improve the quality of life for city dwellers.” Everyone is an independent creator, and we are here to serve each and every one of you.

How can construction biomaterials help tackle the climate crisis?

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Climate change is arguably one of the greatest current threats to human survival, resulting from global warming driven by rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary contributor. Globally, buildings accounted for approximately 40% of CO2 emissions in 2018, when factoring in direct, indirect, and embodied emissions (over the lifecycle of construction products) (UNEP, 2019). At the same time, because the building sector consumes—and will continue to consume—vast amounts of materials to address severe housing deficits, in many countries it is a pivotal sector, offering a prime opportunity to help combat climate change. To achieve this, a key pathway is promoting the use of biomaterials.

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How to Draw Aldo van Eyck's House

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This article by Alejandro Campos Uribe was originally published in the 9th issue of rita_ magazine under the title "How to Draw the Architecture of Aldo van Eyck: Five Drawings of the Van Eyck Family House in Loenen."

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