This article was originally published in La Joven Cuba on June 28, 2022.

A few weeks ago, I visited the rooftop observation deck of the hotel Paseo del Prado and marveled at its immense beauty during the sunset. Ahead, the entrance to the bay and the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro; turning left, the silhouette of the Malecón; turning right, the Paseo del Prado, with the massive Capitol building crowning the perspective. Few cities in the world possess such architectural and landscape beauty, such history and monumentality.

Yet, looking back, what I saw was nothing to be proud of. Though it still held a certain beauty, it was a sad, gray sight: the vast, faded, and deteriorated expanse of the city stretching behind the facades of Prado and the Malecón.

+ 26

As is well known, the year 2015 saw a boom in coworking spaces—a type of shared office that typically operates in an open environment (though some companies offer closed offices), located either across entire floors of high-rise buildings or in repurposed historic sites adapted for these new ways of living and working. These new setups speak to a professional community in the midst of self-reinvention, where an increasing number of entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small businesses seek affordable spaces that offer networking opportunities in cooperative environments. These shared workplaces provide access to resources such as high-speed internet, desks, chairs, lamps, filing cabinets, printers, copiers, kitchens, and phone booths in strategic urban locations.

Barcelona is a city that has been studied countless times—for the blocks of the Cerdá Plan, its chamfered corners, its historic center, the wars waged there, and the architecture of the Modernistas and their monumental buildings. However, there is little record of it ever being studied in depth through the lens of a traditional cladding material and artistic medium like sgraffito.

+ 9

Over the years, interior design has evolved in response to changing needs, and above all, to the experiences it seeks to evoke for the user. Over the last two years, we have witnessed a radical shift and a heightened interest in this field, as the pandemic forced us to pay closer attention to how we configure the spaces we inhabit. This has brought about much more holistic designs aimed at user well-being, combining colors, sensory experiences, technology, and natural elements that promote health.

Architectural works from around the world are the primary inspiration for Erika Moreno, the creator of HUAJJE, a digital illustration project. The project was born in 2019, a year after Moreno completed her architecture degree in Tijuana. “The project started by accident; my only goal in making these drawings was to learn how to use more Photoshop tools—it was a personal challenge.” To document her process, she decided to open an Instagram account, which has since fostered an organic community that shares and supports her work. This has encouraged her to overcome her fears and even host workshops on the subject in various formats.

+ 3

When we speak of social production, we refer to processes where community leaders are adults who represent and make decisions for their community; however, we often overlook children, who also enjoy and live in these spaces. They are the ones with limitless imagination and creativity, who create scenarios on Mars on a basketball court. They are the ones who hold the best car races in the loose sand of their backyards. They are children who, due to various family or economic circumstances, cannot write a letter, but instead express what they feel and want through the lines they draw.

Italian law never explicitly denied women access to university. Nevertheless, their minimal presence in the 19th century—only 224 women graduated in Italy between 1867 and 1900—demonstrates how a double discrimination, based on both gender and social class, operated through an inherently elitist and dualistic educational system.

It is well known that the construction industry is one of the largest producers of CO2. Although significant progress has been made in technology and in design and construction processes, there is still a long way to go to minimize or nearly eliminate carbon emissions in the development of the built environment. 

Indeed, as revolutionary as the construction industry may seem today, it remains responsible for nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions, 11% of which result from the manufacturing of building materials such as steel, cement, and glass.

What are the latest trends in reducing emissions in both design and material manufacturing? How should the industry transition toward net-zero architecture? These are some of the questions we want you to help us answer. 

Today, understanding the properties of materials used in vernacular construction is essential to ensuring a better quality of life and spatial habitability, both of which have evolved alongside new technologies in the market. Spatial design now represents a commitment to the natural environment and, consequently, to improving quality of life.

+ 5

Okay, let's assume the metaverse is our only option. Let's ask some questions.

Fernando Abellanas had already shown us how to take refuge from the city within the city itself, with an installation that invited shelter in the interstitial spaces of an existing bridge. This time, he presents Urban Macroparasite: a habitable and connective structure created during the UIT Urban Festival in Tartu, Estonia.

This mobile installation adapts to achieve structural parasitism, prompting us to rethink how we occupy the inert and hidden spaces that make up our cities.

The 2022 Shenzhen Creative Home Design Week (hereinafter referred to as "Design Week") has successfully concluded. Against the ongoing backdrop of the pandemic, ArchDaily partnered with MEFine to present a themed design forum, "One Step Ahead: Contemporary Reflections on Dwelling." Hosted as part of "Design Out Loud"—a forum series dedicated to design and creativity curated by Design Dome—the event has successfully come to a close, leaving behind a wealth of memorable insights.

High in the Andes, glaciers have retreated and shrunk under the effects of climate change. Around four million people depend on the glaciers for water, yet they have lost nearly a meter of thickness over the last 20 years.

During the final discussions for the approval of Belo Horizonte's Master Plan in 2019, the proposed charging of the Onerous Grant of the Right to Build (OODC) sparked intense debate and emerged as the main political obstacle to its passage. Several institutions, including UN-Habitat, took a stance on the matter. Ultimately, what is the OODC and what are the effects of this planning instrument on the urban territory?

Founded in Shanghai in 2013, genarchitects is a full-service design practice led by three principals: Fan Beilei, Kong Rui, and Xue Zhe. The practice's design work and academic research have been widely published in leading academic journals and professional media, including Architectural Journal, World Architecture, Time + Architecture, New Architecture, and Architecture China. Their work has also been featured in numerous monographs published by prestigious international publishers such as Thames & Hudson (UK), Birkhäuser (Germany), Images Publishing (Australia), and China Architecture & Building Press. Their recently completed project, "Dingshu Adult Education School," was featured as the cover story of the May 2022 issue of Architectural Journal. Other completed projects have been exhibited at prestigious venues and events, including the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the China-Europe Architectural Invitation Exhibition, the Harvard GSD exhibition on contemporary Chinese architecture, and the Shanghai Urban Space Art Season (SUSAS).

The principals of genarchitects currently serve as guest design studio instructors at the Department of Architecture, Tongji University, teaching in the Experimental Class for Interdisciplinary and Creative Talents. They have also served as guest critics at Southeast University, Tianjin University, and the China Academy of Art, and have been invited to deliver academic lectures at renowned institutions and venues, including Tongji University, Nanjing University, the University of Hong Kong Shanghai Study Centre, TEDx, and the Power Station of Art (PSA) in Shanghai.

Founded in 2014, PROJECT Profile Architecture is an internationally recognized design and research collective. Currently, the team consists of over a dozen members, with studios in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. Its founders, Chang Ke and Li Wenhan, graduated from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and the University of Applied Arts Vienna, respectively. Registered architects in the Netherlands, they practiced for several years at major design firms in Europe and China. As specialists in urban renewal and public architecture, the core philosophy of PROJECT Profile Architecture is built on "demand as context, resistance as driver, and innovation as inquiry." PROJECT Profile Architecture seeks to break the boundaries of design, crossing the limits of scale and category to define each design commission as an integrated, comprehensive "PROJECT." The firm focuses on the unique parameters of each PROJECT, strategically proposing tailored solutions and exploring new spatial programs and typologies—particularly those emerging from civil society. By connecting design with real life, they activate and channel the vitality generated by these new models, aiming to contribute to contemporary urban and rural spatial design.

PROJECT Profile Architecture provides full-process design consulting services ranging from programming, architecture, landscape, and interiors to furniture, product design, signage systems, and construction consulting. Instead of treating design as isolated cases, they use the concept of the "PROJECT" to transform design into a continuous, research-driven system with a creative core. They are committed to exploring architectural research and practice rooted in China's current socio-political landscape. The firm operates through a collaborative, research-oriented methodology where all design staff participate in project discussions and decision-making. Viewing design as a form of collective intelligence, they uncover new ideal mechanisms within reality through diverse perspectives. Integrating localized practice with civic engagement defines their current trajectory. By balancing small-to-medium-scale bespoke commissions with large-scale public architecture competition entries, PROJECT Profile Architecture strives to carve out a viable path for a localized professional architectural practice—one that bridges market demands and academic inquiry. Now, we warmly invite you to join us and forge this path together.

Videos

How do we actually give citizens the ability to discover and understand what is happening around their cities? This is one of the key questions raised by Eva Franch, artistic director alongside Beth Galí and José Luis de Vicente of Model - Barcelona Architectures Festival.

How do we bring these issues to the table, into public debate, and into the public sphere? One answer could lie in augmented realities—technologies that allow us to visualize parts of the real world overlaid with new information through a technological device. For this architecture event, in addition to the five temporary physical installations scattered throughout the city, five augmented reality installations were produced, reflecting the event's different themes: Between-Generations, Between-Cultures, Between-Species, Between-Classes, and Between-Materials.

Established by master plans, zoning indexes consist of a set of regulations that govern building dimensions relative to the lot on which they are built. These requirements vary according to the zone in which the land is located and are divided into three main principles: Lot Coverage, Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and Permeability Rate. Learn what each one means and how to calculate them below.

The pioneering Black feminist Gloria Jean Watkins – better known by her lowercase pseudonym bell hooks – recently passed away at the age of 69. She leaves behind countless ideas that serve as the foundation for modern critiques of race, class, and gender.

Following her death, an essay published by hooks in 1998 resurfaced on a blog she occasionally wrote for, Lion’s Roar. The piece, titled “Design: A Happening Life,” is so relevant today that it is hard to believe it was written 25 years ago.

Featuring a spectacular amorphous structure, Bloodlust Wine Bar is located in Ejido El Porvenir, in the heart of Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico. Its origins date back to late 2019, conceived by the vision of Juliette Cheanne, Poncho Muriedas, and Yuri Muriedas—three highly creative minds with a single shared mission: to bring to life a gastronomic space that, in addition to featuring an inimitable architectural facade designed by surrealist illustrator Jaime Zuverza, would offer an immersive auditory and visual experience to all who visit.

Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd. (BIAD) is a leading design enterprise whose business scope spans urban planning, investment consulting, large-scale public architectural design, civil architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, smart building systems engineering, engineering budgeting, low-voltage systems, decoration engineering, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). Currently, the company holds numerous Grade-A (Class-A) qualifications, including Grade-A Engineering Design, Grade-A Urban and Rural Planning, Grade-A Engineering Consulting, Grade-A Engineering Cost Consulting, Grade-A Tourism Planning and Design, Grade-A Landscape Architecture Engineering Design, and Grade-A Environmental Engineering (Physical Pollution Prevention and Control).

BIAD serves a diverse clientele, including national and local government bodies, public institutions, state-owned enterprises, private corporations, and foreign and joint-venture companies. The value of our design is reflected in the success of our clients' projects. With works spanning the nation and the globe, many of our designs have become iconic landmarks for their cities and the country. BIAD is home to a distinguished cohort of architects and engineers across various disciplines, including 1 academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 9 National Design Masters, 73 experts receiving special allowances from the State Council, 1 expert under the National "Thousand Talents Plan," 12 Outstanding Contribution Experts of Beijing, and 3 members of the Beijing Hundred-Thousand-Ten Thousand Talents Project. Among its over 4,000 employees, 620 hold senior professional titles, and 836 possess national professional registrations. The workforce includes 36 PhD holders, 995 Master's degree holders, and 86 returnees from overseas studies. BIAD has established 13 branches nationwide, with 14 wholly owned and holding subsidiaries and 9 joint-equity companies. Additionally, the institute has established cooperative educational initiatives with renowned domestic institutions, including Tsinghua University and the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). 

Founded in 2004 by Chinese architect Ma Yansong, MAD Architects is led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke Hayano. The practice is dedicated to exploring the future of architecture, integrating Eastern philosophy into contemporary design, and creating spaces that foster a deep dialogue between humanity, nature, and the environment. Every day, across our Beijing, Los Angeles, and Rome offices, our architects channel their passion into expressing our unique vision of spatial design, crafting fluid, visionary, and technologically advanced architectural environments.

MAD Architects is a global studio of talented architects, designers, and creative thinkers. We are dedicated to impact the experience and understanding of the built space that surrounds us, and from there we develop visionary, fluid, and technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature.

Ranging from large-scale masterplans to imaginative urban complexes, museums, opera houses, social housing, historic renovations, and art installations, MAD maintains a unique design perspective while striving to achieve a harmonious balance between humanity, the city, and the environment. Currently, MAD's global projects include the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Shenzhen Bay Cultural Plaza, Jiaxing Railway Station, Yiwu Grand Theater, the Cloudscape of Haikou, and residential developments in Paris, Rome, and Los Angeles.

Our team of 130 works across offices in Beijing, Los Angeles, and Rome. Our projects range from large-scale urban developments and masterplans to imaginative civic, cultural, residential and hospitality buildings of varying scale. We endeavor to improve the balance between people, their built environment, and their natural surroundings.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have become widely recognized as efficient approaches for adapting cities to the climate crisis and mitigating increasingly frequent disasters. Projects such as rain gardens, linear parks, hillside restoration, and urban agriculture help make cities more resilient to extreme weather events, while generating additional benefits for society, the economy, and the environment.

The World Cup will take place between November and December. This scheduling is due to the fact that average temperatures in the host nation, Qatar, can soar to 40 to 50°C during June and July.

+ 4