Oficina Nómada de Arquitectura (ONA) is an Argentine studio established in 2017 in the province of Mendoza. Specializing in architectural design, project management, coordination, and business management, ONA operates through a collaborative cloud-based virtual work platform. This digital, nomadic framework enables the interaction of various disciplines and trades, allowing team members to carry out their work from anywhere in the world. Additionally, seeking to expand their design reach, the studio operates two parallel initiatives, ARCINECTURA and ONALAB, where they experiment with the intersections between architecture and cinema, and develop new representation and visualization techniques.

Mexican architecture firm gutarqs has been awarded an honorable mention in the International Architecture Competition for the Development of "Coziness Valley" in Murmansk, the largest city in Russia located above the Arctic Circle. Jointly organized by the Government of Murmansk and the ANO Urban Development Center of the Region, the open call invited participants from around the world to develop an ambitious project to transform the 23-hectare area into a major public space adapted to the polar climate, promoting comprehensive development and urban improvement in the region.

+ 6

A vault is a constructive technique that is achieved by compressing the materials forming it together. While this technique has existed since the time of the ancient Romans, certain types of vaulted ceilings, such as the Catalan or Valencian timbral vault, only reached popularity in some areas of the world at the start of the 19th century thanks to their lost cost and ready availability. With the ability to span over 30 meters and add substantial height to structures, vaulted ceilings became a go-to for the construction of industrial spaces such as workshops, factories, and warehouses.

+ 16

Whether made from natural or synthetic fibers, textiles have played a part in architectural design since time immemorial; however, it wasn't until the era of industrialization and advancements in technology that high-quality textiles could be made and utilized en masse. Most often, they have been used to enclose temporary structures like medical tents and emergency housing thanks to their mobility and ease of assembly.

+ 26

Interior courtyards are open-air areas located within buildings, with their perimeters defined by walls or galleries. These outdoor yet contained spaces often play a crucial role in shaping and organizing a project's floor plan. In some cases, they act as a central lung, gathering the surrounding spaces around their perimeter. They can also be designed as pathway organizers or articulating elements, connecting while simultaneously dividing different areas of the project.

Numerous benefits—such as the influx of natural light, improved ventilation, and a stronger connection to nature without sacrificing privacy—have made this feature an effective solution for many architectural designs. Consequently, we present a selection of 15 projects in Argentina where interior courtyards take center stage.

Developed by architect Gerardo Caballero, in collaboration with Paola Gallino, Sebastian Flosi, Franco Brachetta, Ana Babaya, Leonardo Rota, Emmanuel Leggeri, Sofia Rothman, Gerardo Bordi, Edgardo Torres, and Alessandro De Paoli, "The Infinite House", a project inspired by traditional Argentine houses, will represent Argentina in the upcoming 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale. The project reflects on the identity of Argentine public housing and the role collective housing, both public and private, has played in the country's history and society. The Infinite House aims to push the limits of the domestic and to highlight the importance of the collective rather than the individual by illustrating that a home extends beyond one's own living space: "it is the city, the country, and even the world."

+ 20

The Bicentennial Argentine Credit Program for Single-Family Housing, commonly known as PRO.CRE.AR, is a program created in 2012 by the national government of Argentina to support and incentivize the construction of new housing in the country through subsidized loans. Through this program, many families gained the opportunity to build their first home of their own, which in turn generated an increase in the demand for local design and construction. Consequently, these housing loans also opened doors for young firms and studios to produce and build local architecture, navigating the limitations imposed by the loan's financial framework and its constraints on floor area and timeline.

+ 10

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.

Videos

To mark the opening of its third restaurant location in the city of Valencia, Spain, the Voltereta group commissioned creative studio Vitamin to design and produce an immersive and interactive video mapping installation to offer diners a unique experience. Vitamin is a Valencia-based creative studio with eight years of experience in art and technology, developing innovative strategies and ideas to bring unique interactive experiences to life. Their focus on emerging technologies allows and encourages users to become active participants and protagonists, engaging with spaces and artworks in a personalized and dynamic way.

2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic forced architectural students around the world to go virtual with their classes and coursework, transforming the way architecture was both taught and learned. Once based primarily on in-class participation, and collaboration, architectural workshops had to take on whole new methods of instruction. Conversations and debates between students and their instructors, a key element of architectural education were relegated to phone and video calls as well as written documents, making digital formatting an essential tool for students to share their ideas and receive feedback on their work.

+ 16

The distribution of natural light, improved ventilation, and the propensity to connect  living spaces with the outdoors while maintaining the privacy of the inhabitants have made courtyards a go-to in architectural design around the world over the centuries.

Courtyards are characterized as outdoor or semi-outdoor spaces that are enclosed within the walls of a house or building.

+ 11

The winners of the design contest for the Nervión Riverside Park in Galindo Este (Barakaldo, Spain) have been announced. Organized by BILBAO Ría 2000, the competition invited participants to submit proposals for a space along the banks of the Nervion River that Baracaldo residents could utilize. Currently, the majority of Galindo Este (Urban-Galindo) is developed, however, space along the riverbanks provided a number of opportunities for growth. The goal of the contest was to lay out an integral design that would blend with and build on the already-existing space around it.

The project by IDOM and Rosan Bosch Studio for Markham College's primary school in Lima, Peru, proposes an open and flexible model designed to allow 750 students to continue their education even during a pandemic.

The results of the National Ideas Competition for the Development of Housing and Complementary Spaces for Urban Habitat / “Ex Pediátrico Urban Development” have been announced. Organized by the Professional Association of Architecture and Urbanism of the Province of Chaco (CPAUCH), promoted by the Provincial Institute of Urban Development and Housing (IPDUV), and sponsored by the Argentine Federation of Architect Associations (FADEA) and the Social Security, Insurance, and Loan Institute of the Province of Chaco (INSSSEP), the competition invited the country's architects to design urban and architectural proposals for dignified living, while also revitalizing an urban void in the city of Resistencia within a residential area with high development potential.

The winners of the competition for the reform of the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art (MACBA) have just been announced.HARQUITECTES with Christ & Gantenbein have been selected to rethink and expand the exhibition areas of the original museum, designed by American architect Richard Meier in the 90s.

Through a program of exhibitions, lectures, and activities, the Fundació Enric Miralles, with the support of the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia, will promote a tribute to the Spanish architect Enric Miralles. Considered one of the most iconic figures of contemporary Catalan architecture, the tribute addresses his various facets as a creator—architect, designer, photographer, and professor—offering a multifaceted and personal look at his career.

+ 22

With their project Campo de Retamas, the firms Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos and MAPAAC have won the design competition for the comprehensive renovation of the La Paz University Hospital complex (Madrid, Spain). Although the proposal had already been unanimously selected in November 2019, on March 24, the Governing Council of the Community of Madrid approved the final project, establishing the construction start dates. The initial phases of the project are expected to begin in March 2022, with the entire construction process estimated to take about 11 years. To keep the hospital fully operational throughout this period, the renovations will be divided into three phases: the General Hospital, the Maternal and Child Hospital, and finally, the complementary services building and the Maternity Tower.

+ 8

The results of the ideas competition to rehabilitate the Raixa estate in Mallorca, Spain, have been announced. Organized by the Department of Sustainability and Environment of the Consell de Mallorca with the collaboration of the Official Association of Architects of the Balearic Islands, the call invited participants to design architectural proposals to rehabilitate the existing building complex (a traditional estate of Moorish origin and high heritage value located at the foot of the Sierra de Tramontana) and transform it into an agroforestry training school (Margers) and a mountain shelter that highlights the Dry Stone Route (which begins in Valldemossa, passes through Raixa, and reaches Bunyola, Orient, and Alaró).