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2019 Architecture Award: Cultural Spaces Competition by the National Fund for the Arts, Argentina

From May 7 to June 25, the National Fund for the Arts (FNA) is opening the call for entries for its 2019 Architecture Award, aimed at young architects who provide creative and effective design solutions for cultural spaces.

Remodeling Chorizo Houses: How to Transform a Typical Home with Contemporary Design

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The casa chorizo is a residential typology historically used in Argentina, primarily in the city of Buenos Aires. It consists of a succession of similarly sized rooms connected along a longitudinal axis that open onto a gallery or courtyard, from which they receive light and ventilation. Typically built on plots between party walls, their service areas are grouped at the back. Today, numerous projects address the rehabilitation of this type of housing. These can be understood as research initiatives exploring how a city's characteristic construction matrix can be reviewed and updated to adapt to contemporary ways of living.

Open House Buenos Aires 2019: Participate as a volunteer in the architecture and urbanism festival

On November 9 and 10, the seventh consecutive edition of Open House will take place in Buenos Aires. This international architecture and urbanism festival highlights works of significant architectural, cultural, and heritage value, opening them to the public to build a bridge between residents, professionals, enthusiasts, and their city. The project's first edition in Buenos Aires was held in 2013, making it the first Latin American city to host the event, which drew 300 volunteers and around 10,000 visitors. This seventh edition is expected to attract approximately 45,000 people.

Discover the project that will restore the Pabellón del Centenario in Buenos Aires

The National Ideas Competition for the Pabellón del Centenario and its surroundings, promoted by the State Property Management Agency and organized by the Sociedad Central de Arquitectos, closed on April 22, yielding a total of 65 proposals and the participation of architects from across the country.

The significance of the competition lay, on one hand, in the opportunity to restore the architectural value of the Pavilion which, designed by Virginio Colombo, is the only standing building of the 20 constructed for the Centennial celebrations in 1910. At the same time, it presents an opportunity to enhance and revitalize the adjacent areas, generating urban-scale impacts that will drive the future development of the area and integrate a wide variety of scenarios.

Stay in renowned works of architecture in Argentina with Airbnb

Recently, Airbnb has begun to approach the architectural field, both by offering unique experiences in world-renowned buildings and by creating Archibnb, a platform that offers hosts the option to create architectural floor plans.

Through these initiatives, guests from various locations have had the privilege of spending a night in places like the Great Wall of China, the Louvre Museum, or the LEGO House.

But if your destination is Latin America, specifically Argentina, you can now stay in exemplary works by architects including Norman Foster, Clorindo Testa, Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, Juan Kurchan, Fermín Bereterbide, and Luciano Kruk. Explore below the list of works available for booking in the country.

How to Build on the Built? Examples of Preexisting Buildings in Buenos Aires

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The new and growing demands for change driven by urban population growth mean that, when designing, we face a highly heterogeneous and constantly transforming fabric.
Increased urban density directly impacts the open space available for new, standalone construction, leading to a juxtaposition of buildings where the simultaneity and coexistence of individual pursuits result in a varied fabric.

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Plaza Houssay Reopens in Buenos Aires

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Plaza Houssay has recently been a subject of debate. Just four years after its official reinauguration as an "Urban Campus," its grand reopening was announced for early this week. Returning this public space to the city promises to not only reactivate the adjacent urban area but also reclaim its role as a gathering place for local residents, featuring the addition of four movie theaters and various dining options.

Plano Abierto Buenos Aires: How to Understand the City's Urban Regulations

With the launch of the new Urban and Building Code, approved by the Buenos Aires City Legislature in late 2018, the city of Buenos Aires has begun to reconfigure how information is accessed in the urban and architectural fields. In line with this approach, Plano Abierto BA serves as a tool that allows any resident to access online data regarding development capacity, permitted uses, building heritage listings, maximum heights, construction records and inspections, and the current status of each individual plot in the city (including cadastral data, built area, and number of floors). This provides indicative urban planning information to facilitate the understanding of the New Urban Code of Buenos Aires.

These houses in Córdoba enhance the fusion between architecture and landscape

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When designing outside of urban areas, where property lines are not constrained by party walls and adjacent buildings do not dictate the layout, some of the most honest architectural responses emerge regarding how to intervene and what stance to take toward the surrounding landscape.

The following four architectural projects located in the Province of Córdoba, shaped by the topographical conditions and the specific characteristics of their surroundings, establish a profound sense of belonging with the landscape. By blurring the line between the natural and the artificial, they offer valuable tools and insights for designing on suburban plots.

Homes, studios, and private apartments you can visit during Open House Buenos Aires 2019

Have you ever been curious to see inside someone else's home? With this tagline, Open House Buenos Aires has announced the details of its seventh edition, an invitation and a unique opportunity to rediscover both the architecture of Buenos Aires and its stories and residents. Like every year, this festival offers free admission to numerous architecturally significant buildings that are normally closed to the public. Over the weekend of November 9 and 10, more than 140 buildings will open their doors, making the festival one of the year's most important cultural events.

21-Square-Meter Apartments: Inhabiting the City Through the Minimum Rather Than the Ideal?

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In the new Urban and Building Code of the City of Buenos Aires, approved by the Legislature in late 2018, new strategies are presented for the city's planned growth and densification. One of the code's most notable elements, which this article reflects upon, enables the development of apartments with a new minimum floor area established at 21 square meters. The supposed affordability of these minimum micro-units seeks, under a political agenda, to double the urban population in the near future, betting on a densification that would increase the city's population from 3 million to 6 million inhabitants.

17th International Architecture Biennial of Buenos Aires 2019

The Buenos Aires International Architecture Biennial, one of Latin America's most significant architectural events, will take place from October 15 to 20, 2019, at the Usina del Arte, located in the historic La Boca neighborhood. Held in the city since 1984, the Biennial is a participatory event of interest to the entire community, showcasing and exploring the most prominent themes in architecture and urbanism. Recognized as one of the world's premier biennials—alongside those in Venice and São Paulo—this year's edition will feature prominent international figures, bringing together architects from Argentina as well as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Spain, the United States, Finland, England, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Norway, Peru, Sweden, Switzerland, and Uruguay.

Oficina Nómada de Arquitectura: “Why do we get used to seeing perfect and pristine architecture?”

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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.

From Heritage Estate to Refuge and Agroforestry School: The Proposal to Rehabilitate the Raixa Estate in Mallorca, Spain

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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).

Construction begins on 40 sustainable public housing units in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Barcelona

Through IMPSOL (Metropolitan Institute for Land Development and Property Management), the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB) has begun construction on a new series of social housing (VPO) units on Anselm Clavé Street in Sant Feliu de Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). Project design and construction management are led by Guillermo López of MAIO Architects.

Territorial Planning in Rosario: Strategies for the Articulation of a Metropolitan Area

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The ECOM Rosario (Metropolitan Coordination Agency) is a voluntary association of municipalities and communes, an institutional space for the planning, coordination, and promotion of public policies with regional impact, organized on the basis of a strategic partnership among 26 localities. It is essentially an organ for driving the formulation, development, and execution of projects at a metropolitan scale, established with the goal of supporting balanced and integrated territorial development in the Metropolitan Area of Rosario (AMR), Argentina.

City of Desire: Human scale in the city through a feminist, intersectional, and political lens

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Observing the reality of our built environment allows us to recognize that certain identities are not represented by existing models and scales. Unsurprisingly, these voices have been conspicuously absent from the planning and construction processes of cities and their architecture. Their desires, ways of being, and modes of inhabiting the world have been excluded and rendered invisible. This prompts us to rethink: Which voices are legitimized in urban debates, and for whom is the city designed?

FRAM arquitectos: "Every decision is a response to a concrete condition"

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FRAM arquitectos is an Argentine architecture firm founded in 2011 in the city of Buenos Aires. With a body of work focused on small- and medium-scale single-family homes designed and built in both Buenos Aires and the province of Río Negro, they have explored the complexities of domestic living, engaged in material research of various kinds, and tackled challenging commissions with minimal dimensions and tight budgets. Alongside this, they have actively participated in consecutive provincial and national competitions, seeking to expand their design scope and deepen their study of larger-scale programs.