Mónica Arellano

Content Editor at ArchDaily Mexico. Architect by UNAM (2018). Her interests focus on exploring the relationship of the body with architecture through dance. She has collaborated with different international choreographers who explore dance and architecture as an event. Twitter / Instagram: @monicarellano_

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Winners of the BANL XXII - Nuevo León Architecture Biennial 2023

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The winners of the XXII Bienal del Colegio de Arquitectos de Nuevo León in Monterrey have been announced. Under the theme "Coherence," this edition's discourse proposes establishing dialogues and expressions to recognize the correct expressive and material act of architecture in practice. The biennial seeks to acknowledge how both architectural objects and urban projects operate under the following categories: social coherence, ethical coherence, strategic coherence, participatory coherence, productive coherence, and material coherence.

Enrique Norten Awarded the Lorenzo H. Zambrano Award by CEMEX

Mexican architect Enrique Norten has been awarded the Lorenzo H. Zambrano Award for his outstanding career as an architect and professor. He is the founder and director of TEN Arquitectos (Mexico City, New York, and Miami) and, throughout his career, has been internationally recognized for his extensive portfolio of more than 60 built projects around the world.

Results of the 39th Alberto J. Pani Architectural Composition Award 2023

Since 1985, for 38 years, the School of Architecture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico has organized and hosted the calls for entries for the Alberto J. Pani Architectural Composition Award, with the goal of bringing together the top students from institutions affiliated with the Association of Architecture Teaching Institutions of the Mexican Republic (ASINEA). The event is organized in collaboration with an ASINEA member institution, which this year is the School of Architecture, Design, and Urbanism at the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca (UABJO).

Citizen initiative speaks out in defense of the SCOP Center in Mexico City

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Six years ago, the 2017 earthquake left deep scars across various parts of the country, including Mexico City, where several buildings suffered severe structural damage and were subsequently evacuated. One of these is the SCOP Center (Centro SCOP). Designed by architects Carlos Lazo, Augusto Pérez Palacios, and Raúl Cacho, this integrated sculptural and pictorial complex features murals by Juan O'Gorman, José Chávez Morado, Francisco Zúñiga, and Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt. Today, it stands as one of Mexico's most significant 20th-century artistic monuments. Spanning over 6,000 square meters of gross floor area, it is widely considered one of the most successful examples of the *Integración Plástica* (Plastic Integration) movement. 

Fernanda Canales presents "A HOUSE FOR MORE" with a collaborative installation by Pablo Kobayashi

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Throughout her career as an architect, Fernanda Canales has shown a specific interest in studying the housing phenomenon in Mexico. This focus is reflected in her various research projects and publications, which aim to address this issue on a global scale. As she explains regarding this project: "With millions of vacant homes in the world and millions of people without housing, architecture has the potential to offer alternatives to segregation: it can undoubtedly offer more, for more people." In this vein, Canales presents "A HOUSE FOR MORE," a workshop and installation at the VDL House designed to question underutilized residential spaces and integrate diverse collective programs into the places we inhabit.

ISAD presents a pavilion as part of its Taller del Desierto 2023 initiative in Chihuahua

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As part of an initiative by the ISAD School of Architecture and Design in Chihuahua, the Taller del Desierto (Desert Workshop) has been running for several years, fostering various projects to stimulate student learning. For this edition, a pavilion was built, conceived as an assembly of pieces with a theatrical narrative. This pavilion was created as a collaboration between ISAD and Teatro Bárbaro, a local independent cultural forum led by Luis Bizarro. Consequently, the pavilion was designed to serve as a traveling venue for performances created or adapted specifically for this space, which consists of pieces designed during the four-week summer workshop in 2023.

6 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored

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6 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored - Imagen 8 de 46 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored - Imagen 9 de 46 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored - Imagen 10 de 46 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored - Imagen 11 de 46 UNESCO World Heritage sites virtually restored - More Images+ 9

Despite UNESCO's recognition of specific world heritage sites, some are in constant danger of disappearing due to natural phenomena like earthquakes and human factors such as urbanization. By definition, these landmarks are significant to human history, embodying characteristics that reflect the core values of various civilizations. However, many have never been experienced firsthand by a large portion of the global population.

Free Architecture: Self-Construction in Mexico Through the Lens of Adam Wiseman

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In Mexico, the practice of self-construction remains a divisive topic within the architectural community, with proponents both for and against a practice that is highly conventional and widespread throughout the country. However, though far from a consensus among construction professionals, autonomous building processes are an undeniable reality driven by economic, cultural, and social conditions—a phenomenon that knows no borders. With this in mind, over the last few years, architects have launched a series of initiatives aimed at developing and providing informative materials, support guides, and manuals for self-construction, addressing safety and well-being, and ultimately bringing to light a practice that is increasingly difficult to ignore.

Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos Opens New Office in the Heart of London

Mexican firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos has announced the opening of its new office in the heart of London. This strategic move for its global practice will establish an international presence in a global capital, bringing the firm closer to its clients worldwide.

APRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure”

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APRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure” - Featured ImageAPRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure” - 1 的图像 4APRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure” - 2 的图像 4APRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure” - 3 的图像 4APRDELESP: “Our architectural practice is composed of a private, public, physical, and digital infrastructure” - More Images+ 4

APRDELESP is a Mexico City-based practice founded in 2012 whose main partners are Guillermo González, Rodrigo Escandón, Ricardo Roxo, and Manuel Bueno. It emerged as a research practice on space and its processes of appropriation, seeking to question traditional architectural processes. As an architectural practice, APRDELESP maintains an equal commitment to public and private infrastructure, as well as to the physical and digital infrastructure of the office itself.

Discover the winning project for the construction of the ICA Center for Training, Research, and Capacity Building (CENFICA)

The Fundación ICA presents the initiative to establish the ICA Center for Education, Research, and Training (CENFICA), which will consolidate ICA's historical mission and vision for the professional development of new generations of professionals and the continuous training of its employees. Drawing on academic program experiences and the creation of innovation laboratories for construction and prefabrication processes, ICA promotes CENFICA through Fundación ICA—a non-profit civil association founded in 1986—aiming to expand its institutional outreach across three core areas: Education, Research, and Training.

Colectivo 9A wins the Oscar Hagerman Award International Architecture Competition with an affordable housing proposal in Cuba

The winning project of the Oscar Hagerman Prize International Architecture Competition has been announced. Established in 2017 to honor the career of architect Oscar Hagerman, the biennial competition recognizes social architecture concepts, encouraging participants to utilize regional materials while prioritizing user needs.

Estudio AMA debuts with its project “Riviera Ka’an Residencias” on the Caribbean coast

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Mexico City- and Guadalajara-based firm Estudio AMA debuts with its "Riviera Ka’an Residencias" project, located in Xpu Ha, a town in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, situated south of Playa del Carmen and north of Tulum on the Caribbean coast. Estudio AMA presents itself as a creative space encompassing all fields of design: architecture, interiors, graphic design, and art.

2019 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture Winner: Rozana Montiel

Rozana Montiel, alongside Werner Sobek, Ersen Gürsel, Ammar Khammash, and Jorge Lobos, has won the Global Award for Sustainable Architecture 2019. The award ceremony will take place on May 13 in Paris, France.

List of World Heritage Sites in Mexico

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According to announcements on the UNESCO website, the World Heritage List represents an invaluable legacy of monuments, natural beauty, and cultural treasures belonging to all humanity. The sites inscribed on this list serve as milestones on our planet, symbolizing regional and national awareness of the significance of place and shared wealth, while preserving this collective heritage for future generations.

Neufert’s ‘Embodied Ergonomics’

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Human-Reification. Image © Paul Gisbrecht

The relationship between the human body and architecture has always been a fundamental element of architectural design and practice, yet it was only in recent history that this connection was formally documented, let alone fully accepted. The question today is: how is the human body interpreted in the contemporary era, and how do these perceptions shape the way we design buildings and spaces? Ergonomics is often viewed as a discipline that highlights the separation between body and object; in reality, however, it not only bridges the two, but also serves as a blueprint designed to maximize and synchronize efficiency between them. At its core, ergonomics is a technical discourse concerning an increasingly mechanized human habitat.

*Lotte am Bauhaus*: A Film About the True Story of the Women of the Bauhaus School

Go Hasegawa builds temporary installation in a garden designed by Luis Barragán

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As part of the cultural programming of Jardín 17—a space designed by Luis Barragán as an extension of his house-studio that has hosted various academic programs from around the world for the past 20 years—Japanese architect Go Hasegawa has designed the installation Flying Carpet: a pavilion suspended in the middle of Barragán's garden.