+ 52

As part of INFONAVIT's Housing Research and Practical Experimentation Laboratory project—which involved designing and developing a series of prototype homes to deepen the analysis of social housing and improve residents' quality of life—32 world-renowned architects gathered in the city of Apan, in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico. There, they tested, evaluated, and validated these prototype homes to improve the users' quality of life and promote better practices among developers, demonstrating that high-quality housing can be built at costs comparable to current market rates.

+ 3

Bamboo is a building material that has been used since antiquity in various structures, demonstrating its superiority over modern materials such as plastic and steel. This is due to its countless benefits, as well as an incomparable aesthetic appeal that has positioned it as one of today's leading architectural trends.

March 8 was established by the UN in 1975 to commemorate the struggle for equal rights and universal suffrage. This commemoration honors the efforts of women who demanded their right to vote, to work, to professional training, to hold public office, and to combat labor discrimination. This struggle is the fruit of the labor of women who sacrificed themselves for the cause. Daily events clearly show that the social landscape has changed; however, it remains essential that both men and women commit to progress and justice to make things happen.

+ 22

As part of its annual awards program, Interceramic, a leading Mexican manufacturer and distributor of ceramic floor and wall tiles, celebrated the eighth edition of the Interceramic Architecture and Interior Design Award on October 17, 2019, at the Salón de las Artes of the JW Marriott Santa Fe Hotel in Mexico City. The awards aim to promote and recognize projects that best reflect contemporary design and express the current state of architecture and interior design, while also celebrating creativity in the use of Interceramic ceramic materials.

+ 21

As part of the 12th edition of the ColorLife TRENDS program, this October, the brand Comex revealed the trends and the color of the year that will dominate in 2020. The program aims to promote the use of color across all industries and unlock its power as a visual tool to improve the environment, protecting and enhancing the lives of Mexicans. These trends were developed by 14 renowned creatives from various industries, including design, gastronomy, architecture, and fashion.

+ 4

Open House, the international festival that invites people to visit landmark sites in cities like London, New York, Barcelona, and Buenos Aires, returns for its second edition in Mexico City. Iconic buildings will participate in OHCDMX, opening to the public on September 28 and 29.

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Valle de Guadalupe is a region in the state of Baja California, Mexico, with a climate ranging from arid to Mediterranean, which has allowed it to become one of the country's most important wine-producing areas. In recent years, however, it has been threatened by overtourism and real estate speculation.

+ 19

Atlantes is the new monumental installation by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, presented by Galería Hilario Galguera, Blain | Southern, and Kasmin. Situated on the coast of Oaxaca, near Casa Wabi, in the largely uninhabited area near Puerto Escondido, Mexico, Atlantes is described as "the region's most ambitious land art project in recent years."

+ 7

In 2014, a group of friends from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, eager to contribute to their city's resilience and recovery, came together to discuss and pitch ideas for reclaiming streets, squares, and parks through sociocultural projects and urban interventions in public spaces. This gave rise to Nómada Laboratorio Urbano. Ciudad Juárez is an industrial city located on the northern border with the United States, directly adjacent to El Paso, Texas. Over the years, Juárez's economy has been dominated by the "maquiladora" manufacturing industry, and the city was once considered one of the most violent in the world due to a wave of crime between 2008 and 2012.

+ 8

SKALAR is a large-scale art installation designed by light artist Christopher Bauder and musician Kangding Ray. Following its resounding success in Berlin, the work arrives in Mexico City for the first time as part of a collaboration between MUTEK MX, Noiselab, and the German studio WHITEvoid. The installation lasts approximately 45 minutes and is open to the public Monday through Sunday. Additionally, it will feature special shows with live performances by its creators, offering attendees an artistic and audiovisual experience distinct from the continuous loop.

+ 12

The Urban Agriculture Laboratory is designed by Transversal / Arquitectura Paisaje Urbanismo, located at the Semilla Museum in Chihuahua, Mexico. This project is the result of a civic initiative that combines landscape, architectural, and exhibition design elements centered around urban agriculture, permaculture, and the observation of natural phenomena. In doing so, it redefines the traditional "white box" exhibition space, transforming it into a hands-on pedagogical space, civic gathering point, and laboratory.

The TEMA Pavilion Competition was created to provide young architects and students from the University of Guadalajara student body with the opportunity to design an ephemeral project that expresses ideas beyond the typical academic requirements of an architecture or design school. On November 11, the proposals were evaluated by internationally recognized architecture and design practices, including José Amozurrutia and Carlos Facio / TO; Andrea Castilla and Deha Chehade / Chehade Carter Interior Design; and architect Diego Vergara Álvarez.

+ 6

The International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale opened its 58th edition on May 11, 2019, at the Sale d'Armi in the Arsenale in Venice, and will run through November 24. At this world-renowned event, Mexico presented its contribution to the national pavilions with Acts of God by artist Pablo Vargas Lugo. Curated by Magalí Arriola, the project seeks to establish a dialogue with the curatorial concept of the Biennale Arte 2019, May You Live in Interesting Times, to examine how we value our actions, the connections we establish between the natural world and geological time, and to question the origins of our moral choices and inherited values, such as the idea of redemption.

+ 1

The installation Hórama Rama by Pedro y Juana (Ana Paula Ruiz Galindo and Mecky Reuss) opened this summer as part of the 20th edition of the Young Architects Program 2019 at MoMAPS1. This architectural installation is an immersive jungle landscape set within a large-scale cyclorama that sits atop the courtyard walls of MoMAPS1 and runs from June 28 through September 2, 2019.

2019 brought a wealth of enriching experiences through some of Mexico City's most prominent events, including the inaugural Porto Academy Workshop, the annual Design Week Mexico festival, and the Abierto Mexicano de Diseño, among others. These events hosted design and architecture exhibitions that captured the creative output of the moment—showcases that will serve as future reference points for understanding the architectural discourse of this era.

+ 29

Mexico City’s vecindades (traditional tenement housing) are urban settlements located primarily in the downtown area. According to the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), these buildings first emerged in the late 18th century, though their peak occurred during the 19th century as a result of rapid population growth, serving to provide affordable housing for the city's most marginalized sectors.

+ 11

The Mexican state of Oaxaca is one of the most visited destinations in the country, drawing travelers from around the globe with its rich culinary, cultural, and architectural heritage. Located in the southeastern region of the country, it spans 93,757 km² and is divided into 570 municipalities, making it the fifth-largest state in Mexico.

+ 12

Construcciones Modernas, S.A. is a series comprising an album of popular, remembered, and forgotten buildings in Mexico City—a record and the beginning of an atlas. It is a subway line featuring all the architectural icons missing from the train cars, a tribute to the city, its modernity, and its decay.