Every two years, starting in 1998, the Saint-Gobain International Gypsum Trophy has awarded the most recent developments for quality craftsmanship in drywall systems and plastering. This year, the 13th edition of the Gypsum Trophy took place in Athens on April 28th, 2023. From the Americas to Asia, from Europe to Africa, 73 projects from 27 countries competed in six categories to win one of the 15 prizes of the competition.

Participating contractors combine their know-how and creativity with Saint-Gobain plaster and dry lining systems to carry out high-performance projects. Whereas some are built on existing historical structures, others create something completely new. Similarly, some projects were completed with the help of over a thousand employees/teammates, while others by just a few.

See this year's winners below, as well as the details of the Awards.

Applications for INDESEM '23 are open! (check out the website)

Fields of Being: Architecture Traditions in Yunnan, China, is an exploration of the rich architectural heritage of China’s most culturally diverse province at the crossroads of China, Southeast Asia, and the Himalayas. The exhibition features research by the Kunming University of Science and Technology, China Folk House Retreat, and other institutions regarding unique architecture forms and practices in the province. The exhibition also presents cases of contemporary architecture inspired by these traditions.

Combining expert voices and emerging visions, this book offers a diverse range of perspectives on the responsibility of architecture and urbanism within our current context of multidimensional crisis. It explores their complicity and forms of resistance, their possibilities and limitations, their tools and working methodologies, their relationship with other disciplines, their areas of intervention, and their capacity to create new imaginaries.

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A gathering to screen and discuss the documentary "Hacer mucho con poco" (Doing More with Less), directed by Katerina Kliwadenko and Mario Novas and co-produced with Al Borde. The film highlights local values—both material and human—and is characterized by the social, economic, and environmental awareness with which young architects approach their projects.

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Today, it is essential to integrate strategies that help limit the emissions generated by buildings over their lifespan into design and functionality concepts to mitigate climate change. Consequently, reducing embodied carbon in construction has become an urgent priority, and industry professionals are increasingly taking this into account to build with a smaller carbon footprint, alongside the principles of circularity, sustainable development, and energy efficiency. 

In her series Acessibilidade de norte a sul: todas as vozes do Brasil, Mariana Bunn Architecture and Accessibility will host a conversation with architect Juliana Gomeso this coming Sunday, May 7th.

Instituto Ling is hosting a special program to reflect on architecture in the contemporary world. Held in partnership with AsBEA-RS (the Brazilian Association of Architectural Offices of Rio Grande do Sul), the project features an inaugural lecture and two short courses running from May to August, exploring cities, history, memory, and sustainability, while offering new perspectives on ways of living, coexisting, and dwelling.

On May 24th at 5:00 PM, Greg Bousquet, a co-founder of Triptyque Architecture and currently head of ARCHITECTS OFFICE (AO)—an international architecture, urbanism, and interior design agency with offices in São Paulo and Lisbon—will discuss how architecture, in dialogue with the construction sector, can work toward a better future for cities.
Driven by the goal of promoting spaces that prioritize well-being, resilient buildings, and more democratic cities, Greg will present the contemporary stance and philosophy he has consolidated over the past seven years, which shaped the foundation of AO. It is a pragmatic and contemporary perspective on the current trajectory of the profession.

From September 12 to 16, "Insurgências – Experiences from Public Space" will take place, bringing together the 8th International Festival of Urban Interventions (FIIU) and the 5th Placemaking Latin America Meeting.

The EMPORIA award guidelines encompass ephemeral works applied to museums, exhibitions, trade fairs, shareholder meetings, points of sale, festivals, sporting events, as well as conceptual and experimental architecture. The common denominator is that the architectural work must be ephemeral and executed for projects within Mexico.

Twenty-two proposals were submitted to the EFE (Trenes de Chile) architectural competition to convert the iconic seven-story, triangular concrete structure at 221 Exposición Street in Santiago into its new corporate headquarters. Originally designed by architect Boris Guiñeman, the building was constructed between 1970 and 1974 to house the Correos de Chile sorting center.

For thousands of years, nomadic Mongolians have lived in gers – circular ‘yurt-like’ structures made of timber, felt, and canvas that are ideal for moveable life on the Steppe. Since 1990, due to major political, social, and climatic upheaval, hundreds of thousands of people have abandoned nomadic life and moved to the country’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar. The gers, cheap and easily moved, are now grounded, exacerbating the extraordinary growth of the city, which has increased its size 35 times in the last thirty years. The living situation in these ger districts is increasingly unsustainable and detrimental to the health and well-being of those that live there.

'City parks' takes a stroll around the world’s most beautiful public spaces. A visual celebration of park life around the world, from the author of Lido, Christopher Beanland explores what city dwellers have come to appreciate more than ever over the last few years: parks are an essential part of modern urban life.

The winners of the German Design Awards 2023 approach design in ways that are both clever and sustainable, with a focus on ground-breaking product solutions and visionary ideas. The cradle-to-cradle principle, modular construction methods, sustainable use of materials and energy efficiency have long been mainstays in manufacturing and the construction process. But real estate branding is also increasingly coming into focus and becoming an important instrument in architectural communication and marketing.

Of the 4,200 submissions that the German Design Awards 2023 received, 98 projects in total were honored with the highest ‘Gold’ distinction. The German Design Awards are one of the most well-recognized international design awards, distinguished by its diversity and the quality of the projects. The awards are given to companies whose products stand out in the categories of ‘Excellent Product Design’, ‘Excellent Communications Design’, and ‘Excellent Architecture’. In the three different design disciplines, this year’s winners include companies such as Duravit, Mono and WMF, as well as the architecture firm MVRDV and start-ups such as nevi and X Shore AB.

June 2 • Friday

Architectural tour of Belo Horizonte, with architect André Scarpa.

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The search for the world’s best building continues as the World Architecture Festival extends the entry deadline for its annual global awards programme to Monday 22 May. The 16th edition of the festival is open for award entries in 44 categories across architecture and interiors.

World Architecture Festival (WAF) is where the world architecture community meets to celebrate, learn, exchange and be inspired. This year, for the first time since 2015, the festival returns to Singapore on 29 November – 1 December.

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WasteBuild Zero is a 2-day event that unites the built environment to showcase the latest materials, techniques, solutions and innovators that are helping to deliver low carbon and circular construction schemes today. Our aim is to support the transition towards a circular and regenerative built environment and in the process to tackle the climate emergency.