Romullo Baratto is an architect with a PhD from FAUUSP and Managing Editor of ArchDaily. He previously coordinated the editorial team of the 11th São Paulo Architecture Biennial and served as Managing Editor of ArchDaily Brasil, where he led the platform to win the FNA Award—the first time the honor was granted to a media outlet. He collaborated on the editing of the book "Concrete Jungle", published by gestalten, and has curated architecture exhibitions in Brazil, Chile, Denmark, and Italy, as well as delivered lectures and moderated debates in Spain, the United States, and Portugal. His doctoral thesis investigates the urban landscapes of São Paulo through cinema. His work spans academic research and editorial practice, communicating architecture through texts, interviews, lectures, curatorship, and photography. Follow him on Instagram @romullobf.
The website Mobilize, Brazil's first platform dedicated exclusively to sustainable urban mobility, has published a list of 30 must-see documentaries on the subject. Divided into feature and medium-length films, the selected titles address urban mobility from various perspectives, ranging from mass transit and non-motorized personal transport to urban culture and the June 2013 protests in Brazil.
Jayana da Cruz's house (left) has already undergone some renovations with the help of the Arquiteto de Família project. Photo: ONG Soluções Urbanas
The NGO Soluções Urbanas launched a crowdfunding platform earlier this month to enable technical assistance, the purchase of materials, and renovation work in precarious housing. Named Arquiteto de Família, the tool was developed with sponsorship from CAU/RJ.
The platform's goal is to facilitate access to better housing conditions, and the funds raised through the tool can be combined with resources from other sources, such as microcredit and barter fairs.
The *Geography, City, and Architecture* graduate program at Escola da Cidade invited architect Mario Figueroa to deliver a lecture on Chilean architecture, where he discusses the so-called “Generation of the '90s” and the Museum of Memory and Human Rights.
The deck is finished, the beams and columns have already been painted, and construction is moving forward at a good pace at the Guarda Housing Complex in Perafita, Matosinhos, Portugal, which will very soon see the completion of Uma Casa de Brincar e Não Só… / Not Only a Playhouse, built as part of the second edition of “O Lugar de Partilha.” At the end of the first week on-site, there is still much work to be done for this Self-Construction Laboratory organized by Casa da Arquitectura (CA) – Portuguese Center for Architecture and curated by Roberto Cremascoli, but spirits are high, and by August 10th, everything will be ready for the local community to enjoy.
Flooding in St. Mark's Basilica. Image: Procuradoria da Basílica de São Marcos, via El País
As Europe's second most visited built heritage site, behind only the Colosseum in Rome, St. Mark's Basilica in Venice receives over 5 million visitors annually. Yet, under the strain of this massive influx, the 11th-century Byzantine mosaic floors seem to be succumbing to the effects of the floating city's tides.
The undulations in the basilica's floor are visible to the naked eye—feet have not touched them for a decade, as visitors are only allowed to walk on synthetic carpet runners—and they have even cracked at the most critical points, especially in the center of the building. Currently, only 20% of the geometric marble and stone patterns are original; the rest has been restored over the last ten centuries by the artisans of the St. Mark's Workshop.
UPDATE: This article has generated a much larger response than expected, and we feel it is our duty to clarify the situation. At no point does the article suggest that the project in Artur Nogueira is a plagiarism of the French project. Plagiarism, by definition, is presenting someone else's intellectual work as one's own, and this article makes no such claim. What it does state is that the project in Brazil is a copy of the French one, without accusing anyone of plagiarism or clarifying whether or not permission was granted to copy the design. We were contacted by the owner of Colégio Futura Plus, who informed us that during the design process, French architect Raphaelle Hondelatte was contacted and authorized the use of the elements mentioned in the text—specifically, the yellow giraffe and the cantilevered white volume. As soon as we receive new information, we will update the article again.
To what extent can architecture draw inspiration from references without being considered a copy of another building? This discussion raises diverse and controversial opinions that prompt us to reflect on the issue of architectural copyright and recall the infamous architectural replicas produced in recent years in China, which mimic everything from iconic buildings to the French capital itself.
Architecture is perhaps the built heritage that best expresses a city's history, highlighting major cultural figures whose work enriches the history of its people. The Porto Architecture Guide 1942-2017 follows the Lisbon Architecture Guide 1948-2013; together, they are the first two volumes in the Cities collection published by A+A Books.
Portuguese architect João Luís Carrilho da Graça has been unanimously selected as the winner of the inaugural Leon Battista Alberti Architecture Prize, awarded by the Leon Battista Alberti Center for Studies Foundation, named after the prominent Renaissance architect and art theorist.
Carrilho da Graça, who heads the eponymous firm Carrilho da Graça Arquitectos, is known for major projects in Portugal and other European countries, such as the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, the Theater in Poitiers, and the Orient Museum.
Originally published in 1995, Registro de uma vivência is an autobiography by Lucio Costa (1902–1998) composed of critical essays, memoirs, plans, projects, photographs, and drawings specifically selected and arranged by the author.
Out of print for nearly 20 years, the book has been reissued by Editora 34 in partnership with Edições Sesc SP. Fully preserving the original graphic design, this new edition features an introduction by Maria Elisa Costa, Lucio’s daughter, an index of names, and an essay by Sophia da Silva Telles, which seeks to decipher the significance of the work of this great architect and urban planner, who was also one of the most important Brazilian intellectuals of the 20th century.
Seu Acervo, a platform for architecture final graduation projects, has released the results of the "Most Popular Project of 2017" open call, launched last November. The goal of the call is to expand the reach of the material available on the platform and encourage recent graduates to engage with digital publishing media.
The winners of this first edition of the award are Rogério Oliveira da Costa, from the Centro Universitário Belas Artes de São Paulo; Nayara de Paula, from the Universidade Anhembi Morumbi; and Hugo Rossini, from the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie. See the winning projects below.
Indivisível (Indivisible) is the title of the graphic novel created by Marília Marz as her final thesis project at Escola da Cidade – Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism. The project aims to identify and analyze the narrative possibilities intrinsic to the architectural and urban elements of the Liberdade neighborhood in São Paulo across two distinct historical periods.
How many discoveries can a walk through São Paulo reveal? What if this expedition felt like a treasure hunt and was led by a friendly, highly curious dog? Inspired by the success of the Prédios de São Paulo trilogy, a project conceived by Matteo Gavazzi, comes Prédios de São Paulo para Crianças. Set to launch in July 2018, the children's book features text by journalist Tatiana Engelbrecht and illustrations by Daniel Almeida. The book is published by GAPS Editora.
The exhibition "Women Architects XIX-XX" on the role of women in the history of the profession, installed at the University of Beira Interior (UBI) in Portugal, was vandalized between last Friday night and Saturday morning. Held by the Integrated Master's in Architecture of the university's Department of Civil Engineering, the exhibition occupied the building's lobby and was destroyed, likely by punches and kicks, according to an article published by the Portuguese newspaper Expresso.
Aiming to reflect on how "the visibility of women architects in the context of established architectural history is minimal and does not do justice to their actual and real presence in building cities and architecture," the exhibition, organized by Patrícia Santos Pedrosa, showcased the results of research on the production and presence of female architects over the past two centuries who contributed to expanding "the way we make, think, and question architecture."
View from the rooftop lookout. Photo: Courtesy of Sesc
Closed for renovations since 2010, the Sesc branch on Avenida Paulista now has an official opening date: April 29. Designed by the firm Königsberger Vannucchi Arquitetos Associados, the renovation project transformed the former Sesc Paulista space, creating three auditoriums, workshop rooms, exhibition areas, rehearsal and fitness rooms, as well as the traditional services offered by all Sesc branches, such as a café, restaurant, and shops.
Focused on performing arts and body movement, the program of Sesc Paulista is spread over 17 floors, featuring a rooftop café and an observation deck overlooking the avenue.
The Sebrae Sustainability Center (CSS), designed by architect and urban planner José Portocarrero, won the BREEAM Awards 2018 for best sustainable building in the Americas, as well as the popular vote category. Inspired by indigenous dwellings, which are benchmarks in bioclimatic design, the building in Cuiabá (MT) stands out for its thermal comfort and maximum use of natural light. Its double-shell roof enables internal cooling and rainwater harvesting, which is filtered and stored for garden irrigation and floor washing.
The project, titled Empatias Mapeadas, consists of an interactive parametric sculpture featuring pulsing lights and speakers that mix and broadcast the heartbeats of the participants who touch the piece.
The concept of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) shaped 19th-century art movements and influenced several design schools of the era—including the Bauhaus, which brought the term into the modern age. The school's unstructured architectural designs and avant-garde furniture paved the way for fields such as fashion, graphic design, and painting. At the Bauhaus, disciplines drew inspiration from one another, blurring the boundaries between art and industry. When the school closed in 1933, however, many design projects were left unfinished.
To revive some of these interrupted Bauhaus design projects, Adobe has launched the "Hidden Treasures" initiative to recreate five typefaces originally designed by five of the school's masters: Joost Schmidt, Xanti Schawinsky, Reinhold Rossig, Carl Marx, and Alfred Arndt.
The Museu de Arte de São Paulo has put up for sale a limited edition of one hundred crystal easels designed by Lina Bo Bardi. Originally introduced in 1968 and removed from the museum in 1996, the iconic easels were redesigned by the firm Metro Arquitetos and brought back to the MASP gallery in 2015. Each unit costs R$ 10,000, and the proceeds will support the museum's activities.